Water in aft cabin

GoodVibes

GoodVibes

New Member
Jun 22, 2020
28
Boat Info
2001 290 Sundancer
Engines
Dual Mercruiser 5.7 EFI with Bravo 3 outdrives
Sorry, I may be in the wrong place. Brand new to the site and first time boat owner as of about a week ago.

There was some standing water in what looks to be a storage compartment underneath the mattress in the aft berth under the port side chaise lounge seat. Some light stain on the bottom of the mattress.

The surveyor couldn't find any leaks in engine compartment on sea trial. All looked well in that respect. There was some moisture under the seat on deck which is above the berth area, but no stains or moisture on the mattress itself. Just underneath, and the sitting water in the storage area.

The sellers, who seem to be upfront and honest the whole way through had noticed the water in this same spot once over the 10 year period they owned the boat.

We soaked it up 5 days ago. Took her out yesterday for a few hours(she stays in the water in a slip in between runs now) and last night there was slight dampness under the mattress again and only a small amount of moisture in the storage compartment. Nothing major in either spot.

No stains in the head board in the berth, no wood stains in the cabinetry at all. We have used the A/C for a few nights in a row now and the sump pump(which needs a cleaning) seems to be working properly and exiting water every so often when the A/C is on. There is a slight film of yellowish substance beneath the sump pump box also. This is located under the steps from deck to cabin and just behind a side wall in the berth cubby.

Any ideas here? I appreciate any insight in advance!
 
We just were able to catch the water coming from under the wall where it meets the floor board in the berth area and slide down into the storage compartment. So we know the direction it's coming from now, which is just underneath the door from deck to cabin and a little port side. Still lining up to the sump pump area, but is raised from where the pump actually sits.
 
Thanks JimG
 
JimG said:
Could be a window or a stanchion leak.

Some reading for you:
http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/official-1998-sea-ray-sundancer-290-thread.34545/
http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/official-290-sundancer-thread.17005/

Best of luck and welcome to CSR!
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I was thinking both possibly, but visibly we just noticed it coming from under the side wall of the berth and sliding into the storage area. We are shutting down the A/C now and will check tomorrow evening for any more moisture. If it's not there than clearly we have some kind of issue with the A/C I would have to assume. It's blowing cold, but the sump pump is quite dirty. Maybe need a new pump filter? Or possibly a clogged drainage line?(but she's still pushing out water out of the starboard side hole, which makes me htink the lines aren't clogged.
 
There should be a drip pan under the A/C unit. That should drain into the sump box. You mention that appears to be working but could be faulty/leaking drain line. The sump box does not have much of a filter... not likely the problem. You can clean the box up and will be fine. That's also what pumps your shower water over board.
 
JimG said:
There should be a drip pan under the A/C unit. That should drain into the sump box. You mention that appears to be working but could be faulty/leaking drain line. The sump box does not have much of a filter... not likely the problem. You can clean the box up and will be fine. That's also what pumps your shower water over board.
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True. We haven't used the shower at all and took the boat from dry dock.

The actual sump pump seems to be working because when it turns on, water is being put through the through hull.

Yes could be the drain line then for sure. Might not be getting 100% to the sump pump. I have to figure out where that is located quite honestly. Per your help, I posted also in the 290 thread. Hopefully I get some feedback there as well.
 
At least on my 310, the fresh water tank is located beneath the center cushion in the aft berth. I had a leaking water tank which would drip into the aft berth bilge area. It had obviously been let go for a number of years and it resulted in stringer damage. Something to consider.
 
On a boat of that age there are many ways water can get in. The rub rails, port lights, stanchions, windshield seals are prime culprits. Take the mattress out, get inside and have someone hit these areas with a hose one by one. My 280DA was a leaker. Spent countless hours chasing them down. My 330DA is dry as a bone except the bilge. I have given up on that.
 
bobeast said:
At least on my 310, the fresh water tank is located beneath the center cushion in the aft berth. I had a leaking water tank which would drip into the aft berth bilge area. It had obviously been let go for a number of years and it resulted in stringer damage. Something to consider.
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Thanks for the heads up there. Ours is on the opposite side of the aft berth area from where the water appears to be coming from.
 
