Water trapped between hull and ski locker subfloor

[DOCDRS]

I'm not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling about all this.........

[Grant M]

I'm not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling about all this.........

I totally agree with you but what do you do?
Myself I think that Kojack has the solution https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?t=13064
Install the access port and vacuum the water out every fall before you put the boat away. What this will do to the bouancy foam long term I don't know?
I just didn't want to put her away for the winter with all that water there.
Is the permanent solution to lift the carpet and cut an access so that you can fiberglass the hole at the front of the ski locker where the stringer meets the hull maybe???

[cab13367]

Exactly what i asked earlier in this thread! Unless this is corrected the proper way what do you do? Cut holes every year looking for water? I can't help but wonder what happens to the foam when frozen then thawed?

Razz,

You might have missed mnpracing's post wherein he indicated where he thinks the water is coming from on his boat, and that is at the very front of the ski locker where the false floor or liner does not mate up with the hull. After looking at my ski locker, I think that's where the water is coming in as well. Another said that when he stepped in his ski locker, water came up thru a hole about 6" forward of the rear drain. So it appears that water is getting down there in different ways, depending on the boat.

Also, again on one of mnpracing's post, the shop is going to cut an access hole in the floor in the bow area in order to access the front of the locker and seal that gap. So hopefully, that will be a permanent fix for mnpracing's boat.

Others are just trying to get some of the water out to prevent possible freeze damage and waiting to hear what SC has to say about the issue.

My boat is stored in my garage which never gets below freezing since the furnace is in the garage and right next to the boat so I haven't drilled any holes yet. My local dealer has contacted SC on my behalf so I am waiting to hear what SC has to say.

[cab13367]

I'm not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling about all this.........

Do you have this issue doc?

[DOCDRS]

no idea, maybe next time i go up north i'll check.....but I never get water over the bow and my boat is on a lift in a boat port 99% of the time, except for this early fall when i had it home and it rained cats n dogs for the week 2 weeks i had it in my driveway.....but it was covered....so I think any water would have come from the back bilge up forward , I know I have ended up with water in my locker from this........

[mnpracing]

no idea, maybe next time i go up north i'll check.....but I never get water over the bow and my boat is on a lift in a boat port 99% of the time, except for this early fall when i had it home and it rained cats n dogs for the week 2 weeks i had it in my driveway.....but it was covered....so I think any water would have come from the back bilge up forward , I know I have ended up with water in my locker from this........

Hey guys, quick update. What I assume is happening is that water from the ski locker runs forward as the boat is stopped, either when powering down on the water or from braking when on the trailer. This water that runs forward goes all the way to the front of the locker (which is a slight taper uphill) then runs back; when it runs back it goes through that gap between the hull and the locker floor. Water has gotten into my locker from several things: water over the bow, wet kid drippings, ballast bag fitting leaks, priming the ballast pumps (many times I disconnect the fill line when I'm trying to get the pumps flowing so a little sprays into the locker). BUT, my hypothesis is that there are more gaps between the hull and stringer structure than just at the bow. My hypothesis (that I posted earlier in this thread) is that water is getting under the stringer system (that's what I'm calling the black structure from the factory tour pics) at different places around the perimeter. I'm including in the perimeter the engine compartment and the v-drive compartment; the rear lockers appear to be sitting atop part of this structure as well. Once water gets under there, when it runs forward it lands in that low spot under the ski locker.

The shop called today to say that they will likely be done sometime tomorrow. I haven't gone to look at it since the pics I posted earlier. They didn't vary from the plan we talked about at that time. It took almost two weeks for it to dry out after cutting the hole in the locker floor. So what I expect the final product to be is a newly re-glassed and gel-coated locker, a sealed gap between the hull and front of locker, and an access panel in the carpet in the bow area (that they needed in order to reach the gap in the hull and locker floor). I'll post some pics once I get the boat back home, which will be this weekend hopefully. I will definitely be checking for the return of this issue next season. I sure hope this permanently fixes it....

[kaneboats]

Even if some water in there freezes it won't necessarily do any damage. It's possible, but if you understand what about freezing does the damage you understand what the danger is. When the water does not have room to expand, it will still expand when it freezes and that's how blocks get cracked, etc. In an enclosed space full of foam I would suspect that the water has a little room to expand when it freezes-- into the empty space in the compartment and possibly compressing the foam as well. But, it's a theory I wouldn't want to test with my boat and don't think anyone else does either.

[Razzman]

Razz,

You might have missed mnpracing's post wherein he indicated where he thinks the water is coming from on his boat, and that is at the very front of the ski locker where the false floor or liner does not mate up with the hull. After looking at my ski locker, I think that's where the water is coming in as well. Another said that when he stepped in his ski locker, water came up thru a hole about 6" forward of the rear drain. So it appears that water is getting down there in different ways, depending on the boat.

Also, again on one of mnpracing's post, the shop is going to cut an access hole in the floor in the bow area in order to access the front of the locker and seal that gap. So hopefully, that will be a permanent fix for mnpracing's boat.

Others are just trying to get some of the water out to prevent possible freeze damage and waiting to hear what SC has to say about the issue.

My boat is stored in my garage which never gets below freezing since the furnace is in the garage and right next to the boat so I haven't drilled any holes yet. My local dealer has contacted SC on my behalf so I am waiting to hear what SC has to say.

I saw that Al but i'm not buying that that's where it's coming from unless you have loads of water in your ski locker. These boats sit with a nose up attitude which would prevent the water from getting all the way up to the nose. I've seen this same gap in the bow on mine as well. I bedlinered the ski locker floor early this year and saw it then.

What i want to know is why is that gap there? What is it's intended purpose?

mnpracing, where exactly are they cutting this hole for access to the bow void? By my calculations that area in question should be directly under the bow nose cushion. I'm not sure but I swear i've seen that void under my carpet beneath that cushion. If so that sure wouldn't require cutting a hole in the floor to fix. Might be worth looking at before they cut yet another hole.

[cab13367]

I saw that Al but i'm not buying that that's where it's coming from unless you have loads of water in your ski locker. These boats sit with a nose up attitude which would prevent the water from getting all the way up to the nose. I've seen this same gap in the bow on mine as well. I bedlinered the ski locker floor early this year and saw it then.

What i want to know is why is that gap there? What is it's intended purpose?

mnpracing, where exactly are they cutting this hole for access to the bow void? By my calculations that area in question should be directly under the bow nose cushion. I'm not sure but I swear i've seen that void under my carpet beneath that cushion. If so that sure wouldn't require cutting a hole in the floor to fix. Might be worth looking at before they cut yet another hole.

Razz,

I tend to have a lot of water in my ski locker because I have had had a steady stream of water coming from my shaft seal most of the year. Even after I changed out the packing, I was still getting a steady stream (I never did get that adjusted right). This water finds it's way into the ski locker and when I take the boat off plane after a rider falls that water surges forward and goes down in that hole. I also used to have a leak in the ski locker bag fill hose line which contributed to the water in the ski locker.

I don't know why the gap is there - it looks to me that they didn't make that piece correctly so it isn't flush with the hull at the front. There is no "intended purpose". The gap should not be there, period.

And no, the area in question is not under the front seat cushion. It's UNDER the floor of the boat so the only way to access it is to cut a hole thru the floor.

Al

[mcdye]

'10 LSV. I decide to look at the layout of my locker, it appears they may have changed the mold or not cutting the tip off any more.