water in hull...

pritch · 07 July 2008, 22:19

...help...I have a substantial amount of water in the hull of my new rib. Unlike my previous boat, this hull doesn't have a drain plug at the bottom of the transom. I assume it's supposed to be sealed?? Anyways, can anyone offer any advice as to how difficult it is to fit a drain and also as to the best location ie in the deck well or bottom of transom?

cheers...

Bigmuz7 · 07 July 2008, 22:29

get a bung .. .. at the lowest point

http://www.rib-shop.com/product.asp?...k=yes&P_ID=235

better than brass if you ask me

pritch · 08 July 2008, 17:16

... thanks...i''ll bung one in.....

Nasher · 08 July 2008, 17:22

I fitted one of these:-

http://www.aquafax.co.uk/html/produc...s.asp?ID=12449

I like the way it goes all the way through so can be sealed to stop water getting in the transom.

Nasher.

pritch · 08 July 2008, 17:35

...this is probably a stupid question and i know i should be worrying about something more important but......will i need to cut access in the bottom of the deck well so as to fit the nut/washer onto the back of the plug??

nikster · 08 July 2008, 17:50

i would be fairly concerned if its a new rib and has a few gallons inside sloshing around..... on the trailer back to the mfr and say - here you sort it out and tell me why my rib is leaking and fix it and tell me where the water came from and what you did to fix it.......

pritch · 08 July 2008, 20:23

cheers nikster....a fair point......thanks all

nikster · 08 July 2008, 20:37

And also remember to get a 1 gallon measuring jug - so that when they give you the boat back with a shiny new bung in it and then you take it out on the water for the first time for a good full day - you can measure how much comes out...... and find out if they actually did anything or just drained a hole - fitted abung and gave it back to you!!!!!

SAFETY WARNING:

If you have an integral FUEL tank - DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AND IMMEDIATELY move the boat to a clear area and inform the mfr to get their arse down to you sharpish......

It is common for consoles and bench seats to be drilled through and then through to the fuel tank....................

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY...!!

Im not a scaremonger but this happened in Poole this year!!!! flick the wrong switch on a nice day and the deck becomes a new NASA launch pad or worse....

havener · 09 July 2008, 08:11

My thoughts exactly Nikster - you need to be pretty certain it's water in there, fuel sounds more like if there's no obvious cracks in the deck where water could get in...

9D280 · 09 July 2008, 10:15

errr momentarily ignoring what's actually sloshing around in there, Who designs a "sealed" hull with no drain point????? That's an awful detail.

When you do get them to put a bung in, a good tip is to seal it with good old petroleum jelly.

Nasher · 09 July 2008, 11:57

Is the water in the hull coming in from below or above?

ie seawater getting in as you use it, rain water filling it from above, or even seawater coming in over the top from the odd stuff through a wave etc.

Nasher.

pritch · 09 July 2008, 16:46

...from above i guess as she's stored outside partially covered....i can only assume it's getting in through consol/pod deck screws etc as there's no evidence of any cracks etc.....the fuel tanks's in the consol so no worries there - i hope....anyway, bought a plug this avo so will fit at the bottom of the V in transom i guess... just a little concerned about exposing any wood in the transom (without being able to apply any sealant on the inside)

cheers for the safety post nikster - note made for future ref!....the boat (a Lencraft 6.3) was 18 months old when i traded in my old rib in january....just surprised that a manufacturer would produce an otherwise excellent hull without any form of drainage?!

Bigmuz7 · 09 July 2008, 21:19

OK .. its a bitch to find out where the water gets in... the last three RIBS I've had all suffered from it

So you know its fresh water by tasting it ? then its some surface mounted article like a console or a deck hole where some cabling goes through the deck.. not only that .. it could be some console component that you leave uncovered.. though you said the boat is partially covered,..... whats left exposed ?

Its a process of elimination.. can you see into your underdeck? what area gets wet first? Can you silcone off any of your deck structure ? additinally to what you can see

The most DIFFICULT one I've ever had was the U bolt in the bow... whilst at anchor the boat filled with sea water

very slowly, .. before I discovered the damn bolt was leaking water into the boat as the supplier had not fitted it right

just work your way through the options

stul · 10 July 2008, 03:52

NEW PAIR OF RWO SCREW DRAIN BUNGS FOR BOATS *** Item number: 380044098690