Water between hull and deck: How concerned should I be?

[270SLX]

My 2005 270 SLX has had around 20 cracks, spider cracks and at least one blister in the gel coat. I've taken them in stride and the gelcoat guy at the dealer has done a decent job of making them practically disappear. But one of the latest cracks has me concerned.

The crack appeared on the bottom chine, about 1/3 of the way from the bow. It was really two parallel cracks, about an inch apart and it had a weeping appearance that suggested water intrusion.

When I stopped by the dealer today, the gelcoat guy had opened it up to about 5 feet long and from 3/4 to two inches wide. Water was still dripping out of the opening and from holes he'd poked in the gelcoat to try to get the water out. The fluffy fibreglass looking stuff inside looked soggy. Another 270 SLX sits in the yard with the same problem. About 3 gallons of water came out of it and it has cracks on both sides of the hull. About a half gallon or less has come out of my boat so far.

We think that water between the hull and the deck caused the crack, not the other way around. Rain does get into the shower sump after it leaks in between the cockpit cover and the bow cover. The water sits there until I get on board and flick on the battery switch and manuall or automatically kick in the shower sump bilge pump. That may have something to do with it. (The boat is kept at a dry stack, not in the water.)

I'll contact Sea Ray and ask for an explanation and assurance that they've come up with a fix so that the problem doesn't keep recurring as I run out of warranty. (It's still 100% until 8/12, my two-year anniversary.)

Anyone else had a similar problem? How concerned should I be?

Dennis

 

[Morpheus]

My 2005 270 SLX has had around 20 cracks, spider cracks and at least one blister in the gel coat. I've taken them in stride and the gelcoat guy at the dealer has done a decent job of making them practically disappear. But one of the latest cracks has me concerned.

The crack appeared on the bottom chine, about 1/3 of the way from the bow. It was really two parallel cracks, about an inch apart and it had a weeping appearance that suggested water intrusion.

When I stopped by the dealer today, the gelcoat guy had opened it up to about 5 feet long and from 3/4 to two inches wide. Water was still dripping out of the opening and from holes he'd poked in the gelcoat to try to get the water out. The fluffy fibreglass looking stuff inside looked soggy. Another 270 SLX sits in the yard with the same problem. About 3 gallons of water came out of it and it has cracks on both sides of the hull. About a half gallon or less has come out of my boat so far.

We think that water between the hull and the deck caused the crack, not the other way around. Rain does get into the shower sump after it leaks in between the cockpit cover and the bow cover. The water sits there until I get on board and flick on the battery switch and manuall or automatically kick in the shower sump bilge pump. That may have something to do with it. (The boat is kept at a dry stack, not in the water.)

I'll contact Sea Ray and ask for an explanation and assurance that they've come up with a fix so that the problem doesn't keep recurring as I run out of warranty. (It's still 100% until 8/12, my two-year anniversary.)

Anyone else had a similar problem? How concerned should I be?

Dennis

I don't know if this is thesame or not but my NEW boat had airvoids and MM service took 1.5 months to repair it because THEY say they had to wait for it to dry out before fixing it. So I'm guessing if your gel guy doesn't let that completly dry it will just cause more problems.

 

[tphinney]

...The fluffy fibreglass looking stuff inside looked soggy...

that statement is a HUGE red flag. fiberglass should not be fluffy. when fiberglass gets water logged it starts a process called delamenation. the fibers start to breakdown and the integrity of the structure is null and void.

in order to restore the hulls integrity they will need to cut out all the delamenated glass, dry it out and re-glass the whole area that was compromised.

man I feel sorry for you on this, make sure you're dealer address's the issue completely and call SeaRay about it.

 

[Turtlesboat]

this sounds like a serious issue. I know another CSR member posted repeated problems with spider cracks and sea ray addressed it. I would search spider cracks and read the thread.

 

[STIHLBOLTS]

If you have not already, start documenting all conversations with your dealer and repairs. Stay positive but firm in your instance this be taken care of to your satisfaction.

 

[Sea Ray 300]

Dennis,
The hull has a much longer warantee than 2 years.
I believe it is 10 years, but I could be wrong.
In any event, Sea Ray will stand behind it.

