Water in the hull

[timmytool]

Bought a 96 232 Captiva Cuddy at the start of the summer.  The guy I bought it from told me that after he had it for a year he noticed water coming up out of the drain plug in the bottom of the stairwell going down into the cuddy.  He cut a hole in the floor and installed an access panel.  He said the dealership told him that they forgot to drill holes in the bulkhead so any water draining into that drain just collects and can't run out.

I just got my boat ready for winterizing and pulled the access panel and it was full of 10 gallons of water!  Not to mention it smells horrible.  I had to suck the water out with my shop vac but I need a long term solution to the problem. 

I thought about drilling a hole in the bulkhead myself but the gas tank is right behind there and it scares me a bit.

Has anyone seen this or have any tips for me?

Thanks,
Tim

[alswagg]

The front cabin needs to be sealed from the engine / fuel bilge.  Do not drill a hole.  The cabin cannot have fuel fumes.  This is designed that way.  You have a leak, probably from the anchor locker.  If you want you can add a bilge pump in this area.   Al

[Dream 'Inn]

I definitely agree with Al.  The simplest and best thing to do is to add a bilge pump in that area.  I would also fix the drain at the bottom of the stairs.  I would think the stair drain would just go straight overboard.

[DaleM]

I also have a '96 232 cuddy cabin and all my drains go out the back of the boat.  The cabin is not sealed from the bilge.  If you dump water under the door in the cabin it will go out the drain plug at the back of the boat.  If you stick a hose in that drain in the well step it will drain out the plug at the back of the boat.  I've hosed my boat out many times, all floor drains go into the bilge and out the drain plug.  This is risky but worth a shot.  Get a 10' length of 1/4" galvanized pipe.  On one end grind some teeth in it then find a way to attach a hose to the other end of it.  Slide that dude through the drain plug opening to see how far forward it will go.  Be sure to keep the leading tip of the pipe as low as possible and as centered as possible.  You should be way below the fuel tank.  Turn the water on and see if you just have blocked drains in the hull.  If you meet an obstruction that is metallic in sound you are against the fuel tank, back off and adjust the pipe.  If you do run into an obstruction stick the pipe in a drill.  This is where the teeth will come in handy.  Drill a new drain hole.  Now this may not be the best idea but it certainly has to be better than having water sitting and not draining. 

[Gene]

My 97 232 floor drains also drain into the back of the boat. You say you have water coming back up the floor drain in the step well? I think the first thing I would do is go buy a 1/4 inch plumber snake and see if you can snake through the drain tube. be careful you dont use to much force and pop the drain hose off. You could also try some air but regulate it gently, maybe some dish soap will allow you to see some bubbles appear at the other end somewhere, and it wil also help with the smell. I agree with Al, do not drill and holes. You should be getting lots of water into the bilge if water is being pushed back up into the step well, did the previous owner add and rods for a swim deck or add trim tabs that may be leaking into the gap in between the hull inner and outter shells and pushing back up, I have think you have a potential serious issue, if you ave water in there and it freezes that could crack and cause serious issues. Good luck

[DaleM]

The 1/4" rodder is a great idea.  Well worth a try.....never thought of that!!

[timmytool]

Ok Guys.  Thanks for all the input.  Now it's summer, getting the boat ready for the year.  Still have a bit of water in the hole by the door into the cabin.  Fortunately the previous owner cut a giant hole(8") diameter and put a patch over it.  I can get down in the hole and see what is going on.

1. There is not drain hose attached to the drain going into that step well.  Is there supposed to be a hose?

2.  I took the front part of the boat apart under the bed clear forward was also full of water!.  I was able to see both sides of the bulk head up there and drilled a whole through it so the water now drains back into the same place as the step well.

3. I purchased a bilge pump for over $100 with all the parts I needed.  It's not going to fit into the gap between the inner hull and the outer hull  it's only 2-3" big.  After washing the boat, I have about 1 inch of water in there again.  I'm really close to just drilling through the bulkheads and hoping that I don't hit the gas tank.  I took apart the front of the boat to make sure the anchor locker was not leaking.  It's very tight with no leaks, even after I filled it up with the hose.

4.  Regarding the suggestion to put the pipe through the rear drain hole.  I don't think it will do any good I can see the entire inside of the space beneath the stair well.  I have looked several times and felt it all up and down.  There are no drains in there at all.  The water just runs through the drain in the bottom of the stair well and sits down there.


Are there anymore suggestions?

Thanks,
Tim

[1bad232]

Tim,

I am having this same issue with our new to us 96 232 cuddy.  Did you figure out anything with it?  The drain fitting in the step well also has no hose and water just sits/collects under the drain.

Thanks.
Shane

[timmytool]

Shane,

I should have posted in here.  I finally got this taken care of.  Because I had an access panel in the step well I was able to access my bulk heads.  I was really afraid of drilling a hole in the bulk head because the gas tank is right behind it.

What I ended up doing was using a grinder bit on my dremel and just taking a little bit at a time.  It was only 1/8 inch thick.  now all the water drains out the back of my boat just fine.

I still haven't fixed the fiberglass in the step well because I've been on my boat all weekend every weekend this year.  Winter project!....

Tim

[1bad232]

Thanks for the fast reply!  I will have to try to find an access point to look at this.  I am guessing that the factory never drilled the holes, but hope they are there and just clogged.