300 Weekender front v-berth drain

[TitanTn]

I know this has been discussed before, but after much searching, I can't find a clear answer. I have water coming into the anchor locker and then into the area under the v-berth. There's a drain in that space that "looks" like it'd run the bottom of the keel and possibly into the space under the steps where there's a bilge pump. There's a drain coming into that space under the steps also. So just looking at it all, it makes sense.

My problem is that the water in the v-berth area isn't draining. I've run a 20' flexible snake both directions to no avail. I think this means that the area opens up under the cabin sole and the snake is just coiling around and not really going anywhere. I'm not sure.

I've read that someone said they thought the v-berth drain went through the bulkhead and emptied out under the port engine in the main bilge. I haven't had a chance to check that out yet, but I'm not the most flexible person so that may be a feat regardless. There are differences apparently in the Sundancer and Weekender versions, as well as differences in year models.

Any help?

 

[SCORPIO]

I have the DA version abd I always thought that compartment drained into the cabin sump. I have a guestion, why is your anchor locker draining into your v berth?. The locker should drain directly overboard, is the drain clogged? You may have a leak at the rub rail, hull to deck joint. I've never had any water in the v berth area.

 

[TitanTn]

You are likely correct. It's probably from the deck joint. I haven't really inspected where the water is coming from as I know I have multiple leaks to be fixing. I was wanting to get this area to drain as it should - thus the inquiry as to where this drain goes.

I did some more poking around and I have concluded that it really must dump into the sump under the stairs, but I'm not sure how it's connected. I can run the 20' snake from the v-berth down and it seems to easily slide for 20' but never comes out anywhere. When I go from the sump I can run about 12' and then it hits something. My guess is that there are multiple cross members below the sole and each one has a limber hole cut in it. So it would be impossible to snake it from either end. The only way to clear it out is to cut open the cabin sole. I just pulled all of the carpet out, so now would be the time...

 

[SCORPIO]

You could try taking some food coloring and pouring a small amount of colored water into the v berth drain and seeing where it emerges, or if it emerges anywhere. Would be worth a try, that would confirm what is happening below deck without doing any ripping and tearing.

 

[TitanTn]

You could try taking some food coloring and pouring a small amount of colored water into the v berth drain and seeing where it emerges, or if it emerges anywhere. Would be worth a try, that would confirm what is happening below deck without doing any ripping and tearing.

That's a good idea. I'll give that a try. I don't think I'll see it emerge anywhere, but who knows.

 

[mea3pk]

Hi, I just when through the same issue. as it turns out there was a hole, probably for a wire bundle originally that was never used or use was discontinued and was patched up with filler and then gel coated over. (no fiberglass work). the gel coat cracked and water was getting in through the anchor well because the water was running over the crack. this hole was through the anchor well wall and on the interior its about 3-4 inches just above the tip of the birth cushion. water was draining in, following the wiring down for the anchor motor which had an old silicone job where it went out of sight below. the silicone probably should not have been there I'm thinking because i think its part of the drain system but it wasn't doing what it was supposed to do anyway, the water continued down and through to the shower bilge in the cabin after soaking the birth cushions of course. the crack in the gelcoat was not very obvious but was definitely the source so do a good inspection in the anchor well. I re glassed it while we had nice weather a couple weeks ago and need warmer weather to do the gel coat but I'm bone dry now. hope this helps

 

[TitanTn]

So are you saying that the space under the v-berth drains to the sump under the stairs? And do you have a Weekender or a DA?

I still haven't figured out where it flows for sure, and I haven't had any luck getting it to drain.

 

[mea3pk]

as soon as i patched that spot in the anchor well i stopped getting water in the shower bilge under the steps. it looks like the water was following the wiring for the anchor motor. if the water passes by that wiring hole it will just settle in the v berth storage area with no place to go. not sure if thats by design or not but I'm dry now. the first spot in the well i thought i was getting water; and probably was as well was the two screws through the well that hold in the padded decretive trim at the head of the berth. I siliconed them before I discovered the crack in the gel coat.

 

[bahamabreisus]

Most anchor lockers have a drain straight thru the hull to the outside. There would be a small clam shell, usually chrome under the bow. Take a shop vac a make sure the bottom of the locker is clean, I think you will see the drain.