 

[270SLX]

... fiberglass should not be fluffy. when fiberglass gets water logged it starts a process called delamenation. the fibers start to breakdown and the integrity of the structure is null and void.

I was thinking the fluffy stuff is a filler installed in the supposedly dry, supposedly sealed area between the fibreglass hull and the deck. At any rate, the tech did have heat lamps on the area in an attempt to get it dried out and, as I said, he had opened up a 5' long area to reglass. Yet, the boat was still dripping.

I do love that boat so it sure hurts to see it that way. The Admiral is pretty upset too.

Did I mention that the tech sent video of the defect to Sea Ray?

I do trust my dealer so I'm hoping for the best but I won't really feel good until I know that the root cause has been solved.

BTW, this is obviously more serious than spider cracking or normal gel coat cracks. I know all about those. This is a hull integrity issue.

Dennis

 

[kev88]

Dennis:

I admire your calmness in dealing with this issue - can you bottle it? I am sure SR will correct this to your satisfaction.

Kevin

 

[Dave S]

If I understand you correctly you believe the water is finding it's way from the inside of the hull into the glass matting. Is that correct?

You also mention shower sump..........are you referring to the regular bilge pump? Since a 270 SLX is a bow rider I am not sure where it would have a shower sump. We may be talking about terminolgy here since Cruisers have both a shower sump and bilge pumps.

I guess I would be most concerned how they are going to find that interior intrusion. You may be able to fix the blistering and dry out the hull from the outside but the problem is going to come back as soon as you get more water in the bilge.

Keep us posted as to what happens and the best of luck getting it fixed.

 

[270SLX]

If I understand you correctly you believe the water is finding it's way from the inside of the hull into the glass matting. Is that correct?

You also mention shower sump..........are you referring to the regular bilge pump? Since a 270 SLX is a bow rider I am not sure where it would have a shower sump. We may be talking about terminolgy here since Cruisers have both a shower sump and bilge pumps. quote]

The 270 SLX bowrider does indeed have a "shower" which is more aptly described as pull-out sink sprayer head which is located in the head compartment. The head compartment therefore has a drain which goes to a separate bilge pump in what I referred to as the "shower sump". This bilge pump does not have an off/on switch and can only operate automatically or, by removing a cover at the back of the ski locker, manually by sticking your arm way in and twisting the bilge pump test button. After a heavy rain, there is up to about 3 inches of water in that sump that I pump out by reaching in and tickling that bilge pump.

It is my guess that there is some defect in the design that allows rain water to collect in the hull void. Whether the water comes from the shower sump is speculation. It could be entering from any defect in the ski locker or other areas below the deck but above the hull. Or, the water entered the void area while under way, from the crack in the hull but I seem to doubt that.

Dennis

 

[Nehalennia II]

Sorry to hear about this. I'm sure it's very distressing and no fun being boatless in the middle of summer. Best of luck, but I'd throw in a formal request for a boat replacement and let them fix it and sell it as a used boat if they're that confident they can fix itg. To me you didn't want to buy such a seriusly defective vessel and deserve one that is free from such major defects.

 

[Dave S]

Dennis

Just be sure they can tell you the source of the water intrusion. I hope I am wrong on my assesment because trying to fix a problem on the inside of the hull could be very difficult unless they can find the bad area (if in fact that is where the water is comming from.) But like others have said, Sea Ray should make this right for you.

You might try PMing RobF 300 and ask him if he has ever faced a similar issue with all the boats he has repaired.

Keep us posted.

Dave

 

[270SLX]

After some thought, I think the thing I should do at this point is to rely on my dealer for all communications. They are in touch with Sea Ray so I expect Sea Ray to talk to me through them. Then, if I'm not satisified, I'll take it up w/ headquarters.

I may be calm, but I'm depressed!

Dennis

 

[fwebster]

The thing that gets Sea Ray to respond best is a calm, rational customer who has a problem with his boat and who tries to work thru his dealer to get a remedy.

Sea Ray is aware of your problem if the boat has been repaired under warranty since they must approve all warranty like this done by the dealer. In fact, they probably have photos of your boat in the file.

Sea Ray will fix your boat, but the red flag in this whole deal is when the dealer stops cooperating and working with you or when the dealer isn't able to fix the boat to your satisfaction. That is when you call 1-800-SRBOATS.

