Fibreglass cracks in bilge 340DA

[BahamasBlair]

Down in the bilge between the engines, I am getting surface cracks and flaking-off of the gelcoat. This is in an area that usually has 1-2 inches of water.
Do I need to get this repaired or is it regular wear and tear?
Has anybody else had the same issue?

 

[tbirdvet]

Looks just like the gelcoat so should be OK but I'm no expert. I do not have this yet.

 

[BON DIA]

Our bilge is dry...maybe yours is supposed to be too.

 

[HUMPH]

Our bilge is dry...maybe yours is supposed to be too.

I was going to ask why there is water in your bilge normally????

 

[rmilian340]

Greetings,

I have the same issue with mine. Searay Customer service told me that this is just cosmetics and they will not repair it. I also have wet bilge. Never has it been dry. MM tells me that all 340 have water in the bilge.

 

[chumbley]

Mine is bone dry, unless I do something that causes water to enter.

 

[AKBASSKING]

Take a putty knife and clean the area up and paint with bilge paint. Mine is grey. The paint is a thick tough paint once it dries.

 

[Four Suns]

It's ridiculous when a Sea Ray dealer tells a customer that there is supposed to be some water in the bilge. Why? Where is this water coming from?

A bilge pump, of course, will not remove 100% of the water and leave an inch or so... but if you vacuum out the water or remove it some other way and water reappears, I would want to know where it's coming from and fix it.

 

[fwebster]

The air conditioning, freezer (if equipped) and refrigerator condensate drains on some boats drain to the bilge, other than that, if the boat has shaft seals, the bilge should be dry. If it isn't, there is a leak somewhere...it may be as simple as the gasket on the deck hatch, but something is leaking.

 

[trit21]

What about the rudder seals, should they leak a little? My dealers said it was normal for rudder seals to leak. I called them on it and it just seemed to piss them off. So backed off and they only just drip every once in a while but over time they accumulate water in the bilge.

 

[Pseudomind]

Dry it out and then when the water returns dry it again. I know when I clean my AC strainer some water gets in, I test the bilge pump, it pumps water out, but can only pump it as far as the check valve. In other words some water stays in the line and will slowly bleed back down the through the check valve eventually, So I dry the bilge out the first day, but again there is some water back the next day, I dry it out again then and it stays dry. There is nothing leaking from any lines or the strainer, so this has to be the only place left, especially after I dry it the second day and it stays dry. I have watched after the first drying and I see no water seeping back down from the line, it takes typically at least overnight before it has returned.

Like others have stated though your bilge should be staying dry for the most part.

 

[C-SIDE]

I had water in my bilge. turns out the exhaust manifold was leaking.

Dry out the bilge and let the boat sit overnight. Is there water in the bilge after letting it sit? If not, its probably from running your boat. Operate your boat with a dry bilge and if you come back to port, then you know its from operating it

I think sea ray customer service pretty much blew you off

good luck

 

[tbirdvet]

I believe I get some water in my bilge every time it rains.

 

[efizjb]

It looks like the raw fiberglass wasn't prepped (sanded/scuffed) in that area, and could also be thick bilge gel that just cracked due to the thickness and not bonding for lack of prep. Peel it off, sand it with some 40 grit to rough it up and get some bilge gel from Spectrum Color and call it a day. It's a bilge, it's not an exterior gel coat surface that gets microscope inspection during the build process like the exterior.

 

[Jim M]

On my 05 340 when it would rain my bilge gets a lot of water. Found the gasket in the rear of the engine hatch wasn't sealing, repaired it. Water was still coming in when it rained. The panel that you plug your shore power into and the shore water into. Removed the panel and silconed around where all the wires go into the engine hatch area. Water was pouring in there. How did I find these 2 areas?? Climed into the bilge area had a friend close the engine hatch and put the canvas up and then turned on the water hose. Water was coming into these areas. Easy to see.

 

[tobnpr]

What about the rudder seals, should they leak a little? My dealers said it was normal for rudder seals to leak. I called them on it and it just seemed to piss them off. So backed off and they only just drip every once in a while but over time they accumulate water in the bilge.

You were right to call them on it.
Rudder posts should NOT leak. Unlike shafts which are turning at high rpms and need to be water-cooled, rudder posts don't require cooling.

In fact, leaking will tend to make things worse- minerals start to accumulate (esp in saltwater) from the seepage/evaporation and start corroding the bonding connections. Not to mention a source of water in the bilge which we're all saying should be dry.

A slight drip isn't necessarily a "problem", but have you tried tightening the packing nuts?
Your boat is fairly new- unlike shaft packing which wears (again, due to the high rpms of the shaft) more quickly, that's not the case with rudders. Rudder packing (if it was high quality to begin with) can easily last ten years.

If tightening doesn't stop the seepage, you should disassemble/drop the rudders, clean and re-assemble at next haul-out. IF you have decent access, not a difficult job. If you have access to a small media blaster, you can make it all like "new".

 

[Hampton]

I can help with the flaking gel in the bilge. It is a relatively common problem. Mine is fairly extreme. Our local dealer was re-painting the bilge on a 50 when my boat was out for bottom paint. The guy who did my bottom paint did the work. This was his advice:

1) He didn't say this, but I would remove bilge pumps, wiring, and other equipment.
2) Scrape off ALL excess with a metal scraper.
3) Sand with rough sand paper.
4) He pre-treated with acetone - use caution for fumes.
5) Paint with an enamel that matches (I'm pretty sure he said enamel. Bilge paint seems best.)
6) Re-install equipment using silicone in screw holes.

He said he did the 50 in one day.

I've been taking the flaking gel out periodically in prep to fix mine this fall when it's a little cooler.

 

[Skuza]

Our bilge has areas that are flaking but not down the fiberglass. My thoughts for our situation was the factory touched up the gelcoat after the initial was applied and thats why it is flaking off with more grey gelcoat underneath.
On the dry bilge note our bilge has remained bone dry all season. At the beginning of the season I completely sponge any remaining water/antifreeze from winterizing and it usually stays dry. Makes ya feel good that nothing is leaking. Now I'm jinxed!

 

[RAW BAR]

What is the Red material under the flaking?

 

[Creekwood]

What is the Red material under the flaking?

That's the fiberglass itself.