Attn All 94 - mid year 97- 290 owners (dry rot)

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I'm trying to find out if this is just isolated to my boat or it it was a design flaw. I found dry rot in a stringer that you can see on the starboard side in the aft cabin, when you open up the compartment under the bed. After I found this, I had the boat surveyed and as far as he could tell, it's isolated to this one area. I would like to know if this is a problem with this model of boat. I noticed it when unloading for the winter. It's a compartment that I never use and you really have to be looking to see it, because what I saw was just a few cracks in the grey paint and thought that looked odd. I barely touched it and it started to crumble. It's very dry with no signs of water at all. I have no idea what something like this would cost to be fixed or how it would get fixed. Would anyone have a rough guess or should I be in the market for a trade? I really have far too much money in this boat for that to be my first option.
Sadler, are you still out there? I'd really like to know how yours looks.

 

[mhtimber]

Sorry to hear about the dry rot. What did the surveyor have to say about structural integrity and the recommended fix?

It does seem very odd that it would be located to just that area and there was no water infiltration involved.

How long have you owned the boat; is it possible that there was a leak in the past, which as fixed, but the water settled in that area?

Good luck with the repair and please keep us posted with what you learn in the process.

Jeff

 

[tobnpr]

Fact is that the term "dry rot" is a real misnomer- I'd like to know how that term was coined...

The stringer HAD to be water saturated at some point for that area to support rot spores and rot to begin. Have you investigated the compartment on the outboard side of that stringer that we can't see in the pic?

 

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mhtimber
That is what the surveyor and I think too, that there was a leak in the past which has been fixed. He says it does need to be fixed for structural integrity and he really could not recommend a fix. I also have a fiberglass shop lined up to look at it soon. I've owned the boat for 4 years.

tobnpr
Yes, the stringer obviously had to be saturated at some point and I've not seen the outboard side of the stringer, but it's rotten enough I could put my finger through it.

 

[Sadler]

Sorry,

I haven't been on CSR much lately. My guess is that you had happen what I had happen a couple of years ago, only worse. That compartment has the sump pump for the shower and A/C. If the pump or the float switch fail, that compartment will slowly fill up. In my case, I used the shower one day and just decided to be sure it was still working. I found about 6" of water, but no signs of damage. If the boat were to sit for some months with the A/C running, or the shower used several times, I can imagine the water level could get as high as shown in your photos. If it's dry now, and the damage is limited to what you're showing, I'd glass it over and not worry about it.

 

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Sadler,

Thanks for your reply. The compartment that I'm talking about is to the starboard side of the sump pump compartment. There's really no way for the water from the sump pump to get over to that compartment without totally flooding the entire bottom of the aft cabin including where the fresh water tank sits. I'm assuming your fresh water tank sits directly behind the sump pump compartment. I was looking at it again tonight and poking around at it. I found staples totally embedded in the rotten wood. I have no idea what they were there for. So the next time you're at your boat, check your compartment to the starboard side of the sump pump. If there are any other 290 owners out there, check that compartment and see if there's damage.

Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[Sadler]

Oh, you're right. Sorry. I rushed this morning and didn't look at your photos carefully. That should be a dry area, you're right. No pump at all. I keep charts and tools in there and haven't had any water. I'll be at the boat this weekend, and will take a look for the staples, etc. and try to figure out what might be going on. Have you looked under the sofa in the salon? Any signs of moisture there? It would likely go downhill back to the aft cabin area where you're looking if so.

 

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Yes, I have had water occasionally under the sofa. It's a leak that's common with this model of 290. I was thinking that you've said you had the same leak in the past too. I don't see how the water could get from under the sofa to that compartment. The staples were totally embedded in the stringer. I dug them out with my finger. When I had the boat surveyed this fall, he did check the bottom of the boat where the stringer would be with the moisture meter and said everything was fine. The boat does not have bottom paint. It's puzzling! I'm really wanting to look at some other 290's to see for myself that this is not an isolated problem. I do know of a couple of them for sale at the Lake of the Ozarks. That would be a 3 hr drive for me. But I think a road trip may be in the near future.

 

[Sadler]

The only leak I have had is around the aft oval window on the starboard side just above the sofa. When I bought re-screen kits for the oval windows, they came with new rubber gaskets and the leak went away. Before that, I would have a little water get into the shelf under the oval windows, but I don't recall any in the compartment under the sofa. I'll dig into it this weekend and report back, and take some pics if something looks interesting for you. Anything else specific, let me know. I'll also possibly be seeing a friends 1997 270DA--a very similar boat. Maybe I'll ask him to look.

 

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Sadler,
Just wondering if you made it to your boat this weekend and what you found out. I went to our local boat show and talked to the fiberglass shop I've used in the past. Will be taking mine to them as soon as they have a spot open. Hope everything looked fine on yours.

 

[Sadler]

I took some pics I can send later. No rot just some rust stains from moisture condensing on staples. It's a low point that is cold from cold water outside the hull and the sheets in the berth don't let it get a lot of ventilation. There is a hose that runs through it looks like ac condesate hose maybe that leaked in yours.

 

[Don Sr]

Hey, sorry to see the damage. I had some cracks appear in the hull of my 1990 270DA which set off a Google search frenzy. I came up this article about that vintage boats.

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/boatreviews/sundancer_290.htm

The Pascoe article describes exactly what you are seeing. There is also another survey about a later model in which Pascoe claims some/not all of the shoddy work was eliminated. I fear I have the same issue although I wont know until I see my boat mid Feb. Do me a favor and inspect the exterior very closely at the approximate location you are seeing the interior damage. Let me know if you see any small cracks in the glass.

 

[J Levine]

I owned a 95 290DA from the Spring of 1999 until the fall of 2003. I was constantly chasing a freshwater leak in the same area of the aft cabin. I even removed the fresh water tank and the shower sump at one point to check them and rule them out as the source of the water. I spoke to Sea Ray at one point and they indicated I should check the seal on the bow rail hardware on the starboard side midships. I got the sense that I was not the first guy to ask about this condition on this model. I think the staples are from a section of the stringer that was constructed from laminated plywood with the staples used to mechanically hold the pieces of plywood together.

 

[Sadler]

Pics of mine:

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[Don Sr]

Sadler, those cracks you see in your picture are from the wood swelling due to moisture.