2000 340DA water leak in aft cabin - help

[George48051]

Hi,

Well my 340DA is high and dry for the winter but last summer I never resolved an issue of water intrusion. The water is migrating into the rear aft bilge. I have ruled out a leakage in the plumbing system and in the holding tank by putting food coloring into the holding tank. The migrated water did not have any color in it. The carpet is wet damp in the aft cabin as well but the engine bilge is dry. I checked the side thru hull fittings and no evidence of water intrusion. The only thing I suspect is possible a leak in the AC water supply line. While checking the thru hull fittings I discovered that there was water inside the AC duct that runs on the port side behind the refrigerator. Not sure if this is a secondary problem. The duct was holding water and no signs of moisture on the flooring. If anyone can provide any suggestion I would be grateful.

Thanks
George

 

[GreatEscape]

Had water in my 330 in the aft cabin traced it all the way up to a port just above the stereo in the galley. Good luck.


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[mwph]

George, Welcome to CSR - The best site on the Internet for all things Sea Ray. The guys here are good & willing to help. Give it some time & hopefully they'll chime in. Again, welcome to CSR!

 

[Knot It]

Had water in my 330 in the aft cabin traced it all the way up to a port just above the stereo in the galley. Good luck.

George,
Welcome. As stated above, Id check all my port windows to ensure they are tight and the screws are snug. When I first got my 340, I found a wet carpet in the aft cabin once and also some little water puddles in the bathroom on the floor. It drove me crazy trying to find its source. Eventually, using a water hose on the outside of the boat, I traced the leaks to the starboard port window just above the stereo in the cabin and the window in the bathroom. It was an easy fix, just tighten the screws in the little black plastic clips that secure the window glass closed.

As for the water in the AC duct work, I'm not sure about that one unless there is a hole and the water is coming in through somewhere above that duct and seeping into it through a small hole.

Good luck in your search. What state are you in?

 

[George48051]

Hi

Thanks for the reply. Yes I did the exterior water hose for about 3 hours one day but no luck.

 

[George48051]

Michigan lake st Clair boater

 

[rcknecht]

I assume your boat is out of the water now... When I had a similar leak on my 300 DA it happened after install a cockpit cover. I discovered that a screw from a snap I installed was not caulked well and rain water leaked into the aft cabin. On our 340s, some of us have had trouble with water leaking around the fwd deck hatches. Some leak so much that the deck balsa core rotted and had to be replaced. A sign of this is a spongy deck by your deck hatches.

 

[George48051]

Hi, first and foremost thanks for the response. The forward decking is solid and no signs of water infiltration. The test I have done included running the hose for several hours on the canvas en-closer, decking, arch....no water inside. I have checked all sea-cocks, railing mounts? Through last season, I had water in the interior bilges up to the forward V, but other times after the rain it was dry? And as earlier stated...food color in holding tank provide it wasn't a plumbing issue?

 

[2000SR380]

Water can find a way! Windows and deck fittings are a good place to start. Things I have found helpful:
Aerosol Spray foot powder: This stuff will stick to bulk heads, hulls, sub-flooring, and panels, and show you if water has tracked through suspect routes.
Sprinkler heads and a stand to duplicate rain, rather than just a hose. : A tiny leak can begin to siphon over time and move a surprising volume of water.
Think about wiring and hose routing: Once we had a leak in the V-Berth of a C36. under the mattress would be a lake after sailing in rough seas or sitting in torrential rain.
(The culprit turned out to be the bow running light!! You would not believe the amount of water that was tracking over the anchor locker, and trough a bulkhead, along the wiring!)
A Smoke Tester (You will not want to buy one, but maybe you have a friend who works on cars, or a friendly local rental center?) Pumps white smoke into hard to access area's which will leak OUT where the water is coming IN.
If the AC/Heater and Refrigerator are not running when the primary leak occurs, there is probably just condensation collecting in a low spot.
Hopefully someone with a 340 has ha a similar leak and can help you with a Sea Ray specific Fix, but if not, I would start with a can of foot powder while you are still on the hard.

 

[vandal]

I have the same boat last summer had water leak back cabin floor and on counter it was port window above microwave have never opened in 8 years . The gasket got dirt in it and dryed out just took business card folded in half and put under 3 clamps no more leak.

 

[onthejob]

I suspect the water intrusion is from above your wet/damp carpeting in the aft cabin. If I understand you correctly, water is gathering in your mid cabin bildge that you have access to under the floor outside of the head and in front of the fridge? Is this area fairly dry? There are two bilge pumps there if this is the area we are speaking of, the enclosed shower sump that deals with the drain on the floor of your head and it also deals with condensation from the tray of your A/C unit. The second bilge pump is your high water one. I assume both these pumps have been checked and operational, including the hoses that lead to the thru hulls. This area is rarely bone dry, sometimes just a little puddle under the high water bilge and of course the shower sump box will always have some water in it unless you never use the shower or A/C

If these pumps are correctly moving water from this area then like others have said, it's probably one of your port windows openings. It happened to me. They looked like they were closed properly, but they weren't. Check the three tabs that lock AND seal your port openings. If the screw that holds that tab is loose then you will have a leak and not any ordinary leak. Took me a season to find this out as well. The hose trick didn't find this leak for me. Try taking a screwdriver and give each one a check-see. and check the gaskets while you are there. Make sure they are still soft and debris free.

Outside of that, I'd check the scuppers in the track for the sliding cabin door and the scuppers that channel water out from the inside of the windshield.

 

[George48051]

Hi,
Sorry for not getting back sooner. Thanks for the response and the advise. We are finally getting the appearance of spring with 40 degree temps so it won't be long before I can start working on her again. I will keep you posted and thank you.

George

 

[lpvanam]

I just found my water leak late last summer after pulling apart the outboard areas and looking for tell-tail water trails or stains. Turned out that there was a small (very small) leak through the side window. When the boat would sit in the marina, the water would accumulate on top of a flat area in the hull structure which would turn the small amount of water into a pretty good sized puddle on the structure. As soon as the boat would move or rock, the water would run down the structure and end up in my aft cabin area. Turned out that I had small leaks on both sides. Once I replaced the gaskets and tightened the screws for the windows, the lead ended. However, I initially forgot to wipe up the water that had collected in the hull structure and ended up with wet carpet again.

Lesson learned - always wipe up all of the residual water :smt021