Lot of Water in Bilge After Rain on 270DA

[thompsdw]

I found some threads on this, but not to this magnatude. I routinely find large amounts (talking gallons here, last night was about 3) of water in the bilge after a heavy rain. Water does not enter the boat without rain events. I find evidance of water near the hot water heater and vacuum pumps on the port and starboard sides of the bilge. The camper canvas is on the boat. The carpet is also always wet near the door and toward the back fo the camper curtains on both sides because of the camper screen defect on this boat (see link if interested).

http://clubsearay.com/showthread.ph...ing-to-be-a-Dumb-Question-About-Camper-Canvas

The channel going around the engine compartment needs to be resealed, but there are huge drains on both sides of the engine compartment to the rear deck. Those built in "scuppers" are clean and free of debris. I have also noticed water in the rear locker on the boat. I guess that is the source I am leaning toward as a culprit at this point. I have read threads on the gas/water/waste deck penentrations, but there is no evidance of leakage there and I doubt this volume would show up from that type of a leak.

1) Does the rear locker on these boats need to have a seal (mine does not) ? They would appear to me to be designed to drain without.

2) Any other tips on where to look? I am kinda baffled on this one ...............

 

[Lazy Daze]

I think there's usually at least some type of weep hole, but I'm not positive on that. Take a close look and see. Regardless, I think the problem is lying somewhere else than the way it was designed - otherwise I think I would have heard more about this.

What you need to do is use a hose to simulate a hard rain and see where the leaks comes from. You need to do this systematically, starting at low points and working your way up. It would probably help to have someone in the bilge with a flashlight while you do this.

Have you checked the bilge vents? More specifically, the collector box and the bilge blower hoses and the orientation of the blower itself? It's quite possible (and normal) for the water to enter the hoses/box through the outside vents. There could be holes in the hoses or the blower is situated such to allow water to escape from where the hoses are zip tied onto the blower.

 

[sdarc]

I'm going to say it is a result of the camper canvas and the lack of the seal on the engine hatch. Mine does/did the same. Fixed the seal on the hatch. Helped a lot. I get almost no water when the cockpit cover is used. Poor design on the camper canvas. I'll bet there are black streaks coming down over your port rear speaker.

I also leak around the windshield in a couple of places. Haven't found the solution for that yet.

 

[thompsdw]

I would just be surprised that it doesn't drain out the scuppers on the engine hatch. Here is another fact that I left out. I like the idea of looking at the blower system. I have noticed that there is a brown substance that appears to be oil (but I don't think it is) in the water after a good rain. For the longest time I thought I had an oil leak, but I no longer believe that (can't find anything). I think the rainwater is flushing something out that is dirty that I cannot see into the bilge. The blower hoses are nasty, I get a similar brown crap on my hand when I move them around after a rain.

The seals on the hatch still need to be replaced. Sdarc - all my seals were down in the bilge when I purchased the boat. Do the ~2" seals go all the way around the hatch? I guess I am going to have to contact adhesive them back into place. It looks like they were put up with double sided tape.

 

[Lazy Daze]

I would just be surprised that it doesn't drain out the scuppers on the engine hatch.

Unless the hose that goes from the scupper to the thru hull is leaking, or one of the fittings are cracked.

 

[thompsdw]

Dennis,

I'm not describing it very well. I'm calling them scuppers when there really are none. The deck is self bailing. Basically, the channel that runs around the engine hatch has two openings aft on both sides (port and starboard) that run to the back swim platform. Those are both open with no restrictions. My bad ..............

For water to enter the bilge from the engine hatch channel, it would have to overflow the channel - or have these self bailing openeings plugged. I am guessing that the rubber seals are more of a noise reduction item than anything.

 

[sdarc]

Those seals will help quite a bit. It will keep the water in the drain channel. Mine were the same as yours. I did use contact cement (spray) to re-attach and stick on the new one I made out of some rubber type material I had laying around. And yes they should go all the way around. Think of it as a gasket seal.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Dennis,

I'm not describing it very well. I'm calling them scuppers when there really are none. The deck is self bailing. Basically, the channel that runs around the engine hatch has two openings aft on both sides (port and starboard) that run to the back swim platform. Those are both open with no restrictions. My bad ..............

For water to enter the bilge from the engine hatch channel, it would have to overflow the channel - or have these self bailing openeings plugged. I am guessing that the rubber seals are more of a noise reduction item than anything.

Gotcha.

And... that brown slimy stuff you referred to - does sound just like the crap that builds up in the blower hose.

