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Can I drill a drain hole under the seat storage next to the ice box?
I have water in there from condensation
Thanks in advance
Dana
Marblehead Ma
Capricious Hull #599
Capricious Mark 3 Hull #599
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That's a rotten spot to drill, as you'd have to find exactly the right spot and drill at precisely the right angle to avoid a really ugly result (as in, either making a visible hole into the interior, or a hole through the hull laminate - maybe all the way through the hull laminate).
You might be better off putting a vent or two on the side and front of the locker to clear the condensation; as I discovered, the drain hole made by the PO worked both ways. Every now and again a blustery day would deposit just enough bilge water in the locker to make a mess, so I blocked the hole.
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
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Hey there Dana.
I take it that you are referring to the aft settee on the port side and whether or not you should create a limber hole between the seat and the bilge. In the first year that I had Carriden, I too had problems with water accumulation under this seat. However, this was not the result of condensation. Instead, it appeared to be the result of having some water accumulation in the bilge. When the boat heeled over far enough to port (we sometimes push her hard when racing), the water would run from the bilge underneath the fiberglas liner that forms the foot well under the table, or through the locker under the forward settee, and pool on the port side of the hull. As the boat would come back upright, some of this water would drain into the compartment under the aft settee and be unable to drain back into the bilge.
My solution to the problem had two parts: first, I installed an electric bilge pump to make sure that the amount of water in the bilge is kept to an absolute minimum. The more water there is in the bilge, the less you have to heel for the problem to occur. Second, I did successfully open up a limber hole in the forward inboard corner of the compartment under the settee, using a Dremel rotary tool. If you reach into the bilge and feel under the floorboards towards the corner of the settee, you should find that there is filler, and possibly some foam, that C&C used to bed the cabin liner to the inside of the hull. This filler is the substance which is sealing up the bottom of your locker. By feel, you should be able to determine how much clearance there is between the bottom of the liner and the inside of the hull. In Carriden's case, there was over an inch of room to work with. Using the rotary tool on the inside of the locker, I carefully ground away at the filler, making VERY sure that I stayed away from grinding into the fiberglas of the hull itself. Eventually, I succeeded in opening up a limber hole of 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch diameter, which now allows the locker to drain into the bilge. There have been no further problems with water in the locker.
The real trick here is to proceed slowly with opening up the hole, making sure that you neither grind into the hull nor through the cabin liner which forms the base of the settee and the cabin sole. Otherwise it is a fairly simple job, it's just intimidating because of the proximity to the hull and potential danger to hull integrity. Good luck!
Marcus from Carriden
Mk III, Hull #847
Oakville, Ontario
Marcus Opitz,
Formerly from Carriden, Mk III, Hull #847,
now skippering "Everdina," a 1975 Ontario 32
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Thanks for the quick replies
It is from healing,as that coincides when I see the most water,and
I have learned to empty the bilge before putting the rail under,as I saw water on the floor after.
Thought it might be a little hairy drilling the hole.
Thanks again
Dana
Capricious Hull #599
Capricious Mark 3 Hull #599
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I've touched on this before, but one way to get rid of water in the bilges (and thus eliminate it from lockers) is to fit a PSS Shaft Seal. There's so little water in Towser's bilge that I have had to develop the habit of dumping a bucketful in now and again to give the spiders a swim.
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
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