JimT said:
On a boat of that age there are many ways water can get in. The rub rails, port lights, stanchions, windshield seals are prime culprits. Take the mattress out, get inside and have someone hit these areas with a hose one by one. My 280DA was a leaker. Spent countless hours chasing them down. My 330DA is dry as a bone except the bilge. I have given up on that.
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Tomorrow hopefully we be the telling sign. We shut off A/C and will be back in the evening tomorrow to see whats happened...if no moisture, we know it is A/C related. I'm actually hoping it's this. As I was saying to JimG, the pump does fill up and pump out the through hull. That being said the drain line could be broken or cracked.
 
JimT said:
On a boat of that age there are many ways water can get in. The rub rails, port lights, stanchions, windshield seals are prime culprits. Take the mattress out, get inside and have someone hit these areas with a hose one by one. My 280DA was a leaker. Spent countless hours chasing them down. My 330DA is dry as a bone except the bilge. I have given up on that.
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How much water do you get in your bilge? To the point the pumps turn on?
 
i
GoodVibes said:
How much water do you get in your bilge? To the point the pumps turn on?
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A couple of gallons. I have never heard the bilge pump turn on automatically but then I'm not on the boat 24/7. After being away from the boat and getting ready to start the engines I manually turn on the bilge pump and it will discharge for 20 seconds or so. Its 3-4 inches deep between the stringers.
 
JimT said:
i

A couple of gallons. I have never heard the bilge pump turn on automatically but then I'm not on the boat 24/7. After being away from the boat and getting ready to start the engines I manually turn on the bilge pump and it will discharge for 20 seconds or so. Its 3-4 inches deep between the stringers.
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OK got ya. I have noticed about a quarter inch by 2 feet in between the "stringers". I am assuming these are the two grey raised pipes down the middle of the compartment next to the pumps. So nothing to be alarmed of clearly.
 
So after 3 days of NO a/c being run, the aft berth was bone dry. Clearly something with A/C lines. Over the weekend we had A/C on during the day Saturday and kept the cabin door shut for roughly 4-5 hours and it stayed dry.

On Sunday when docked, we left the door open with the A/C running, and the leak came back.

I'm thinking the moist air coming in causes the "sweating" of the unit and maybe fills up the drip pan too much and causes the overflow or the leak from the pan to the sump.

We have local mechanic coming to take a look for some diag in the coming days. Will let everyone know. Thanks for the guidance everyone!
 
I’m having the same issue on my 290 Amberjack. The AC drip line was draining into the area under the aft cabin. I tied the line into the pump box for the sinks. It helped, but I still have some water in the area between the stringers. I’m starting to suspect a bad hose or leaky fresh water tank. What’s the best way to take the wood decking in the aft cabin out?
 
Update.

Our local mechanic came to check it out with one of his guys. Found that the evap pan had debris and was clogging the drainage lines. they cleaned out, flushed a couple gallons of water through the pipe and all is well now.

We will be replacing the lines and deep cleaning the evap pan and bilge pump for the a/c in the fall.

@Rob Hammer, our drainage line goes to same sump as the head/shower under the stairs to the cabin. With the hotter days, and keeping the door open too often, the sweat was overloading the clogged drainage line. Will be testing out overnight tonight and throughout tomorrow to make sure all is good. But I trust our guy.
 
I think I figured out my situation. The a/c line was the primary source of water. When I tied the condensate line to the pump for the shower/sink, that eliminated most of the water. I was completely dry the last 24 hours. I do think I have little rain water dripping onto my door from a seam in the bimini that works it’s way under the aft cabin. I checked all the water lines and the fresh water tank, no leaks.
Thanks for the help.
 
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