21EC moisture under V berth

[cstpt]

I am consistently finding a bit of wetness under the port cushion of the V berth. I've been unable to track the source so far. I thought it might come from the anchor locker, but I've run a hose into it and observed no leakage. It's a small amount, but I don't like the cushion sitting on it. Thinking about some kind of pads to elevate the cushion just a little bit to provide air circulation. Anyone else experience this?

 

[GA-Midnight Cruise]

Its originating from your windows. I have owned three R21's and every time I wash the boat there is water in the port V berth. I remove cushions when boat is not in use,

 

[Sea Turtle]

We had a moisture issue in the v-berth of our 2016 R21-EC. Kept finding water running down the port side of the fiberglass v-bert cushion support. Turned out there was a leak at the junction of the pan in the bottom of the anchor locker and the side wall it is fiberglassed onto. Fiberglass job was weak and had a small crack. In high chop water entered the anchor locker drain hole and once it reached the top of the pan it would leak into the crack, onto the fiberglass the locker sits on, and out along the port side under the cushion. Our local boat yard found the issue and put a layer of fiberglass mesh over the area of the crack, glasseed in and tinted to match the locker interior. No longer an issue.

Just to rule this out I would recommend removing the anchor chain and rode and putting a small rubber cork in the locker drain hole from the inside. You can access through the removable hatch in the tip of the v-berth. Then fill the locker up slightly over the drain hole and see if you notice any water coming out along the fiberglass at the tip of the v-berth with cushions removed.

Regards,
Bob

 

[cstpt]

The anchor locker seemed to me to be the likely source, and what you have described makes sense. I tried running water into it, but have not tried a stopper. I wonder if there is a spray-on waterproofing solution that would be simpler than fibreglassing.

John may have hit on a very good idea by having the factory delete the openings to the anchor locker entirely, using an anchor rode bag and converting the locker to dry storage. I've ordered a rode bag since I typically leave wet rode on the deck to dry; that will give me an opportunity to experiment with an empty locker.

 

[cstpt]

Bob's description is exactly what is happening. The drain hole is several inches above the bottom of the locker; water enters through the drain when motoring through chop, then collects and seeps out through the fibreglass joint onto the berth. I would assume that the problem afflicts all 21ECs, or that there is always water sitting in the bottom of the anchor locker. Plasti Dip might be effective in waterproofing the leaking joint, though I'd prefer to keep the compartment dry. If I plug the drain hole that would stop water getting in this way, but some can still get in through the deck fitting during hard rain or deck wash. It creates the potential for a flooded compartment if I took a lot of water over the bow. That's not likely to happen with our current usage, but it's something to consider.

 

[Sea Turtle]

You are correct that the anchor locker will fill when the drain hole is under water when hitting any high waves in rough chop. So it is filling and draining constantly and leaving water at the level of the drain hole. I posted a couple of pics in my photos of the crack and repair. Check them out. The crack was where the small fiberglass pan at the bottom of the locker is bonded to the hull in forming the locker. Once repaired I have had no problems knowing full well that a little sea water is always in the bottom of the locker. If you are not handy have the repair done by you local yard. Took the technician only a around 3 hours to prep and repair. So not all that expensive.

 

[cstpt]

Thanks for the pics. Waterproofing the space makes sense but having mopped out water that's been sitting at the bottom of the locker for some time I'd still prefer to keep it dry, particularly if I'm not storing the rode in there. It's too bad the drain couldn't be located at the bottom of the locker for complete drainage, but that would put it below the waterline.

 

[Newf]

Apologize in advance for the long post.....I was searching for threads about leaks from the anchor locker and came across this one. Last year I installed an indicator light at the helm that comes on any time my bilge pump kicks in. In the last couple of months I've been out in choppy weather a few times and noticed that the bilge would engage fairly regularly at about 10 min intervals when running into the waves. Opened the access port in front of the cabin door and saw a flow of water that pulsed as the bow went down into the wave. (not a gusher by any means but a steady trickle of water) After checking the through hull fittings above the water line I narrowed it down to the drain hole in the anchor locker. After finding this thread and looking at photos in Sea Turtle's post I noticed that the drain hole in lower in mine (2014) than it is in Sea Turtle's (2016). Refer to photo's in both of our albums. With mine, the hole is lower in the lip of the anchor box and there is a gap between this lip and the side wall of the hull. As the bow goes down in the waves, the water squeezes in the drain hole but instead of going in the locker box most of it goes in the gap between the box and the hull and flows down into the bilge. While this may not seem like a big deal, I would think it's poorly designed to have water leaking into the bilge through a 3/8" hole in the hull every time you are in a little choppy weather. For my use I will plug the drain hole attachment on the outside to stop the ingress of water. Any water (minimal if any) that finds it way into the locker from the top cover will still drain out through the hole but will go to the bilge instead of going overboard through the hole in hull. The bilge indicator light was installed for a different concern but seeing the light come on so frequently was the reason I found this issue because without it and not able to hear the bilge pump I would not have known it was cutting in and out. Not sure if other model years would have this issue.