Leaking water into the v-berth

[River Bank]

Has anyone else experienced water damage in the v-berth area?

I found pools of water located on the starboard side directly forward of the helm wall.
As the 110 volt shore power plug is directly above this area I thought perhaps water had gained access here, but I'm not really sure.

I have two very wet cushions on the starboard side and mostly covered with an ugly black mold/mildew. I couldn't get it cleaned and so will have to re-foam and recover my v-berth.

I don't want to go to this expense until I find out how the water gained entrance. The wharf manager had run over my shore power line about two weeks ago with a snow blower. They "nicked" the cable, but replaced it a few days later.
Suspecting this had something to do with the water leakage, but can't prove it.

Can water gain entrance if the cable is removed and the "cap" is left off? Am baffled by the whole experience.

Bob

 

[LADYBUG TOO]

Bob,

I am not familiar with all of the Tugs but on our R-29 there is a Ritchie compass mounted right in front of the helm outside the window. It leaked badly and I ended up buying a new Bezel ring and re-caulked the entire ring. Also, we had leaking associated with the electronics cables where they enter the exterior housing. I talked to Kenny at Ranger and he walked me through the points to check. You might give him a call. They have been most helpful to us.

Pat & Carolyn, Ladybug, Too

 

[Longbranch Louie]

Make sure the drain hose from your anchor chain locker hasn't come loose. It is located under the panel at the front bow of your v berth. It should be connected to a portside drain. If the hose is loose or off, water from the locker can run down each v berth side shelf and can end up at that location. Seems the mold/mildew would indicate its been wet for a while.

 

[bluebayou]

My vote is with Longbranch Louie. Right after I bought my R 25 Classic in 2008, I noticed the same dampness
in the felt around the V Berth. Andrew Custis finally diagnosed it as the hose between the bottom of the anchor
chain well and its outlet through the hull. In fact, it turned out to be kinked shut, so the water in the well
for the rode just built up and spilled into the V Berth area. A new hose solved the issue.
As Longbranch suggests, it could be disconnected, in your case, or somehow blocked with mud or silt from use
and storage……but any of these add up to the same source of the problem---that drain line from the anchor rode well.

 

[Namaste]

Any others thoughts ? I have the same problem. In this case the water is coming out where the fiberglass supports the cushion on the starboard side right at the passageway. I have ruled out the anchor chain locker. Wire and connections in the compartment just above this area are dry. I cannot trace the source back to the leaking area.

Yesterday we ran from Naples to Punta Gorda in rain and last night it poured buckets. Ideas?

 

[Levitation]

Remove the bedding and the bunk completely to open the area up. Dry the area well - heater and fan.
Then get help to run/flood the dock hose on the deck.
Start with the AC receptacle - I would tip out the AC switch panel so I could look directly at the power receptacle while it is being flooded.
Then the anchor locker.
The safety railing stanchions.
The starboard front windows and the helm window.
Give attention to the snaps for the window cover.
Then around the vee berth hatch.
Failing that then turn to the deck to hull joint and the rub rail
Be persistent. Just a quick squirt will miss many problems.

Thinking while typing this and your comments about the wiring being dry I have become suspicious that the rub rail might be first on the list. Ranger has had leaking issues due to inadequate bedding of thru-hull items - such as deck lights, hand rails, rub rail, etc.
Let us know when you find it.

 

[Namaste]

Will do. We are looking at two more rainy days before hauling for the summer. Thanks

 

[BillW]

I just had a similar issue on a 2018 R23. The drain hose from the anchor rode storage compartment was kinked and plugged with debris. Rain water backed up and somehow flowed into the most forward storage area under the V-berth cushion - 3" of water! The water level rose up to the bottom of the access panel to the bow thruster motor controller. Must keep the anchor rode compartment clean. Will look for stiffer hose that won't kink.

 

[rpmerrill]

After I anchor out, when I return to home, I always flush out the anchor locker. Especially if the anchorage is muddy. Lean over the bow rail and watch the locker drain. (Fresh water is probably better than salt.) When I bought my boat, used, the chain was almost totally stripped of its galvanize. Lots of rusty flakes and chunks in the locker and jammed up in the drain hose. The drain line was pretty much plugged which resulted in standing water in the locker. (And probably even more rust.) I got my chain redipped.