So far, it looks like you are doing this right...............

 

[270SLX]

Thanks for the support, Frank. I do value your opinion as do many others on this forum.

Dennis

 

[RobF300]

I remember a boat years ago that had some water trapped in the oddest location, it had actually come in through the anchor locker hole that was so slightly mis-drilled that it allowed water to seep past the bulkhead.

Darnest thing, were talking a hole drilled at ever so slightly at the wrong angle.

Alot of time mystery water in the chines can be traced back to things like that because there is only so few ways they can come in such as a obvious small hole in the bottom of the boat, under pressure of sitting in the water it can fill.

thru a leaking thru-hill fitting

thru a misdrilled limber hole for the stringers

thru the drive or other hole in the transom, such as a speedo or fish finder, etc...

You would need to figure out if its fresh or salt water thats your problem and take it from there, not nearly enough information for one to diagnos over the net.

 

[270SLX]

Update: I drove to the dealer to talk to the owner. He was gracious and supportive. He gave me the name of a guy in the customer service dept. at Sea Ray to call. Apparently, Sea Ray is more responsive to customers than to dealers. (That's better than having it the other way around, eh?) I'll press for a root-cause analysis and permanent solution. Maybe that's not possible so, worst case I get the hull refiberglassed every couple of years until I can get rid of the boat. But, no reason to be pessimistic and there's every reason to expect, after reading umpteen posts here, that Sea Ray will help find the cause and fix it. They'll want to since there's at least two boats at this dealer with the same problem. If I can help them find the root cause, I'll do all I can. Then I'll report back to the dealer, as will Sea Ray, of course, and we'll all hopefully know how to fix the root cause in my boat and others. I seem to say "hopefully" a lot, don't I? Anyway, I left a message for the guy at Sea Ray and HOPEFULLY he'll call me tomorrow and I'll have another update.

By this evening, the big crack had been dried out and filled and even sprayed with a coat of gel. The tech assured me it was dry WHERE HE FIXED IT but stated twice that he can't assure me that the keel is dry inside throughout. I expect there's still moisture in there that we can't get at so I expect that the fiberglass and hull will continue to get wet and continue to fail unless we get the root cause.

BTW, it's all fresh water dripping out. This part of the upper Mississippi is all fresh water. :grin: In fact, it looks pretty clean so I'm still figuring its rain water.

The soggy stuff I mentioned in the first post was the filler material in the keel. This is expanding foam that is blown into the voids similar to the expanding foam sealant / insulation that we use around the house to fill cracks in the garage foundation, etc. etc. It is not waterproof and gets waterlogged and that's how it appeared to me.

The boat has never been christened. I'm thinking of naming it "Patches".

At least I've kept my sense of humor.

Dennis

 

[Nehalennia II]

............The boat has never been christened. I'm thinking of naming it "Patches".At least I've kept my sense of humor. Dennis

Indeed you have retained your sense of humor but don't name the boat "Patches" then try to explain to the next owner---why. I'd actually use that as your reasoning to the factory that you'd rather not sell a boat that has had such major repairs without explaining thoroughly to the next perspective owner. I'd allow the dealer to take that heat or sell it at a devalued price with the knowledge it has been extensively repaired. If I were you I'd be angling for a complete boat replacement, especially since it's still under warranty and the reality is it's not a simple fix. This involves major surgery, you've lost quite a bit of boating time, your confidence in the SeaRay brand. As stated on page 80 of your latest "Summer 2007" SeaRay Living magazine states: "I think SeaRay has a good reputation for a Good reason. They build good boats and then stand behind them." If I bought new boat still under warranty and had such a major repair needed, I'd demand a new boat.

I wish you the best of luck satisfying your situation

 

[chuck1]

Sounds like you've got it handled :thumbsup: now to that

I'm thinking of naming it "Patches".

Don't think I would go there :lol:

 

[270SLX]

If I can somehow gain confidence that it will stay fixed, I'm OK with keeping the boat. If we don't get the root cause fixed and the hull disintegrates again, then I'm gonna be in a demanding mood with all my correspondence copied to Katz, Katz, Rosenbaum and Katz if you get my drift.

Just kidding about "Patches".

Dennis