Water problems in bow/cabin area

H

Hook

Member
Jan 10, 2013
32
LI Sound
Boat Info
2003 Sea Ray 245 WE
Engines
240 Mercruiser w/2015 Bravo III
I have a 2003 245 WE and after each run in the river my carpet under the storage area walking into the cabin and the carpet area standing in front onf the gallley is always wet. I cannot figure out where the water is in from. I noticed every time we plane off and cruise awhile is when the water appears. It starts to appear then then hours later thcarpet is pretty wet. There is not any problems with the bow hatch and no water is coming in from rain. Any ideas?
 
Hook said:
I have a 2003 245 WE and after each run in the river my carpet under the storage area walking into the cabin and the carpet area standing in front onf the gallley is always wet. I cannot figure out where the water is in from. I noticed every time we plane off and cruise awhile is when the water appears. It starts to appear then then hours later thcarpet is pretty wet. There is not any problems with the bow hatch and no water is coming in from rain. Any ideas?
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suggest you look for the obvious....is there a hole or crack in the hull that is allowing water to seep into the cabin?.......do you have a fresh water tank and sink in the cabin?...if so is there a leaking pipe or fitting in this system?.....does the water level in the fresh water tank slowly go down for no reason?.....is there a leak in the water tank for the porta-pot?.......my boat is very similar to yours so i am familiar with its layout.....is there a hole or crack in the bulkhead wall between the fuel tank compartment and the cabin?....if so water from the bilge could run back under the fuel tank and seep into the cabin.....

cliff
 
All good ideas, I do not use my fresh water tank, it is still winterized but I will check all the pipes and hoses anyway. The porta-potty is self contained but I will check the lines going out of it. My winch eye is on tight but I noticed two vents in the bow so I need to know if they are for the bow anchor locker or are they thru the hull. Do you know when I stand in front of the galley where the carpet gets wet if that is the bottom of the boat or is that a "sub floor"? The well (storage area) is all dry as I have checked many times and the bulkhead appears to be solid and well sealed. Before launch this spring I checked the hull as close as possible but with bottom paint on her it was hard to check those areas. If the boat is at its slip water never enters the cabin area, it is only when we are underway and then plane off it will start getting the carpet wet then the next day I will need to use a sponge to suck the water off the carpet.
 
Hook said:
All good ideas, I do not use my fresh water tank, it is still winterized but I will check all the pipes and hoses anyway. The porta-potty is self contained but I will check the lines going out of it. My winch eye is on tight but I noticed two vents in the bow so I need to know if they are for the bow anchor locker or are they thru the hull. Do you know when I stand in front of the galley where the carpet gets wet if that is the bottom of the boat or is that a "sub floor"? The well (storage area) is all dry as I have checked many times and the bulkhead appears to be solid and well sealed. Before launch this spring I checked the hull as close as possible but with bottom paint on her it was hard to check those areas. If the boat is at its slip water never enters the cabin area, it is only when we are underway and then plane off it will start getting the carpet wet then the next day I will need to use a sponge to suck the water off the carpet.
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the water tank on the porta-pot could have a crack or the lid on the tank could be loose.....when the boat planes the bow is raised so we need to think about things that can leak when the boat is at an angle.....a crack in the pottie tank or a loose lid falls into that category.....anywhere there is flat floor in the cabin is not the hull.....there are no flat spots on the hull so the flat floor is a subfloor...also while the boat is on plane the spray from the boat cutting through the water is directed up onto the sides of the hull and possibly into the through hull fitting for the cabin sink drain.....if the fitting is not bedded properly to the hull the water could drip in under the sink and soak the galley carpet.....if the fitting is properly bedded to the hull check the drain line from the sink.....if the line has hole or crack that could let water drip under the sink.....if you are washing the cockpit of the boat before you notice the water it could be the forced wash water could be overwhelming the cabin door seal drain and overflowing into the cabin.....wash or rain water can drip down under the dash that houses the gauges....the dash does not seal tight against the fiberglass cutout and the gauges may not seal tight in the dash....there is a drain hole under the gauges to allow this water to drain back into the cockpit....if this drain clogs the wash and/or rain water that leaks behind the dash can pool up and eventually spill over into the cockpit.....remove the wall panel in the head compartment and look down in the lower left corner to see if the drain passage leading to the cockpit is clogged...

just some thoughts.....good luck....

cliff
 
Years ago on an old cuddy I had a wet floor going into the cabin after I was up on plane after pulling my hair out i found a split in the tubing going to the speedometer. Running down the back of the instrument panel into the cuddy ......
 
Right after work goin right down and will look in the wall panel and all other suggestions offered. I AM close to pulling my hair out with this. Thanks again all!
 
