2012 170 Montauk Brown Fluid Coming From Console

[ftlaudjoe]

I own a 2012 170 Montauk. When the boat is taken in rough water, there is a dark brown-black fluid that splashes up from inside the console, then leaks out into the cockpit. There is a hole in the floor of the console where the steering cables come in, but steering is electrical, so the black-brown fluid is not steering fluid. It appears the fluid is splashing up from within the steering cable hole. I was in Port Everglades inlet Saturday and the fluid was pouring out when going fast and hitting waves.

Anybody experience this? Or have an idea where fluid coming from?

[jimh]

From your description the fluid is coming from the rigging tunnel. What is the approximate volume of fluid that has been observed?

[ftlaudjoe]

[The volume of brown-back fluid emerging from the rigging tunnel] varies, but it is quite a bit. And [brown-black fluid] has happened repeatedly on several occasions. On Saturday I was going fast in pretty rough water and it was pouring out, enough that two different streams were coming into the cockpit from under the console.

[ftlaudjoe]

Just got response back from Whaler dealer. The rigging tube inside the console floor has water in it getting in the console floor from rain, and washing. You vacuum out [the water in the rigging tunnel] with a shop vacuum. Then, typically after it dries for several weeks, seal the hole with silicone. Mystery solved.

[jimh]

ROGER on the identification of the brown-black liquid emerging from the rigging tunnel as dirty bilge water.

[AZdave]

I would be thoughtful about sealing the rigging tunnel with silicone or anything else. You might want to run more wires or cables through it in the future. I have, and it's not too gruesome on your boat.

[Ridge Runner]

Do you keep your 170 Montauk in the water with the drain plug out often? If so the rigging tunnel on the 170 Montauk will fill with water and it's not easy to get all the water out. You can see in the picture below the rigging tunnel can easily fill up with sea or lake water if the boat is kept in the water with the drain pug removed. The static water level with the drain plug out is usually an inch or so above the entire rear deck, so the exit of the rigging tube and bilge wiring will be under water. Once water enters the rigging tunnel from the sump well it is now below the level of the sump well, so it can't flow out via gravity.

Rigging Hole.jpg (57.65 KiB) Viewed 5781 times

[ftlaudjoe]

I keep it on a floating dock, out of the water. The plug is on the bottom side of the hull so it is always in place. What year is your Montauk? The photo looks like the rigging tunnel goes thru the side of the hull vs. the bottom of the deck? The tunnel on my boat goes thru the deck.

Re: sealing the rigging tunnel, the Whaler dealer suggested doing it w/silicone which you could remove later on if necessary. There ought to be a drain or sleeve that allow the water to escape or prevent it from entering.