Water in Center bilge

zoomer2699

New Member
Jun 13, 2017
14
Lake Huron
Boat Info
2006 44' sedan bridge
Engines
twin 500 cummins diesel
On our 2006 44 ft sedan bridge we have started to get water in the Center bilge ( bilge under staircase ) A brownish, coloured water is slowly seeping thru the bottom of the lowest part of this bilge compartment, just in front of the float switch. It takes about hour or so to fill enough for the pump to kick on . I have many times completely sopped it all up & dried it thoroughly. There isn’t any odour to this brown water .
The harbour we are in has very clean water. Much clearer than what is oozing in.
Has anyone ever had this problem ? Do I need to strip the hull & install new epipoxy primer & antifoul paint ????
I can’t believe the hull is this porous. There isn’t a scratch on the bottom & since the boat is only in fresh water , new antifoul is only reapplied every 3 years . Any suggestions would be much appreciated
Thanks
Doug
 
Welcome to the club! have you checked your Shower/ AC holding tank that is under the floor in the main salon? The pump in that holding sump tank will usually clog up with shower gunk and will over flow water into the area that you are describing. Unless you have a hole in the hull or a bad underwater connection where the sealant is bad it is not coming from your hull.
 
Thanks for your response.
There’s no hole or blemishes in our hull.
The shower sump is working normal with no leaks around it. If you are sure that the fibreglass hull is not porous, I will check all the thru hull connections. Since I am the second owner, I am not sure if our hull had the proper epoxy coating under the anti-fouling paint. Do you know if there are any hollow spaces above the keel, that may hold water? There are times when the boat lists slightly, (holding tank and water tank are not a factor in this case). The boat is in dry dock for the season, so this is a good time to get to the bottom of my problem. Thanks. (Doug)
 
Thanks for your response.
There’s no hole or blemishes in our hull.
The shower sump is working normal with no leaks around it. If you are sure that the fibreglass hull is not porous, I will check all the thru hull connections. Since I am the second owner, I am not sure if our hull had the proper epoxy coating under the anti-fouling paint. Do you know if there are any hollow spaces above the keel, that may hold water? There are times when the boat lists slightly, (holding tank and water tank are not a factor in this case). The boat is in dry dock for the season, so this is a good time to get to the bottom of my problem. Thanks. (Doug)
Doug, can't be of any help on the water in your center bilge, but was just curious as to where on Lake Huron you keep your boat. We typically get up into Lake Huron 2 to 3 times a year and I have family on Duncan Bay up in Cheboygan.
 
There are numerous threads here about water in 420/44 DBs. Trust me, your hull is not porous nor is an epoxy coating necessary under bottom paint. The red and blue hoses that the boat is plumbed with are all suspect due to the brass clamps that were used to hold the female fittings. You need to check your water manifold for leaks; your FW pump for leaks; the overflow from your shower sump is into this forward bilge. Most likely you have a freshwater leak from your onboard system. Turn on your FW pump, open the stairs, and listen for your pump to cycle. I had the shower mixing valve in the master head leaking only when the shower was in use that caused water to find the bilge.

These boats have hollow stringers and are known to hold water. Go to the 420/44 Sedan Bridge threads and you will find a wealth of information. It will surely beat reinventing the wheel....Bennett
 
There are numerous threads here about water in 420/44 DBs. Trust me, your hull is not porous nor is an epoxy coating necessary under bottom paint. The red and blue hoses that the boat is plumbed with are all suspect due to the brass clamps that were used to hold the female fittings. You need to check your water manifold for leaks; your FW pump for leaks; the overflow from your shower sump is into this forward bilge. Most likely you have a freshwater leak from your onboard system. Turn on your FW pump, open the stairs, and listen for your pump to cycle. I had the shower mixing valve in the master head leaking only when the shower was in use that caused water to find the bilge.

These boats have hollow stringers and are known to hold water. Go to the 420/44 Sedan Bridge threads and you will find a wealth of information. It will surely beat reinventing the wheel....Bennett

We have a different boat, but the same problem: colored water in a center bilge. The source turned out to be a bad press to fit plumbing fitting (same kind Sea Ray uses) that was occasionally dripping. The water ran into a compartment in the shower, then into a closed bilge area under the shower and then when the boat rocked the water spilled into the center bilge by way of one of the holes cut in the stringer for the drain lines. So a seemingly insignificant drip can lead to several gallons of water over a season.
 
