Need Help, Water Leak on 280 DA

[mjoplin]

Boat is a 2005 280 Sundancer. This is my first boat larger than a ski boat and I am looking for some help in addressing a leak. The boat is parked in a slip in our marina, has the full camper top canvas in place. We had a serious rain yesterday morning and I have water inside. In the image below I vacuumed out about a quart plus of clear/clean water in the front compartment (on the port side, just aft of the v-berth). There is no carpet in there, just gelcoat.

In the compartment behind it, the carpet inside was slightly damp. Where the table post comes into the floor behind it the carpet was very wet. I pulled the floor socket out and the cutout had standing clear water. The gelcoat and some foam is visible in the cutout where the post socket is screwed down into the floor.

My questions:

Where should I start looking and what is the best way to track down a leak? There is no visible moisture around the windows inside, and nothing pouring out of the headliner. Could this possibly be from where the bow rail screws down if not properly sealed?
I am looking for some suggestions to start troubleshooting the issue and resolve it before I get some serious damage.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Image of interior leak areas on the port side:

 

[dvx216]

If seal behind the rub rail is leaking any where they can be hard to find.

 

[ks65609]

Boat is a 2005 280 Sundancer. This is my first boat larger than a ski boat and I am looking for some help in addressing a leak. The boat is parked in a slip in our marina, has the full camper top canvas in place. We had a serious rain yesterday morning and I have water inside. In the image below I vacuumed out about a quart plus of clear/clean water in the front compartment (on the port side, just aft of the v-berth). There is no carpet in there, just gelcoat.

In the compartment behind it, the carpet inside was slightly damp. Where the table post comes into the floor behind it the carpet was very wet. I pulled the floor socket out and the cutout had standing clear water. The gelcoat and some foam is visible in the cutout where the post socket is screwed down into the floor.

My questions:

Where should I start looking and what is the best way to track down a leak? There is no visible moisture around the windows inside, and nothing pouring out of the headliner. Could this possibly be from where the bow rail screws down if not properly sealed?
I am looking for some suggestions to start troubleshooting the issue and resolve it before I get some serious damage.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Image of interior leak areas on the port side:

A couple of questions and an opinion:
-I doubt very much the bow rail stanchions are the issue however well worth checking to ensure no moisture penetrates your deck leading to expensive repairs
-were all the hatches and windows closed ?
-is your camper canvass in a good state of repair with no leaks ?
-is this a recurring event ?

 

[JimT]

Several areas that are known to cause leaks on the 280DA.
--Rub rail screws not properly sealed. Jason78 did an excellent write up on this several years ago. Do a search in the 280DA forum
--Portlight gasket leaks. There are several threads on this.
--Windshield seal. At least one forum member had leaks in this area.
Keep in mind that you may have leaks in more than one area. It's a process of elimination to fix them.

 

[mjoplin]

Thanks JimT. This gives me some areas to start looking. After reading Jason78's rub rail posting I do hope it doesn't involve that. Looks like it could be a painful process! Will post an update after I locate the source of the leak.

Mike

 

[mjoplin]

Am planning on checking the stanchions as well as the windows, windshield, and rub rail. Answering your questions:
-All hatches and windows are and were closed.
-Canvas is in great shape and had recently been treated with water repellent
-I'd noticed some wetness around the table post socket before and had mistakenly attributed it to condensation from the AC unit, so it does appear to be recurring.

Will be isolating and soaking different areas with a hose this weekend to help track the leak(s) down

Thanks,
Mike

 

[mjoplin]

Thanks, will try to tape and isolate areas and use a water hose to help discover where it is coming from

Mike

 

[ks65609]

Am planning on checking the stanchions as well as the windows, windshield, and rub rail. Answering your questions:
-All hatches and windows are and were closed.
-Canvas is in great shape and had recently been treated with water repellent
-I'd noticed some wetness around the table post socket before and had mistakenly attributed it to condensation from the AC unit, so it does appear to be recurring.

Will be isolating and soaking different areas with a hose this weekend to help track the leak(s) down

Thanks,
Mike

Mike, I am not familiar with the 280DA model and this may be a dumb suggestion, however, where is your fresh water tank located ?

Ken

 

[ks65609]

Our 330 has a collection sump box under the cabin floor that collects water from the shower and a/c unit. Your 280 probably has a different set up, but when you mention clear water, and just the floor is wet, it makes me think more internal than external.