 

[Crave1957]

I have benn chasing this problem for awhile and now I have a few new ideas to investigate. Though I doubt they are my problem because my scuppers seem s to work. I have a drip coming off my starboard panel in the stern. I have nor removed it yet.

Question where would I find the seals for the hatches? My boat has no seals!
Thx. Mike

 

[thompsdw]

Question where would I find the seals for the hatches? My boat has no seals!

I know West Marine has seal material (as do others); however, none like the ones that I have seen in my boat. They are more narrow and would require a more exact placement. I need to determine if I have all the seals required to go all the way around.

 

[Lazy Daze]

I have benn chasing this problem for awhile and now I have a few new ideas to investigate. Though I doubt they are my problem because my scuppers seem s to work. I have a drip coming off my starboard panel in the stern. I have nor removed it yet.

Question where would I find the seals for the hatches? My boat has no seals!
Thx. Mike

You likely don't (or shouldn't) have any seals. Often times, the hatch just sets down into the opening - sort of like a shoe box lid (and possibly some aluminum channel in the middle?). The opening should have a raised lip around the interior perimeter - that lip is what keeps water out of the bilge and should direct the water to a deck drain (usually in the aft corners) and eventually overboard. Now, I can't picture exactly what your setup looks like, but if that sounds familiar, then you wouldn't have any seals. I could be wrong, so check it out. My boat has no seals (and never did) around the engine hatch, FWIW.

 

[thompsdw]

Those seals will help quite a bit. It will keep the water in the drain channel. Mine were the same as yours. I did use contact cement (spray) to re-attach and stick on the new one I made out of some rubber type material I had laying around. And yes they should go all the way around. Think of it as a gasket seal.

I'm not doubting you, but I still would be surprised that the system couldn't handle the rain that comes in the back doorway when it has full canvas in place. I think I need to camp out in the bilge during a heavy rain.

 

[Molson]

I'm going to guess it is the engine room vents (blower vents) my 210 leaks into the bilge via these vents when it rains.

 

[sdarc]

I'm not doubting you, but I still would be surprised that the system couldn't handle the rain that comes in the back doorway when it has full canvas in place. I think I need to camp out in the bilge during a heavy rain.

I think it is a combination of issues. First and formost is the camper canvas. It just holds water at that back lip then dumps once the cup runneth over. From there I'm sure it goes many places. Mine would dump on the rear speaker so some if not alot could enter behind. I hadn't thought about the vent. I too had that black residue. No smell or taste. That baffled me. it should be easy to check as I have vent covers in place now.

Another spot for me is on the port side. I can see telltale of water along the inside of the hull between the the holding tank and the pump. But there are no openings there such as stantions, waste opening. So I'm guessing it ciomes in farther forward and decides to exit there. It's not a lot just heavy dampness.

Funny thing is I never get any water intrusion when I wash the boat or try to look for leaks. Maybe my dock mates are messing with my head.

 

[thompsdw]

My other strong suspicion is the rear locker. Here is why - some time ago I left a wash bucket in the locker. Hard rain, bucket is full of water. I always see signs of water in the locker, although I cannot explain why the channel and lip are not self bailing. Do the rear lockers usually have a gasket on them, because mine does not.

 

[dicor]

There are 2 stringers in the engine compartment, you know the ones that the engine sits on. At the rear of these stringers there are weep holes that allow the water to drain into the bilge. Do you ever find water at the base of the stringers? If so, both stringers? Also are you 100% sure it's not salt water?

 

[thompsdw]

Find water on both sides of the stringers. I recently inspected the bellows and as I said before - no rain - no water. I haven't run the boat hard enough to spray water into the hull. Im convinced its rainwater.

 

[dicor]

This may sound silly but it should work. If you were to sprinkle a powder such as baking powder around the perimeter on the level that the water heater is on I would think you should be able to pinpoint the flow.

 

[Gary Hill]

Brown water or residue "can" be a sign of plywood getting wet. Just a piece of information for you.

 

[thompsdw]

Well, I think I might have found it. I took off the covers on both sides that prevent rain from entering the boat through the blower hoses (port side) or the fresh air intake (starboard side). Port side had a lot of water in the cavity behind the cover. Starboard side had none, but it would drain into the rear locker. After looking and cleaning both sides, they are construced to drain into the bilge of the boat. ;-o. Basically there are open ports to the bilge from both compartments. Any rain that has a angle on the rain at all will enter the compartment and drain into the bilge. Holy crap! Can this really be how the system is designed?