Water Trapped inside hull

[Nextelbuddy]

1995 Regal Valanti 182SE bowrider

Purchased my boat few months ago, worked through some engine issue and got that solved but recently noticed that at full speed when hitting waves or swells, water would come into the cabin area. i couldn't quite put my finger on it until i got into the water and looked up and saw that on the left side of the boat the entire left side seal was damaged missing under the rub rail.

I removed the rub rail and used: [h=1]Dap 18300 DYNAFLEX 230 Premium Indoor/Outdoor Sealant[/h]
I purchased this after reading on other places online that this was recommended since it was an adhesive and sealant and was considered Elastomeric.

I'm all sealed up and rub rail is back on but the problem is now the boat leans to the left side with no one on board and it never did this before. i can verify this by looking at pictures and videos i have of the boat in the water before i started taking on water.

i have tilted the boat all the way up on the trailer and jacked it up even higher to get a good drain but nothing much came out. i left it like that for a week and still in the water it leans.

i brought it back to storage and jacked it back up, opened up all compartments, left drain plugs out but i feel like i need to drill holes in the rear lower area near the transom area and maybe more water might come out thats trapped some how?

any thoughts are welcome.

 

[kcassells]

Unfortunately sounds as if your foam is waterlogged, It never dries out and requires removal of deck.compartments.

 

[Scott Danforth]

usually when you find that water is trapped in the foam, you also find rot in the stringers and transom.

 

[tpenfield]

My thought is that while it may not be water logged foam, there is probably water trapped below the cockpit sole somewhere.

In order to verify and remedy the situation, it would require a fairly in-depth understanding of the boats structure below deck and if the boat is of the more modern 'clamshell' construction. I would not go about drilling holes just yet, until you had a good understanding of the boat's construction. . . which may be a tall task.

 

[Nextelbuddy]

My thought is that while it may not be water logged foam, there is probably water trapped below the cockpit sole somewhere.

In order to verify and remedy the situation, it would require a fairly in-depth understanding of the boats structure below deck and if the boat is of the more modern 'clamshell' construction. I would not go about drilling holes just yet, until you had a good understanding of the boat's construction. . . which may be a tall task.

i m hoping the foam isn't water logged, the boat never leaned at all before the leak last month and the leaning has only been like this for a month at most. i am hoping to get the water out before the foam can absorb it permanently.

I emailed regal on their website but i'm not too hopeful they will be able to provide any information on the inner structure of such an old product.

 

[tpenfield]

The foam cambers are usually sealed within the boat's structure, so that they do not readily come in contact with water. Wet foam usually occurs over long periods of time (years and years) as water passes through the structure of a boat. Some brands of boats are better than others in that regard.

I think your immediate approach is to figure out where there is water and how best to get it out. Boat manufacturers tend not to publicize the details of how their boats are made. You may get a response eventually from Regal, so give it a little bit of time.

Are you in an area that has freezing temperatures during the winter? If water is trapped within areas of the boat's structure, it will freeze/expand and probably 'break' something.

 

[kcassells]

Welcome to Iboats. Lots of resources and help here. I don't think I know any used boat buys that did not end up with some
kind of problem to be addressed.

 

[gm280]

Could cut some holes in the floor in some inconspicuous (under seats or console) areas with a ~2" or ~3" inch hole saw and have a look. If there is trapped water, you then can drain it. Same th ecut out wood to use to reseal it again after the inspection and/or water drain... Just an idea.

 

[kcassells]

The boat is leaning to 1 side.............Thats not a quick fix sorry to say.
He got duped from the seller. Its a total rehab.

 

[JASinIL2006]

If the boat was OK (i.e., sitting evenly in the water) before the leak, it's unlikely a month's exposure to water has degraded and waterlogged your foam. Trying to figure out where there might be water pooling would be top priority if it were my boat.

Short of drilling holes to see if water seeps out (which is hard to advise, not having seen your boat), I'd be inclined to try something more creative, like pulling the boat out of a cool garage on a warm day. Sections of the boat where water is pooled would warm more slowly than the dry parts. As the boat gets warmer, you could inspect the hull for temp differences with an IR thermometer gun or even just look for condensation on certain sections of the hull. This won't work if you generally keep the boat in the water, of course, but if it's a trailer boat, it might give you an idea where the problem is.