To all,

I am now close to pulling my hair out, still can't find the leak, I looked behind the inst panel and all dry. The area under the sink in the galley is dry. The suggestion of the split in the tubing going to the speedometer sounds like a good reason for my water problem but does the hose actually travel from my outdrive thru my cabin and to the instrument panel? Is there a way for me to look thru the floor where I stand looking at my galley? Yesterday I took her out for a cruise and checked the cabin floor before work this morning and there was a puddle of water in the storage area as you step down into the cabin. It always appears to be coming from under the porta-potty enclosure in that storage area w/the step down.
 
i sometimes have a small amount of water in the small storage bin located in the cabin step.....it comes in when i wash the cockpit or after a hard rain if the cockpit cover is not installed during a rain storm...the wash water overflows from the floor channel the cabin door slides in....in fact there is a small brown water stain in the carpet on the bottom of the cabin door that is evidence the wash water has leaked over the channel....but the water stays isolated to this small storage bin.....it does not seep out into the cabin carpet.....this storage bin does not have a drain that leads to the bilge so any water that gets in there will stay there until it evaporates or is removed manually.....does water start to collect in the storage bin while the boat is not being used?......does the water start to collect in the bin only after a washing of the cockpit or a strong rain and the cockpit is exposed?.....

maybe i misunderstood your original question....i thought you had wet carpet on the galley floor in front of the sink....if you are speaking about the water in the step storage bin i think that is normal....just dry the bin by vacuuming the water out or use a towel to soak up the water as needed...

cliff
 
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The water does start to collect in the storage area but will seep out into the carpet in front of the galley. My cockpit cover is only one year old and I don't think any water gets in after a hard rain and she is always covered when not in use. This is the second year I have owned the 245 and this problem actually started just about a year ago today. I orginally thought it was because a cooler tipped over in the galley area last year and alot of water/ice was spilled on the carpet and I only had a towel to soak it up. All that water had to go somewhere but I thought by now it would all have evaporated. The water only appears after I run her at a plane. If she just sits in the slip it never happens.

Thanks again for the suggestions as I am in the process of using all the comments as a "to do" list in order to find out what is going on. Thanks again
 
OK, long shot here.....check the two drains in the anchor locker to be sure they are not clogged.....maybe rain water has collected in the locker and when the boat planes and raises the bow this water is forced against the bulkhead wall that separates the cabin and the anchor locker....if the bulkhead wall is not sealed properly some of the water from the anchor locker could seep into space under the cabin subfloor.....as we talked about earlier, there is a space under subfloor in the cabin.....while the boat is at rest the water would stay on the bottom of this space and not seep into the cabin...however when the boat planes out and the bow rises this water would be forced to pool in the back of this space which is located in front of the galley sink.....i doubt that the subfloor is sealed water tight so the water in the subfloor space could seep on top of the subfloor and get the carpet wet when the bow is raised during planing....

check the floor under the front seat in the cabin to see if there are any signs of water coming from the anchor locker into this storage space....

cliff
 
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if the boat is on a trailer you can test the theory i stated below.....raise the bow as high as possible while the boat is on the trailer......maybe even put a block under the tounge jack to get the bow even higher....if the cabin floor gets wet then you know you have water trapped in the subfloor space.....

cliff
 
Will check after work, also my rubrails may be the problem with the chaulking as I look at my parts manual.
 
i just thought of another, much easier way to check for trapped water under the subfloor....you can remove the cabin table leg base in the cabin floor and look to see if any water is in the subfloor space......

cliff
 
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Thought of that one and there is fiberglass under it. I was hoping to see thru it.
 
Hook said:
Thought of that one and there is fiberglass under it. I was hoping to see thru it.
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dang it....i have never looked under the leg base so i wasn't sure what was under it....probably the only part of my boat i have not seen....

cliff
 
The deck to hull joint (under the floor) should be sealed (in addition to using the screws). But, if there's a spot where the sealant has broken free or there's a gap, then water can be forced into the joint and trickle down the interior side of the hull and onto your floor. Look for "streaking" stains under the hull-deck joint in the cabin (the padded divider that is just above the portlights), go for a ride and IMMEDIATELY feel around for wet spots (they will dry quickly) or even tape some paper towels in areas since they will give a tell-tale sign of being wet even if dry. Also check your portlights.

If this is the case, I recommend completely removing the rubrail and resealing the proper way. Just resealing the rubrail the way it is may not last very long. Doing it the other way should give you at least 20 years.
 
No shower just a bilge pump. Tonight I will inspect the speedometer for hole leak and inspect my RR. Thanks
 
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