Ken

 

[wrvond]

Check inside the cabinets just below the port lights. You likely have water damage to the tambour doors.
For some reason folks suspect the rubber gasket on the port lights but never mention the calk behind the trim rings. That calk leaks more often than the rubber gaskets do.
Anyway, when the port light leaks the water runs down the inside of the hull, which is mostly plain bare grey gel coat behind the cabinetry, then collects in the "floor" without any apparent trace of it's origin. Often it also collects in the upper cabinets and gets soaked up by the tambour doors, which are not real wood and they swell up and fall apart.

 

[mjoplin]

The tank is behind the mid berth on the port side, just aft of where I am seeing water. Hadn't thought of that, will check it out. Pulled the dining table post socket and had standing water in it, and also standing water in the area under the step where the shower sump sits. I tested the shower sump and it appears to be working well. Will refill the fresh water tank and monitor for leaks. In the interim, I've resealed the stanchions (found a couple of marginal areas), and have taped/masked off the porthole to see if either stops the water intrusion.

 

[mjoplin]

Thanks, the sump is quite a bit lower than the areas in which I have standing water, but when checking it again I had about an inch in there outside of the sump. Looks like it may have drained in there from elsewhere. Still scratching my head on this one. When I pulled the table post socket out, I had standing water inside. It looks like the socket bolts in at the floor level and there is foam between that and the hull. The foam appears to be water soaked. I've sealed stanchions and masked off the window. We have a good amount of rain coming in, so I will know in a day or two if I may have found the culprit. I am also checking for leaks from the fresh water tank now.

 

[mjoplin]

I have the window masked off with tape and plastic, rain is on the way so I should know shortly. It is in the perfect place to cause this issue. If the test proves out, I'll be pulling it out. I was thinking 3m 4200 to use for sealing it should this be the issue. If you've been there already do you have any suggestions? The cabinets are dry and the sliding doors OK so far. If it is leaking, it is most likely behind the headliners, cabinets, and running down to the floor.

 

[ks65609]

Thanks, the sump is quite a bit lower than the areas in which I have standing water, but when checking it again I had about an inch in there outside of the sump. Looks like it may have drained in there from elsewhere. Still scratching my head on this one. When I pulled the table post socket out, I had standing water inside. It looks like the socket bolts in at the floor level and there is foam between that and the hull. The foam appears to be water soaked. I've sealed stanchions and masked off the window. We have a good amount of rain coming in, so I will know in a day or two if I may have found the culprit. I am also checking for leaks from the fresh water tank now.

The fresh water pump should be located close to the water tank and it would not hurt to check the connections as well as the pump itself .

Ken

 

[wrvond]

Pull that forward cushion that had standing water under it before and look for a water trail on the bulkhead. I bet you came find a trail leading up to a port light.

 

[mjoplin]

UPDATE - So far I have resealed all the bow rail stanchions, sealed several cover snaps iwth screws that had backed out, and used tape/plastic to seal the window directly above the table socket. After a good rain yesterday I found a cup of water in the forward most storage compartment on the port side. Current theory I am working with is that it might be the forward-most port light leaking down the hull, puddling in the storage compartment, and bleeding back to the table socket and eventually the sump. I've ruled out the sump as the pump functions perfectly and the fact the water would have to be 6" plus in there to bleed forward to the table area and ultimately the front storage compartment.

If the isolation test on the front window doesn't play out, then looking at the rub-rail. The windshield visually looks OK. Finding out that it takes a bit of detective work...

 

[mjoplin]

Pull that forward cushion that had standing water under it before and look for a water trail on the bulkhead. I bet you came find a trail leading up to a port light.

[FONT=&quot]That is where I am heading now. Plenty of rain in the forecast to test. Will be isolating the forward portlight with some plastic sheeting and tape to isolate it and see if that halts the flow. It is the most logical candidate at this point.[/FONT]

 

[mjoplin]

UPDATE - Turned out the windshield on the port side was the culprit. It appeared to have been replaced once and not well sealed when installed. We're dry again (for now).

 

[wrvond]

UPDATE - Turned out the windshield on the port side was the culprit. It appeared to have been replaced once and not well sealed when installed. We're dry again (for now).

Congratulations on a successful hunt. Sorry it isn't something easier than the windshield to fix, though.
I'd like to suggest putting a dehumidifier in the cabin for a week or so. When my portlights leaked I set a dehumidifier with a pump function inside with the drain hose stuck in the sink. I let it run for a week on "constant" and it thoroughly dried everything out.

 

[dan313]

Hi
I had the same issue. Drove me nuts. I had a friend run a hose over the entire boat. What we found was the Port Light seal was leaking.
Simple fix and no more leaks.

Lenny