Doug, can't be of any help on the water in your center bilge, but was just curious as to where on Lake Huron you keep your boat. We typically get up into Lake Huron 2 to 3 times a year and I have family on Duncan Bay up in Cheboygan.
Hi Brent
WE are on the East side of Lake Huron in Port Elgin Ontario. We head to the North Channel & Killarney every summer ! Have you been there ?
 
The one point I need to emphasize is that the brownish water is seeping up through the floor from the bottom closed in compartment . So some how its getting into that compartment, maybe via a through hull fitting ??? Any other ideas of how the water is getting into the lower sealed keel compartment??
 
When I bought my ‘07 44DB, my surveyor told me there was water in the center stringer. I cut a 6” hole just to the starboard side in front of the washer/dryer and removed 10-12 gallons of water. Once I fixed the dripping shower mixing valve, I stopped getting water in that stringer which the bottom of it is the hull or keel as you say. A lot of guys on here have cut inspection ports into the stringer between the engines in the ER and all have removed some amount of water.

I have several documents/drawings from SR that detail water intrusion issues with these boats. I can see if I still have them. PM me your email if you want them.

Bennett
 
When I bought my ‘07 44DB, my surveyor told me there was water in the center stringer. I cut a 6” hole just to the starboard side in front of the washer/dryer and removed 10-12 gallons of water. Once I fixed the dripping shower mixing valve, I stopped getting water in that stringer which the bottom of it is the hull or keel as you say. A lot of guys on here have cut inspection ports into the stringer between the engines in the ER and all have removed some amount of water.

I have several documents/drawings from SR that detail water intrusion issues with these boats. I can see if I still have them. PM me your email if you want them.

Bennett
Thanks Bennett, that would be great to have the drawings. Our email is zoomer2699@hotmail.com
Thanks so much for your assistance,
Doug & Heather
 
Thanks for your response.
The boat is in dry dock for the season, so this is a good time to get to the bottom of my problem. Thanks. (Doug)
Possible to fill the bilge compartment and see if anything comes out of the hull/fittings?
I would also consider other possibilities such as fresh water system leaks or A/C water circuit leaks.
It would be easier to diagnose if you were in salt water.
 
When I bought my ‘07 44DB, my surveyor told me there was water in the center stringer. I cut a 6” hole just to the starboard side in front of the washer/dryer and removed 10-12 gallons of water. Once I fixed the dripping shower mixing valve, I stopped getting water in that stringer which the bottom of it is the hull or keel as you say. A lot of guys on here have cut inspection ports into the stringer between the engines in the ER and all have removed some amount of water.

I have several documents/drawings from SR that detail water intrusion issues with these boats. I can see if I still have them. PM me your email if you want them.

Bennett
i have a 370 DA and have the same problem. would like to see the documents/drawings if you don't mind.
kkello219@gmail.com
 
It’s under the aft berth forward of bilge bulkhead
Here?
bilge full of water.PNG
 
i have a 370 DA and have the same problem. would like to see the documents/drawings if you don't mind.
kkello219@gmail.com
Did you ever figure out where the water was coming from? I’ve had similar problem with our 2010 370DA....water in the compartment forward of the engine room/bilge bulkhead, under the aft berth. Pulled out the freshwater holding tank and resealed all the fittings as water appeared to be coming from there. Not sure that was it
 
First I do not want to scare anyone but this is something you all need to get to the bottom of quickly (no pun intended).
Unless the water is waste water, which you would recognize pretty quick from the odor, the brown color is from the wood starting to get wet and decay. You cant ignore this stuff.

The problem in any fiberglass boat, as that framing diagram shows, is all the wood touches each other where they cross. No mass production manufacturer truly isolated the sections of wood. They are fiberglass tabbed to the hull but the tops are rarely sealed over. So the bottom 6-8" is fiberglassed to the hull, if water gets above that in one of the voids it starts to soak into the wood. If a void fills it then overflows into the next void as the deck is not sealed to the stringers. Most of the voids do not have weep holes down low near the hull. Once wet water will wick in all directions due to capillary action.

I had a similar undetected problem in my 300 when I bought it. Water had accumulated around the the outside of the freshwater tank and was then high enough to soak into all the surrounding voids. The water entered thru the helm seat bolt holes and the seat bracket bolts for the aft seating. Water would run undetected down behind the foam backed vinyl into the void spaces.

There are many possible sources for the water plumbing, deck fittings, mounting bolts, port holes.
Water sources can be difficult to trace because of cabinetry, wall coverings, closed voids, etc.

edited link was told it wasn't working to the general albums

https://www.facebook.com/HughesPat57/photos
 
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