water drainage under floor???

[turborich]

Hey guys,

I got to thinking about something yesterday, How does the water drain out of my boat? Of course it has the bilge area in the rear, but what if water gets into the boat up front or something like that? Does it just stay trapped under the floor in the inner hull area? I told my friend about this & he said I was wrong, it should have a small cavity that runs through the hull, but it doesn't!!!

Yes, I know that most boats have what appears to be a tube that runs from the front to the rear so that water can drain out of the bilge area, My boat does not! The bilge area is solid with no tube running through the boat. Yes it has a drain hole at the stern, but that's it. I am concerned about this because I have a feeling that there may be water under the floor. The previous owner had hit some rocks or something & put a few holes in the bottom, he repaired the holes but how would the water get out? Should I get a drill & put a couple of holes in the rear sides of the bilge area so any water could drain out there?

Any help on this one would be greatly appreciated.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: water drainage under floor???

your boat has a drain plug in the transom, behind the foot of the motor, you have to pull plug and raise front of trailer. with this question, i strongly suggest you take a in class safe boating course.

 

[turborich]

Re: water drainage under floor???

your boat has a drain plug in the transom, behind the foot of the motor, you have to pull plug and raise front of trailer. with this question, i strongly suggest you take a in class safe boating course.

Thanks for your input, but no I don't need to take a boat safety course. You must have not understood or misread the question.

Like I said in my post, I know there is a plug in the rear! That was not the question at all. The question was, how does the rest of the boat drain? How does the water from the rest of the boat get into the bilge? There is no way for it to ever reach there. There is no hole or cavity in the front of the bilge. So how could it possibly drain by raising the boat?

 

[CATransplant]

Re: water drainage under floor???

Good question. If there's no connection between the bilge and the rest of the hull, then it doesn't drain. Is there water in your hull? About the only way to find out is to weigh the boat and compare the weight you find with the listed dry weight for that model.

I assume that, if the previous owner holed the boat, he drained any water in the hull before making repairs. But who knows?

Also it depends on the construction of your hull. If that's your trihull in the photo, some of those have the space between the hull and the deck completely filled with foam. Some don't.

 

[turborich]

Re: water drainage under floor???

CATransplant, Thanks for the reply.

Yes that's my boat in the pic. It's a 78 arrow glass cheetah. It would be nice if it was completely foamed in, but it's not. Would it be a good idea to drill a hole in the front of the bilge so water could drain out into the bilge? Kinda seems strange that it was made like this.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: water drainage under floor???

I think you are correct, no drain between the hull and bilge, my old 72 SeaSwirl was the same way. I drilled holes through the bilge into the hull void,,, and it did drain, drained all sorts of brown stained water for a looong time. I sealed the holes and later opened them up, water again. I finally got rid of the boat because the foam was completely soaked with water and the floor was shot, stringers were showing signs of rot and there were a few soft spots in the transom.

The bad thing about these older boats, the foam used is like a sponge and will wick up water if exposed to it. Search for "wet foam" and "rotted stringers" to see what you are up against.

If you drill holes through the deck or into the hull void, make sure you seal them back up again, fiberglass, marinetex, etc. You don't want to create a path for water to get below deck.

Any pics of the PO's damage and repair to the hull?

 

[turborich]

Re: water drainage under floor???

Any pics of the PO's damage and repair to the hull?

Yes, I will take a few pics and get them up soon. Thanks for the info! I know that I am not crazy now!

 

[tmh]

Re: water drainage under floor???

My 19' 1985 Mark Twain had trapped water in the stringer sections also...no way in the design for the water to drain to the bilge! This was a well-maid boat too. It seems so stupid to assume no water will get in there. However, I have no reason to believe this isn't still done with new boats.

I drilled relief holes when i re-did the stringers and floor.

 

[turborich]

Re: water drainage under floor???

OK guys, Here are some pics. In one pic you can see the rock hole repairs to the front, repair to the rear side, two small holes that I drilled in front of the bilge, a steel screw that the previous owner put into the transom to hold a cable without ever sealing it, the two rotted out front engine mount lag bolts.

Yes a little bit of water came out when I drilled the small holes in the bilge, The wood underneath the engine mount is wet & nasty. What do I do?

I picked up this boat to actually use for myself & family. I only paid $300 for it, but still I really liked the darn thing. I know there are boats in a lot worse condition that are being used on the water but I wanted mine to be a nice looking old boat that I could be proud of when I was all done with her. I am not about to rip into the floor, What I find will most likely be pretty bad. Is this boat safe to use if I get the water out that is currently in there & if I fill all of the little holes that were drilled into the transom for the fish finder, etc. OR, should I just part it out?

If I drill 2 large holes & let a hair dryer blow through it will this dry it out over a few days?

