1998 290 Sundancer - AC System / Leak in Front Cabin

Herrickjde

Member
Jul 28, 2019
68
Jacksonville, FL
Boat Info
SeaRay 290 Sundancer 1998
Engines
2 Mercruiser 5.7 350 EFI 310 HP - Drive - Alpha 1 / Gen 2
River water is getting into my front cabin area and I have attached pictures and a drawing of the AC system as I need help getting to and/or locating these components on my boat.
AC Diagram.JPG AC Diagram 2.JPG
The water is brown and is river water. I have not used the shower drain and the water is not clear and coming from the water holding tank and has no order coming from the waste holding tank. There has been no rain and the boat is covered externally. I feel like this is my next focus area for troubleshooting this problem.
Picture2.jpgPicture1.jpgThe shower sump device is clean and working and I have not run the AC so the condensation leak is not an option and is mostly clear anyway. The shower sump device has no leaks.

I have circled the items I need help locating and have a camera snake that I can connect to using my iPad to see in tight places.

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick
 
The items circled are in the bilge, mounted on the fuel tank bulkhead.

That being said, I doubt a leak there is your problem. How quick does it fill up that compartment? Those two locations are basically sealed from the rest of the boat.

If you think it’s the AC system, close the seacock for a couple days. Once it’s closed, pull the hose off the seacock barb (make sure it’s closed!) and the water in the system will drain back to the bilge. You now have no water left in the ac system. If it stays dry, you’ve got your problem. If more water shows up it’s not the issue
 
Thank you, so basically the AC seacock that pulls the water into the AC unit is in the engine / bilge area and I can access that there ? So it is possible that the hose is leaking, but I have not run the AC for weeks and I can shop vac the water out and it is back in 3 or 4 days. It is a very slow leak and never goes much higher than what you see. Any other thoughts on how that water is getting in there? Also, not much rain at all in the last few weeks and I have a full storage cover on the boat.
 
That looks bad. Where did your sump/bilge box go?

So no water is coming from any of those lines that are in the bucket? (ac condensate and shower drain) .

No leaks under any of the sinks?

Are any of your railings stanchions loose along the sides of your boat? All bolts in place?

Windows in good shape? Do they seal good?

Which floor plan do you have? Have convertible seating up front or a permanent bed? Do you see any signs of moisture in any of the front storage compartments?

I would vac out all the water clean the area and dry completely and then see which direction the water in entering the space.

In looking at your side picture in your signature do you keep your boat on a lift and is it a covered slip?
 
Last edited:
I have a couple questions, how long have you owned the boat? and what is the bucket about?
 
Thank you, so basically the AC seacock that pulls the water into the AC unit is in the engine / bilge area and I can access that there ? So it is possible that the hose is leaking, but I have not run the AC for weeks and I can shop vac the water out and it is back in 3 or 4 days. It is a very slow leak and never goes much higher than what you see. Any other thoughts on how that water is getting in there? Also, not much rain at all in the last few weeks and I have a full storage cover on the boat.

Follow the other advice of drying it completely and then watching for water. If the AC hose was leaking it is very unlikely to fill both of those compartments, especially the one in the middle of the cabin floor. But, you could just shut the seacock to be certain it's not the cause while you chase the leak down.

I'm also curious about the bucket
 
In my 98 290 my pump and bilge box is under the garbage can in the step. Where is that other spot with the water in it. I dont think i have a spot like that in my floor.
 
In my 98 290 my pump and bilge box is under the garbage can in the step. Where is that other spot with the water in it. I dont think i have a spot like that in my floor.

Center of the cabin under floor storage. If you still have carpet it’s covered by the snap in runners
 
I have carpet and there is nothing there. I have vacuumed enough to know there is no way to get in to it
 
In my 98 290 my pump and bilge box is under the garbage can in the step. Where is that other spot with the water in it. I dont think i have a spot like that in my floor.

I think you have a really late 1998 with 3 skylights and a different interior set up like the 99 models. Your kitchen is on the starboard side and early 98's are on the port.

The early 98's only have one hatch and we have a storage compartment in the floor center of the cabin.
 
Yes. Thank you. I have a 98 with the 99 interior. Have the kitchen on right and table on left. Was curious only because i thought i knew evry inch of the boat
 
That looks bad. Where did your sump/bilge box go?

So no water is coming from any of those lines that are in the bucket? (ac condensate and shower drain) .
Not that I can see and the picture was taken after I removed the old shower sump pump and replaced it
No leaks under any of the sinks?
Not that I can see
Are any of your railings stanchions loose along the sides of your boat? All bolts in place?
Yes
Windows in good shape? Do they seal good?
Yes, but I am replacing all 4 portlights. The water is brown river water and not clear
Which floor plan do you have? Have convertible seating up front or a permanent bed? Do you see any signs of moisture in any of the front storage compartments?
None of the other storage areas have water
I would vac out all the water clean the area and dry completely and then see which direction the water in entering the space.

In looking at your side picture in your signature do you keep your boat on a lift and is it a covered slip?
The boat is in the water as of now, but I am moving to a lift slip in 30 days to get it out of the water.
 
In my 98 290 my pump and bilge box is under the garbage can in the step. Where is that other spot with the water in it. I dont think i have a spot like that in my floor.
Jeff,
See this picture of my cabin and the water is coming in from the top of the stern side when you open the hatch and look inside towards the stern. It is like the water is weeping in slowly and again the water is brown.
Inkedcabin floor_LI.jpg
 
Update: I was on the boat yesterday and the area was dry after 4 days sitting in the water. The AC seacock was closed and I did not know it. I cleaned the trap and reinstalled and turned it back on to see if that may be the issue. If that is not the issue I am not sure what else could be causing the water. Again it has not rained hardly at all for a few weeks and the water is brown, not clear.
 
Herrickjde, did you ever find your problem? I too have a 1998 sea ray sundancer 290 with the same problem except my water is coming in faster that that. I'm talking 5 Gallons in1 hour. But seems to stay at that point. I did find out my drain hose on that beilg was plugged. I haven't took the boat back out since to see if it drains now. I'm thinking the water is coming from the ac line in the beilg box there under the step. Please let me know if you have figure out anything else. Thanks..
 
I still find water in both areas, but I have not found the root cause yet. I do not think the water is coming from the engine area as it is sealed. The water seems to come from the starboard side and it may be the water holding take, head, or cabin door gutter that drains off the starboard side. The problem is it could be coming from anywhere and sorry I did not have a solution yet, but I do not have anywhere near 5 gallons an hour.
 
Hopefully we can resolve this issue soon I'm going on the lake tomorrow to do some more test now that I've found that my drain line was clogged ill check to see if the ac line is clogged as well. Thanks for the responds. Stay well!
 
I have a similar problem with my '98. That compartment on the floor in the cabin only seems to get water in it when I'm running in choppy seas. Otherwise, sitting at the dock for weeks, nothing. During a rain, nothing. AC running, nothing. Only underway in choppy seas. After a day of cruising, I'll get maybe a 1/2 quart of water in there. I'm thinking maybe the D-Ring on the front of the boat may be letting some water in or a fitting on the outside of the boat needs resealing. I'm stumped and have been working on this one for a while....

I believe the reason the water is brown is because it is picking up some tint from the wood glassed in underneath that compartment under the floor. Non-structural area so no worries there.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,948
Messages
1,422,818
Members
60,930
Latest member
Ebrown69
Back
Top