Water under cockpit floor- is this normal?

T

Tesky

New member
Hi, have a 2010 22’ cruiser and decided to open the small drain plug just under the door. To my surprise, a ton of water started flowing out. I reinstalled the plug and opened the inspection plate on the cockpit floor and there was about 1” of water under the floor. I had noticed the stern was sitting a bit lob-sided at the slip but assumed it was the weight of the new kicker I had installed and I had not had a chance to balance any of the gear so I didn’t think much about it. I now think this water was part of the problem. I vacuumed out about 6 gallons of it! I doubt this is normal and am not sure where to start in terms of addressing the leak. There does not seem to be any cracking along the cockpit floor and the cabin wall and the sealant here looks good too. I was supposed to be putting her back in the water at the slip today but am not sure I want to without figuring this out. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated! Dan
 
Many of the later 22's which have the solid glassed in cockpit floor have this problem. that fact that there is a drain and inspection plate suggests that someone in the past experienced this issue. I cannot speak for your specific boat. But many came without any drain plug or inspection last.

Usually the water comes in from some point where the glass in/tab in, glue or sealant is leaking around the periphery of the floor. It will take a very detailed inspection. C
an you see all of the places where the floor is attached aft in the boat. Is it forward of the fuel tanks?'

The lowest point in the cockpit when the boat is level or sitting in the water is right by the aft cabin bulkhead--as far forward as one can go in the cockpit.
 
Thanks for the input Bob. I will do a detailed inspection to see what I can find. Yes, cockpit the floor inspection plate is about 6” from the cabin door. It was filled with water. There is what looks to be new sealant along the cabin wall that joins the floor however the floor looks to be glassed up the sides of the gunnels. I recently had the marina take out the gas tanks to install a new kicker mount and so it is possible they dididn setl the fuel tank properly. That being said, as you mention above, this problem has probably been here for awhile. If I can’t find the leak, should I be really worried, or can I just keep an eye on it, vacuum it out when it is wet and move on with life? I suspect that if the original owner installed the inspection and the drain hole, then he couldn’t fix the issue either. And he was pretty thorough from what I can see as the boat is in really great shape. Let me know what you think.

Dan
 
I took a close look and can see that the calking along the edge of the cockpit and the cabin wall looks suspect. I uploaded a couple of pictures to my album. If I were to redo this seal could I use Sikaflex 291? It’s all that is available up here in the north!
 
Sikaflex 291 should work fine--it is similar to 3M 4000/4200. There is a fast cure and LOT (long cure) type. Probably the LOT might be slightly better.

The bond strength will depend on getting all of the old sealant out, and very clean fiberglass material. I would run isopropyl alcohol over it just before you put down the Sikaflex. I use either a plastic implement made by West Systems, which has the same radius as the end of a tongue blade or just use a tongue blade. (Craft stores will carry these--not sure if you have a craft store nearby--raid the local dr's office..)Here are instructions for use of Sikaflex 290
 
We own a 2007 22' cruiser and had water under the raised cockpit floor as you describe. It came from the seem where the cabin bulkhead meets the raised floor. Once I was sure I had all the water out of there, I sealed it back up with 3M 4200. Its been fine since then. I think that seem is something that those of us with the raised floor need to pay attention to. The floor has some advantages, just a lot of people are letting that caulk line crack and not noticing until rainwater accumulates under there.
 
Nice- ok, thanks for the tips guys. I really appreciate it. I am learning fast on the fly out here! 1st boat…I picked up the 68th edition of Chapman Piloting & Seamanship. With luck, someday I will be able to add some tips and help someone out as well!
 
I'm playing with this issue as well.

Was at first convinced there was a lot of water getting under there, but now I don't think it's much, and may have taken some time to get there.

Last week I drilled a 3/8 in hole low under the door frame, and while the bit came out damp, there was no water flow. I plan to install a deck plate in the floor just to make sure, and to allow good ventilation when appropriate. But that will also let me monitor the situation to determine the extent of any water intrusion. Then I'll know if anything drastic needs to be done.

I also installed a raised, back-up bilge pump, wired to the other battery.
 
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