Please help, Thanks, Rich

 

[marine4003]

Re: water drainage under floor???

Yes a little bit of water came out when I drilled the small holes in the bilge, The wood underneath the engine mount is wet & nasty. What do I do? : Is this boat safe to use if I get the water out that is currently in there & if I fill all of the little holes that were drilled into the transom for the fish finder, etc. OR, should I just part it out?

If I drill 2 large holes & let a hair dryer blow through it will this dry it out over a few days?

Please help, Thanks, Rich

As long as the boats not wallowing while underway,it can be used...BUT!!!!! if the wood under your motor is soft & mushy..DO NOT USE THE BOAT. You can imagine what would happen if the motor came loose while under-way,that would be a disaster of major proportions and a death sentence to whoever was riding back there,and NO, a hairdryer for 2 days....2 weeks wont do anything aside from warm up the foam...Good Luck..

 

[turborich]

Re: water drainage under floor???

OK, I got a few things done to the boat. I got hold of some 1/8" wooden dowels & put 3 of them into each of the motor mount lag holes, then screwed the lags back in. They actually grabbed & held. I went ahead & drilled a hole on each side of the bilge, the drill bit came out wet/damp but no actual water running out, drilled a hole in the front of the bilge, got a little water out of there. I will seal everything back up. Removed the depth finder & fish finder things on the bottom of the transom & filled those holes in, removed the ladder & properly sealed that up with some gaskets that I made & some clear silicone. Just basicly making sure the boat is water tight. None of the screws that went into the transom had any sealer on them, I would think there should have been. No water came out though. I think she will be OK for a few trips to the lake in calm water, Next is replacing the outdrive with my other unit & then testing her out!

 

[rrhodes]

Re: water drainage under floor???

Okay, here is the bad news. The dowells will not hold your engine. A lot of stress is applied to the transom while under way and in a nutshell your transom is rotted and needs to be replaced. The fact that your drillbit was wet/damp tells me that there was water trapped and more than likely the foam is waterlogged and in need of replacement. Chances are that your stringers are also rotten and need to be replaced.

How much do you love this boat? If it was me I would pull the engine and begin my search for a new Hull. You have a lot of work to do.

You should treat these boats like airplanes. Would you fix an airplane with a few dowell rods and fly in it? The water is a very dangerous place and going out in an unsafe boat can get you and your loved ones killed. You never know when you may hit a sunken log or even a wake that will crack your hull(Bad Stringers) or the additional stress may cause the engine to break free. In each of these your boat will sink. How far can you swim?

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: water drainage under floor???

OK, I got a few things done to the boat. I got hold of some 1/8" wooden dowels & put 3 of them into each of the motor mount lag holes, then screwed the lags back in. They actually grabbed & held. I went ahead & drilled a hole on each side of the bilge, the drill bit came out wet/damp but no actual water running out,

rrhodes is bang on. You're transom, at minimum is rotted and needs to be replaced. And, dowels aren't going to hold that motor in place once you put a load on the engine and drive that boat forward thru the water.

Hull needs some detailed investigation and repair before hitting the water. Not the news you want to hear, but the right news before endangering your life and that of your family.

 

[turborich]

Re: water drainage under floor???

I wouldn't say the transom is rotted. It actually seems to be in good shape & no water drained out of it when I removed the screws for the fish finder brackets. Now I will agree that parts of the stringers & wood under the motor mount are most likely in bad shape. I wish it wasn't the case but it is what it is.

As far as the lag bolts go, They bit down & tightened up really good. I know it's not a very good solution but it may work for now. A friend of mine has a 19 ft Well craft & the same motor mount set up. His wood was actually burnt from a fire at some point. When the engine was revved the mount would torque over a bit because there was no lag bolt here. He took it out many times like this & everything was fine. Since, he has cut the burnt piece out & fiberglassed a new board in.

I'm not suggesting that anyone do any of this, I'm just saying that when you are on a budget you kinda have to make due.

How important are the stringers? Do they hold the boat together or just add additional strength? I was told that since the boat is a formed fiberglass shell that it wont snap or crack. Is this not true? Do the stringers need to be removed or can a new piece of wood be bonded to the existing one? One last thing, why do they use wood? Why not some type of composite material that resist water? What about the brand new boats that are full of water in the transom? Why is this?

I will weigh my options & figure out what to do.

 

[tmh]

Re: water drainage under floor???

Dude, your "boat" is just a rotten glob of gunk! yeah, you can explain away stuff and say your friend drove HIS boat while on fire or whatever but what;s that got to do with YOURS being unsafe? Stop ignoring what everyone says and face reality.

