Condensation/moisture on cain floor

[msu1966]

At the stern end of my teak & holly floor (about 1 ft. square) I see moisture/condensation on the surface. My boat is on the trailer in 90%+ humidity with side windows open. As best that I can see there, is no visible water in the bilge with removing something. Interestingly there is no moisture anywhere else except that 1 sq. ft. area adjacent to the fiberglass floor where you step into the cabin.

Is this a normal situation with this level of humidity or should I be concerned?

Thanks,
Ken

 

[bill46]

Get a small dehumidifier. I use a tabletop one in sink with hole in collection vessel to drain.

 

[msu1966]

Upon further review I see that the moisture is not water or condensation buy a slippery light yellow colored fluid of some kind that resides in the narrow trough/gutter that is in the fiberglass floor when you enter from the cockpit.

I would send a photo but I do not know how to attach one to this reply.

Any suggestions as to what and where this fluid comes from?

 

[Bruce Moore]

I would send a photo but I do not know how to attach one to this reply.

There are two ways to embed images in your posts.

If the picture you want to include is in one of your gallery folders (on Tugnuts), click on the g2Img button. That will open another window which will allow you to browse your galleries and select a picture. Be patient, it can take a while for the new window to populate. It should default to your album when it opens.

Click the box in the upper left of the picture you want to post. Scroll (way) down to the bottom of the window and click Submit. That will attach the picture to your post.

If the picture isn't in your gallery, perhaps something you've seen elsewhere on the web, or in another personal web collection (i.e. flickr, picassa, etc.) then you click the Img button. The image/collection must be open to the public.

This will create the following string in your posting window - then you copy and paste the URL (http://whatever...jpg) of the desired image in the middle, between the ][ brackets. The trick here is to determine the direct URL of the image. Various image hosting sites show it in different ways. Sometimes it's right up in the address bar. Other times it's listed under "Share This Image", etc.

You can determine if you have the correct URL by hitting the Preview button. If it displays, you're good to go. If it's not correct, the form will give you some kind of clue so you can go back and dig around. You'll only have to figure it out once for each host.

Getting a User Photo Album is easy but it requires submitting a request from within the site structure.

1. Sign on to the site. You’re probably already signed in if you’re reading this.

2. Select the User Control Panel link from the upper left corner of any page. Note: On the home page, this link is in your user menu in the upper right.

3. Click the Usergroups tab, then select the radio button next to the User Albums group.
Scroll down, choose "Join selected" in the drop-down menu, and click the Submit button.

Once you do this, an email is automatically sent to the administrator (me). That message will trigger my ability to approve your request, and you'll receive an email indicating your membership in the User Albums group has been activated.

I'll watch for the message, and look forward to seeing your pictures.


Cheers,

Bruce

 

[Red Raven]

Upon further review I see that the moisture is not water or condensation buy a slippery light yellow colored fluid of some kind that resides in the narrow trough/gutter that is in the fiberglass floor when you enter from the cockpit.

I would send a photo but I do not know how to attach one to this reply.

Any suggestions as to what and where this fluid comes from?

I would suspect the fluid would be either steering system hydraulic fluid or engine coolant. Given the fluid was found on the cabin sole I think the steering fluid is more likely. The helm wheel have a vented cap and if overfilled it can leak fluid which will run to the floor and collect in the lowest point (the aft end of cabin sole).

Check for oil residue around the vent immediately behind the wheel. Remove the vent cap and check the oil level in the reservoir, it should be up to the bottom of the gears.

If all good just clean up the overflow and enjoy your boat!

Curt

 

[msu1966]

The fluid level after removing the small cap on the steering wheel is 1/4" to 1/2" from the rim. There is no visible fluid anywhere around the helm and none on the cabin sole until I walk toward the entry door and the fluid lies only on the last foot of the cabin sole. Also there is the same fluid on the head floor in the left corner and also the amount is the same. Similar to the amount that appears when condensation forms on a surface.

Any other suggestions?

Thans,
Ken

 

[Red Raven]

Check your engine coolant level. There are coolant lines running up to the helm heater. Could be a leak. Not sure how it would get on the cabin sole but it is a yellow color.

Other thoughts are teak oil or other oil. Don’t know the history of your boat. Perhaps someone was applying fresh oil and spilled some? Could be some other fluid that was spilled in the head or from the refrigerator.

Curt