Limber holes by sonar thru-hull, shower sump.

P

palle

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 16, 2019
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65
Fluid Motion Model
R-21
On my 2016 C26 I see 2 limber holes under the floor board of the V-berth in the compartment where the shower sump and sonar thru hull are located. One hole allows water to enter the compartment from the direction of the bow and the other allows water to exit the compartment towards the stern. I’m sure the water that flows through the exit hole eventually ends up in the aft bilge, but can’t figure out where the water that enters the compartment from the direction of the bow is coming from. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.
 
palle":1f5562b4 said:
On my 2016 C26 I see 2 limber holes under the floor board of the V-berth in the compartment where the shower sump and sonar thru hull are located. One hole allows water to enter the compartment from the direction of the bow and the other allows water to exit the compartment towards the stern. I’m sure the water that flows through the exit hole eventually ends up in the aft bilge, but can’t figure out where the water that enters the compartment from the direction of the bow is coming from. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Just a guess as I don’t have the same boat as you. if you have an a/c in the v berth it would be for the condensate.


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Thanks Alpina, but no AC in the vberth.
 
Are you saying that you actually have water coming from the bow area?
 
Check your anchor locker hose. It may have inadvertently gotten disconnected. The other source could be from the bow thruster seal has been compromised.
 
First question is what is the boats attitude in the water. Bow down ? Stern down? My C26 sits stern down so bilge water rarely makes its way to the bow through the limber holes. If the boat does sit bow down water can get into the fwd bilge (area where thruster is located) The only way for this water to be removed is by draining back to the engine compartment bilge.

If the boat is sitting stern down and you have water draining from the bow. Mikes suggestions would be first checks. When checking this area you should be able to see some "Witness marks" of water leakage. I would also suggest looking at the anchor shoot area. I have a post from a few years back. There was a gap between the hull and the anchor shoot that was not properly bonded during the build. I'm posting a link to this with several pictures.
gallery2.php?g2_itemId=65865

This may not be your issue but worth a check. I talked to the customer service Fluid Motion when I had this issue. The said they had never heard or seen this issue. After posting it I have received several emails from C26 and C28 owners that have or had the same issue. Some had stated that they found silicone sealant repairing the area but it still leaked.
 
There was a boat in Ontario Canada that had a water problem you might want to reach out to him and see if it's the same issue. I believe his name was Dave, I haven't seen him post on this site for some time! Good luck on the fix. Bob
 
jlhowland - yes I see some water entering from the bow.

Mike, Brian, Bob, - thanks for your suggestions. I’ll check the items you mention and hopefully find the cause.

I looked at the pictures of the anchor shoot area gap, quite a large one.
 
Was at the boat today and ran the suggested tests.
I emptied the locker and sprayed water in. I saw water coming out of the anchor locker drain hole on the port side as designed, but when I checked the compartment in the v-berth water was also entering there from the limber hole coming from the bow.
I gather the locker drain hose is leaking in some way. I’ve searched here but can’t find a definite description of how to access the hose for my boat/year. Anyone with a 2016 C26/28 know how to get to it? Brian? Thanks.
 
I looked for photo's of the hose connection for the drain but I must have deleted. I'm posting a photo. The complete interior pieces in the bow section need to be removed to get access to the fitting and hose clamp. Mine was not sealed properly in the anchor locker. I removed the hose and fitting then applied 4200 and reinstalled the fitting. The original install did not have the plastic nut installed. The factory put sealant on drain fitting then stuck it in the hole and installed the hose. They were relying Solely on the sealant to hold it in place. That didn't work, the seal broke and it leaked.Unfortunately for me that was not the only leak I had in the bow. I thought I fixed the leak issue but only fixed one leak. It took me another year to find the anchor shoot leak.

gallery2.php?g2_itemId=53343&g2_imageViewsIndex=1
The photo posted is showing the anchor wash down fitting that I installed in the rope locker. If the panel on the port side is removed, the starboard side panel and the wood shelve you will have access to the drain fitting, hose and clamp. There is a hole cut in the liner under the wood shelve to gain access to the hull fitting.
 
Brian thanks. I’ll start removing panels.
 
Today I removed all interior pieces in the bow and got access to the drain hose and fitting. Removed the anchor line/chain from the locker and filled it with water. All water drained out through the drain hole on the port side as designed. The hose fitting was dry and no water entered the under floor v-birth compartment as I had expected. I looked in the space by the bow thruster, the seal was tight and there was no evidence of water having ever been there.
By means of elimination I conclude that problem is not related to anchor locker or bow thruster. That leaves A/C condensation (haven’t used in a year), shower sump leak (haven’t used in a year), sonar seal leak (seal is dry), or a leak caused by rain and boat wash. I tasted the water and didn’t find it very salty which supports the rain/boat washing theory.
Off cause it is also possible that water from the bilge found its way forward as Brain eluded to if the boat at any time sits bow down which it could have when I first worked on the problem spending a lot of time outside on the bow and also pulling the bow down manually.
I’m washing the boat next week and will see if water goes where it’s not supposed to. Thanks for all the help.
 
I don't have a Cutwater, and the only time I've seen my 2021 R27 was during the factory training a few weeks ago; so I may be off base here. If I remember the training correctly my transducer in inside the hull (not a thru-hull). If I remember the training correctly we went over ensuring the transducer had liquid in it (the factory uses pink antifreeze) but water will do, there didn't seem to be much liquid in there when full (perhaps 1/4 cup?).

As you indicate the transducer seal is dry, I assume your transducer is a thru hull...

Good luck in your investigations.

Can't wait for my R27 to be shipped down to me.
 
I'm a new owner of a 2010 R25SC. Been monitoring this thread and the forum in general. Learning a lot! Just thought I'd chime in on this one based on past other boat experience I've had. I've had leaks coming through rub rail attachment points. These can be very difficult to find as rain and spray will follow the rub rail path. A lot of times the leek depends on severity and direction of rain or spray. Can collect in other parts of the boat and then work it's way around. Hope you find it!
 
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