Finally, just to help drainage, I installed a layer of Dry-deck in the locker. Working great so far.

 

[Lenny and Louise]

Our previous Ranger was 2014 R25. Leak was from poorly bedded fasteners from deck to hull. These are located under stainless rub rail. The problem was intermittent, which is always fun when trouble shouting. Ranger found the source while we were at a Rendezvous. It took about 15 minutes of hose testing to get enough water through to detect it. Repair took less time than the hose test!

 

[gsc3]

Lenny and Louise . . . How was the leak so quickly fixed. I have water leakage into port side of V-berth of our Cutwater 24 and have been unable to find/fix source. Maybe it's the same as yours! . . . Slade Cargill

 

[jimbeam]

Had water stains on the sides of the v berth on my R25 2008. I removed the rub rail on the outside of the boat and rebedded the whole thing (both sides) and screws with 3m 4200 and silicone sealant. 4200 is very difficult to use (messy) so I switched to silicone. This seems to have alleviated the water staining the monkey fur on both sides of the boat.

I first noticed this problem with water in the bilge after it rained. Took awhile to isolate the problem but noticed water
by the shower sump coming in so I checked the rub rail and sure enough after taking them off, no sealant anywhere. Make sure you put sealant in the screw holes and screws.

Jimbeam

 

[BB marine]

The hose test will usually find the leak. There are so many production boats that leave the factory with leaks. Water leaks can be very hard to pin point because the water can enter at one point but show up at another. We had a leak in the V berth area from day one. The problem was not all the time. And when I tried to locate it with the hose I would find other leaks. But not the one I was looking for. The sealant use at Fluid Motion is very limited. My theory on that is Fluid Motion production management wants the installers to use it but the installers don't want to clean up the mess of liberal application so they apply it just for "Show." I know a Cutwater owner that has a C28 2016 that had to replace his complete swim platform because of limited sealant used during the build. Water saturated into all the wood used in the construction of the platform. He found none of the hardware mounted to the platform was sealed.

When I found my leak in the berth area it was coming from under the anchor roller. There was a gap about 3/16" wide that had never been glassed when the deck was set onto the hull.The location is where the hull was cut for the anchor shoot. The water leaked in at the bow when the water was rough, a hard rain with wind or trailering the boat in the rain.

In the photos you can see that none of the rub rail screws have sealant. You also will not see any sealant squeezed out between the hull and deck. The sealant beed is on the outside of the hull meeting up to the deck. This works ok as long as the sealant stays in place. With this method there is no penetration of sealant between the mating surfaces. Eventually its going to leak.

If you have a leak use a hose full flow and patience. Do one area at a time ,give the water a chance to get to the area that is in question. The water is not always leaking in at the location the water is showing up.
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I had to reseal the aluminum deck extensions port and starboard. No sealant was used to mount them. I found that leak the day we took delivery when I was filling the water tank and let it overfill the water was running down the deck. I opened the starboard cockpit deck hatch and saw water around the hot water heater thinking it was leaking from there. No it was running down the hull from the unsealed screws.

Good luck to all in finding water leaks. I think all boats have them or will have them. The good news is they can all be sealed.

 

[tranmkp]

I might be late in replying to this but the anchor locker on the classic 27 is not sealed aft - I decided to fill up the locker only to see a waterfall in the v-berth...

 

[robinsroost]

I am currently a non-boat owner but very interested in Ranger Tugs. This thread was an eye opener for me. I started my research on Ranger Tugs with full faith and confidence in Fluid Motion building some of the best boats out there. The stories about water leaks associated with manufacturer quality control is alarming. My professional background is in Naval Aviation, so I have a high bar when it comes to manufacturer defects. I am surprised the majority of the posters in this thread seem to have an "oh well chit happens" viewpoint towards this. This will be another checkpoint on my own personal "survey list" to check out before buying a tug. I appreciate the transparency of Tug Nuts and give props to Fluid Motion for sponsoring this site which I find especially valuable as a prospective owner of a Ranger Tug or Cutwater boat.