You either need to re-do all the support wood/glass and transom OR find another boat. Why do you think it was so cheap!?!?!?!? Part it out - whatever.....but jamming a couple wood dowels down the mounting holes to cover up for the rot mess ain't cutting it. Were you out of Duct Tape????

Sorry to be a jerk about it, but I see where this thread is going.....you keep ignoring reality and trying the "yeah, but WHAT IF I......" routine. Nope, you need to fix it or scrap it - no big deal as most of us have been there before! Some fixed it, some scrapped it....but some tried to run a mess of rot with dowels holding it together....those folks don't post here anymore........

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: water drainage under floor???

How important are the stringers? Do they hold the boat together or just add additional strength? I was told that since the boat is a formed fiberglass shell that it wont snap or crack. Is this not true? Do the stringers need to be removed or can a new piece of wood be bonded to the existing one?

Think of it in other terms. Squeeze your sides and try to touch your internal organs. Not easy to do. Your ribs (stringers) prevent the external skin (hull) from collapsing when force is applied. Remove the ribs and see how easy it would be. They're a very critical part of the overall structural integrity of the hull.

Don't feel like people are bashing, we're just trying to provide realistic advise. Only you can answer by looking at it if its in that bad of shape. Wet shavings from drilling through the transom means its soft/rotten. No way around that.

If you don't have the budget to restore it, take it to someone who does this type of thing and ask him the effort and cost to repair and make a decision from there. They may tell you its only a few things or that it's a total lost cause. At least you'll know where you stand with the boat.

 

[Randybeall]

Re: water drainage under floor???

As ugly as it may seem that boat is due for a restoration. If you continue to use it as it is you will experience a really bad day sooner or later. There is much information on projects like this in the Boat Restoration forum. It might not be as serious as it first seems to be. Floor and stringers can be cut out and replaced. Transoms can be replaced. Just takes time and patience. Money is a lot less than you think. Wood is excellent boat building material. Strength per pound is outstanding, price is lower than man made replacements. It needs to be sealed, and exposure to the elements is to be avoided. Take a look in the restroation posts and give it some thought. Happy,safe boating!

 

[turborich]

Re: water drainage under floor???

I had a licensed boat mechanic stop by & take a look at it for me today, He said that he has seen much worse that are still being operated with any major issues. He looked at the front engine mount & said it would hold just fine. He did recomend putting a 3" hole on the floor just to the outside of each stringer next to the bilge sump. He said to let it air out as much as possible & before it goes back on the water I should seal these holes with a cover & sealant. He also said these could be used to inspect for water in the future. He also recomended applying more resin to the areas that have been rocked. He told me not to worry so much & the only reason I am aware of this is because I started to dig into the boat & most people have similar issues with older boats & don't even know about it.


I think that he has good points, & you guys have good points, more safety related for sure & that's a good thing. I am going to continue with my outdrive swap & patch the rocked areas a bit more & float test her for a while at the dock. I will go from there with my final decision. If need be then I may just try to redo the rear stringers & engine mount. I really like this little boat as it has a lot of character. 3 people have asked me if I would sell it & so far I have said no. BTW the asking price was $800, I talked him down to $300 as he was moving & needed to get rid of it. I doubt if he knew of any of the water damage. I could easily quadruple my $300 investment right now if I wanted to. I am honest & would let the new owner know everything though.

Thank you for all your advice, I do appreciate it.

 

[turborich]

Re: water drainage under floor???

As ugly as it may seem that boat is due for a restoration. If you continue to use it as it is you will experience a really bad day sooner or later. There is much information on projects like this in the Boat Restoration forum. It might not be as serious as it first seems to be. Floor and stringers can be cut out and replaced. Transoms can be replaced. Just takes time and patience. Money is a lot less than you think. Wood is excellent boat building material. Strength per pound is outstanding, price is lower than man made replacements. It needs to be sealed, and exposure to the elements is to be avoided. Take a look in the restroation posts and give it some thought. Happy,safe boating!

I think you are right, I will go check out that portion of the forums. Thank you for the tip. I do agree that sooner or later there my be a bad day.

 

[ziggy]

Re: water drainage under floor???

on my last boat, a cute trihull like yours. i started with rusty, no holding lag bolts for my ft. engine mount. i did some sawing on the floor. mushy stringers + someones lame attempt at putting a few extra boards right next to the stringers. then a new floor. floor is solid. it's everything else, structure wise, that's toast on my boat too. i still have it. maybe someday i'll repair it. but for now. i got a different boat that is sound. the trihull was not servicable. floated, but not safe.......unfortunetly. the different, serviceable boat, cost much more than the free trihull with mushy stringers and motor mount and transom on the way out too... i love my trihull too. even has sentimental value to me only. but i enjoy my aristocraft very much too. it has plenty of things i like about it too. boats are cheaper than usuall now.... now might be the time to check a few out....