Water under cockpit floor

jkidd · Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 12:01 am Post subject:

Probably no core in the vertical piece. Use a shop vacuum and tape a small hose in the end and suck the water out.

jkidd · Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 12:01 am Post subject:

Duplicate

jkidd · Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 12:05 am Post subject:

Five of em is that a record?

curioustraveler · Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 8:02 am Post subject:

I may try and tackle this project this weekend. I already sealed the bulkhead to deck joint with LifeSeal. Any tips on how to drill a 1" hole through fiberglass? I think I'm going to try that little drain plug I linked to earlier on the vertical surface at the back. Any reason I can't use an adhesive to secure it rather than drilling three additional holes for mounting screws?

I'll insert a 6' section of small tubing connected to my wet/dry vac through the hole to suck out anything that doesn't drain on its own.

If this doesn't work I can install an access point up near the bulkhead.

So, how do I drill a holes this large without causing any damage to the neighboring glass?

jkidd · Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 8:59 am Post subject:

Use a countersink first and make the hole big enough that the drill bit can't catch on the gel coat.

curioustraveler · Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 9:15 am Post subject:

So if the drain needs a 1 1/8" hole, start with one size bigger bit, just to cut through the gelcoat, and then drill the hole with the 1 1/8”?

Cover the area with masking tape first.

If it's not cored, do I need to use epoxy or sealant to protect the inside of the hole?

thataway · Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 12:25 pm Post subject:

ssobol · Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 2:06 pm Post subject:

Run the drill in reverse to get through the gelcoat. It will eliminate or reduce chipping.

curioustraveler · Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 4:51 pm Post subject:

The 1 1/8" hole saw worked great. I drilled the hole 6" off center. Glad I did. When I felt around inside the hole, towards mid-line, I felt some thicker layers of glass like I might have been right at the edge of where glass was building up to where a stringer was laid. Pictures in my album.

There's definitely water in there but it's not up to the bottom of my hole opening so it didn't drain out. My shop vac wouldn't run off my cigarette lighter inverter so I have to jury-rig a hand pump to suck the water out. Hopefully once it's out, I can close the drain and won't have to access it anymore.

Thanks for all the advise.

ssobol · Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 6:49 pm Post subject:

curioustraveler · Posted: Sat May 09, 2020 9:38 pm Post subject:

If there is a stringer, it must not divide the area in 2 because hearing the water flow from one side to the other is what tipped me off that there was water in there. We're planning on taking her up to Annapolis for breakfast tomorrow so I'll plow with the bow up high for a bit to see how much of the water drains out.

curioustraveler · Posted: Sun May 10, 2020 6:23 pm Post subject:

Enjoyed a nice afternoon out on Curious Traveler today. Getting the bow up definitely drained most of the water out from under the floor. I still plan to rig a pump to make sure I suck it all out but so far the drain seems to be working.

RichardM · Posted: Mon May 11, 2020 12:46 pm Post subject:

On my 2006 I found the same thing. Under the porta-potty was a plastic cap which, when removed, let me see and touch water!

I adapted a router guide to let me use the hole from the plactic cap as a center and rout a circle in the floor there, to fit a 6 inch inspection port (they're common on sailboats and are well sealed when closed). There are photos of this on the Pangur Ban photo page. Once the hole was routed there was some wet foam to remove.

After installing the port, just to get it dry for sure, I set a 6 inch duct fan (Home Depot) in the open port and left it on (with 120 volt extension cord) a long time to dry the under-floor area completely. Now I can check it when I like.

A good boat cover has done a better job than my old tarps keeping the boat dry during the winter season. I seldom find mousture under the floor now. But you're right, the joint where the cabin meets the cockpit floor shows cracks. Also, the joint where the rear cockpit floor folds down to the hull liner (just in front of the gas tanks) is cracked the same way, and may be the worse problem.

Richard

RichardM · Posted: Mon May 25, 2020 3:26 pm Post subject:

Glad you're making progress and congrats on your good drain idea. Here's an extra thing to check: When installing my inspection port under the porta-potty it rained, and suddenly there were active leaks under the fittings for the factory's front rails and bow cleat, and also around portlights, windlass and antenna cable added by the previous owner. Clearly they'd been leaking rainwater for a while. Removing and re-bedding all those fittings (mostly with butyl tape sealant) was a (sort of) fun project and fixed the leaks. With that and a good boat cover (try Empire Covers), the under-floor area has stayed dry. So take a good look for leaks ... the water may be coming from above, not below!

In fact I discovered wet core around several of the fittings, which gave me another opportunity to excel....

Finally, to answer your question about installing things in anti-skid, it's safe and easy to grind down the anti-skid nubs with a Dremel until you have a flat surface exactly where you need it, then install bedding and the item itself.