Wet cabin floor

[Epic1969]

Ok I have been out in my 16/3 about 5 times this summer for about 11hrs of actual sailing! Yeah! I am impressed with the stability of Olaf in stronger gusts so that is good. Now the bad....I found the source of my annoying small leak (about a Tablespoon a day)  wetting the carpet. It appears that their is a small hole in the white covering (paint?) of the cabin floor that has trapped water underneath it. When I push in the center of the floor water weeps out of the small hole/crack on cabin floor. The stern area under inspection hatches is bone dry as well as walls and wood bunks. Is this bad or a nuisance? I plan on keeping the boat in water until end September. I can clean water up with a sponge in about a minute and it takes a day or so to notice water in well.

[Epic1969]

Shoulda looked around more! This is exactly my issue. Doesn't look like its the end of the world after all!


Quote from: Schwartz16 on December 14, 2009, 10:26:59 PM
I just bought a 1977 CP16 that has been sitting for a few years and has collected water in the cabin. The problem is that the water is underneath a translucent epoxy-like coating that appears to be a floor pan between the berths. Is this pan supposed to be there and should it be adhered to the hull to prevent water from getting underneath it? Any suggestions on getting this dried out?

Thanks,
Rich

Rich,

Congratulations on owning one of the best micro-cruisers ever built!

This water in the cabin thing has been a problem for me, too, and I've figured out a few things about it.

First, if you can manage it, see if you can wiggle your way down one of the berths (head first) and find a small opening at the aft end of that floor pan on the centerline of the boat. Take some sort of a probe with you like a screw driver, or better yet, something like a screw driver but with a little bit of a crook or hook at the end of it. Stick it up into that opening and rake out any debris that might be clogging it up. If you are a big guy, or are the least bit claustrophobic,  forget it. I'm only 140 lbs and it was a scary tight fit for me.

Next, there is another hole (or should be) in the bottom of the semi-bulkhead that separates the cabin-berth area from the stern lazarette area. You can reach it from outside the boat, through the lazarette hatch. Make sure that it is clear of any obstructions.

Now, raise the tongue of the trailer as high as you can and prop it up with a board. You should be able to raise it about chest or shoulder high, until the back of the trailer touches the ground. Make sure your rudder blade is raised first, and everything else back there is clear. You may have to recruit some assistance for this. I can do it by my self, but just barely, as it's pretty heavy to lift it that high and then shove the board under there, too, so an extra hand would be safer and easier.

Once you get her up there, you should begin to see water accumulating in the lazarette. If you have a drain plug in the bottom of your transom, you can unplug it and let most of the water drain out, or you can bail it out or sponge it out. I would leave it elevated like this for a full day, or maybe longer if the water keeps coming out.

I've had to do this to mine several times now. I'm not sure where the water comes from; how it gets under there; I'm still investigating. I have found several deck leaks that I thought I had fixed leaking rain water in. I have read others reports of water getting into the keel and having to drill a hole at a low point to drain it out, but I haven't done that yet.

Anyway, this is what I've found to work for me, so far. If I gain any more understanding of this problem, I will be sure to post it. In the mean time, I hope this will help with the problem you are experiencing. Let us know how it turns out.

Best of luck,
Milt

[carry-on]

Clearing the path for water to run aft is great, but where is the water entering?
A bubble under the cabin carpet, near the centerline sounds like water entering through the concrete keel.
The concrete is porous and with your boat in the water there may be enough hydrostatic pressure to force water into the cabin.
You may want to inspect the keel for exposed areas where water can enter.

[Cevin c Taylor]

I've got an '83 CP 16, and I had some persistent leaks after it rained that were driving me crazy.  Finally, one day I rigged up a garden hose to make some rain, and then climbed in the cabin with a flashlight.  I found that all my leaks (3 of them) were on the deck/hull seam.  I drilled out all the aluminum rivets, resealed the seam, and put SS bolts back in.  Fixed the problem.

[Epic1969]

If I had a keel crack/hole wouldn't it drip out on my driveway after I pull it from the water? My driveway is bone dry after. 20 minute trailer ride home. This one has me puzzled since bow and stern are dry I have just a cup of water on cabin sole after a couple days sitting on the water at the slip. My hull is 100% intact except for some gouges on front of keel. But since nothing drips out after taking boat out of water I'm stumped.

[Duckie]

If it only leaks after sitting in the water, I'm betting that it is from somewhere below the water line. 

Al

[MKBLK]

Possible other source for a leak - If your scupper pipes are loose or broken free from the cockpit deck, rain water will accumulate in the cabin. Also, if these same pipes are leaking where they join the cockpit deck, water can come in from outside the stern and find its way into the cabin since the bulkhead is aft of the scupper pipes. This can happen when you are sailing and have a bit of weight in the stern and the scuppers are in the drink.

Try leaving the transom scupper plugs in while sailing on a calm day. If the cabin stays dry, you'll have found a culprit.

Don't ask me how I know this!

Marty K.

[skip1930]

When you pull her for the winter, look~see the keel real close and find a crack-scrape-chip or what ever and then clean and sand and fill with Marine-Tex.
She'll dry out eventually. No big deal. [ Remember that it's not possible to stop any leak from the inside. Have to fill it from the 'water side' ]

This moisture may be from above the water line ...

skip.