 

[TitanTn]

I'm not really concerned with how water is getting in. I've got lots of rebedding and resealing to do all over the boat. I've already started on the rub rail and have seen a decrease in the leakage. My only concern at the moment is finding out why the v-berth storage doesn't drain to the cabin sump under the stairs. There's an exit pipe in the v-berth storage and and entry pipe in the cabin sump compartment. It seems like they'd connect, but my current assumption is that a limber hole is plugged somehow under the cabin sole.

 

[mea3pk]

the dye in the water is a good idea but what i would do is use rv antifreeze. its already pink and if water is collecting at lead you'll get some antifreeze into it as the weather is getting colder. not sure how cold you get there but here it was 8 this morning. another thing you can try is a borescope. i picked one up for under $100 that links with my iPhone. the image quality is pretty good. maybe you can put it into the tube that runs to the under stairs bilge and get past the other end of the pipe.

 

[TitanTn]

the dye in the water is a good idea but what i would do is use rv antifreeze. its already pink and if water is collecting at lead you'll get some antifreeze into it as the weather is getting colder. not sure how cold you get there but here it was 8 this morning. another thing you can try is a borescope. i picked one up for under $100 that links with my iPhone. the image quality is pretty good. maybe you can put it into the tube that runs to the under stairs bilge and get past the other end of the pipe.

That's a great idea. I just looked up USB inspection cameras and I didn't realize they were so cheap. I'm sure the iPhone version would be handy, but I have an old laptop I used for such projects and the USB version was only $14 delivered. Definitely worth a shot to see what I can see. Thanks.

 

[TitanTn]

So I got the camera and did the inspection. Very cool tool.

Obviously it's tough to have a crystal clear picture in the complete darkness and filled with water. I was able to slide in 12 feet of the cable in the v-berth drain and it appears the drain is a straight pipe right down the middle of the boat. 12 feet takes me back right the front of the sump under the stairs. But I couldn't see anything at that end. I shined a light up the pipe that enters the sump area under the stairs. Nothing. I ran the camera FROM the sump area towards the front. I could only get in about 10 feet of line but I saw the same thing. It's a pipe all the way, but yet these two pipes running in the middle of the boat don't seem to connect. I can't make any sense of it.

 

[mea3pk]

wow, im surprised its one continuous pipe. do you still have water seeping into the sump?

 

[SCORPIO]

It should be one pipe to the sump with the cabin ac y' d in at some point.

 

[TitanTn]

I'm about to give up figuring out what's going on under the floor. I'm just going to focus on keeping the water out of the v-berth. Right now it's just not making sense.

 

[speakrdude]

I solved this issue once before on an 88 Weekender I was working on.
If you look in front of the port engine, you should find a pipe with a blue cap. That is the pipe. Remove the cap and it will allow water to drain into the bilge.
By the way, Fix the leak into the V-berth compartment!
Hope this helps
Jim

 

[TitanTn]

I solved this issue once before on an 88 Weekender I was working on.
If you look in front of the port engine, you should find a pipe with a blue cap. That is the pipe. Remove the cap and it will allow water to drain into the bilge.
By the way, Fix the leak into the V-berth compartment!
Hope this helps
Jim

Thanks for the clue. I've looked in that location but nothing seemed obvious. Does this pipe come through the bulkhead or from around the side of the bulkhead?

 

[speakrdude]

I believe it was just in front of the harmonic balancer, port side, just sticking through the bulkhead. Down low. Mine had a blue cap on the pvc pipe.

 

[TitanTn]

speakrdude - Thanks so much. I looked again and thought you were crazy (but you're not!). There was no pipe and no blue cap. The was however, something that looked like a thin, fiberglass stringer. Picture below:



So I figured maybe Sea Ray had fiberglassed over the pipe and I started digging, cutting, and grinding the fiberglass - and you guessed it - I found the blue cap under that fiberglass. Here is a pic after the blue cap was removed.



And then here is the blue cap that I had to cut off. And yes, this is what drained the v-berth. The drain under the steps is the drain straight from the A/C. So there are two drains under the cabin sole, they cross over each other, but do not connect.