Issues with water in cabin

[DavidV]

Last weekend we looked at a CD25 that has not been used in about three years. The hull and deck were about what I expected (no soft spots found) but there was about 3 inches of water in the cabin sole.

Assuming it is water leaking from a port or hatch or cockpit drain (we've had some torrential rains over the last several weeks) and can be pumped out and cleaned up; is there anything I should be on the lookout for? I'm concerned about water in between the hull and liner causing the back side of the liner to mildew. Is that a possibility on a 25?

I can deal with wood that needs to be replaced; more concerned about other issues that standing water may have caused.

Thanks
David

[mashenden]

My gut feel is that boats are, by default (and if used as intended ), designed to be around a lot of moisture, so once it drys out the chance of mildew being where it would not be anyways, is not going to be made worse by the flooding. Damage done to wood that was in the standing water is probably your main concern.

Stopping it from reoccurring is the other concern. Often a boat that sits unused will accumulate leaves etc in the scuppers preventing them from draining properly, which results in the cockpit filling up to the entryway, at which point the water flows into the cabin, settling in the bilge until it fills up to a visible level.

Past freezing could also be a concern, I suppose, but I do not have any experience with that.

[rtbates]

The damage, if any, you can most likely see or find..

The real concern should be, where's the leak?

[sgbernd]

My previous boat was a 1967 Cal 25 which suffered from leaks both above the water line and below, but which were not going to get fixed for some reason or other. On two occasions while I owned the boat, and possibly others previous to my ownership, water was discovered causing the floor boards to float off. Once was a torrential down pour (fresh water) and clogged cockpit drains, the other other was a period of neglect (so salt slowly water crept in and we didn't have an electric bilge pump). We pumped it out and cleaned it up best we could and never thought much more about it. Granted it didn't do much good for the cabinetry, but that boat cabinetry wasn't pretty to begin with. Mold/mildew is part of the battle of a boat owner, in the best of conditions, and didn't seem any worse following the flooding. On that boat, the minimal wiring and battery were all pretty high, so were not affected. In summary, I'd not be too concerned about anything structural and plan on dealing with the cosmetics, once you get her dried out and cleaned up. And as was previously mentioned, fix the leak if you can.

-sgb

[hilbert]

The hull and deck were about what I expected (no soft spots found) but there was about 3 inches of water in the cabin sole.

I often wonder how people search for soft spots? Isn't it a bit like a disease that develops in stages? Maybe,

• stage 1, water occasionally finds it's way into the core, where factory sealant is degraded
  stage 2, dampness near the fitting
  stage 3, wetness near the fitting and dampness slowly spreading
  stage 4, wet core freezes over the winter and causes cracks that let more water in
  stage 5, wet core has rotted away

It may not be until stage 5 that one can actually feel that a deck or cockpit sole is soft.
However, there are other areas where the deck is narrow and the fiberglass skin is thick, that will never feel soft.
For example, around the cockpit:

Can one really be certain without a moisture meter?
http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/moisture_meter

[rollo_cd26]

You might want to check the transmission fluid. My CD26 (Westerbeke W10-2 diesel) sat for a long time and had ~ 1 foot of water in it from a big rain flooding through the anchor chain hole in the front. The transmission fluid was gray (not pink) when I got to it and that told me there was water in it. Humidity could have been the source, but maybe the flood was the reason. The transmission level tube has a breather hole in the side of the cap and could let in water if the aft is flooded. I haven't had my boat in the water yet, so I hope there is no damage.

[lrak]

A clogged drain is very likely. If it wasn't from debris on the inside and the boat is on land, it could that the stands partially block the cockpit drains.