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Author Topic:   Water in hull

Jiles posted 10-31-2002 08:31 PM ET (US)
I know, water-in-the-hull, has been discussed many times in this forum. I dried out the hull of a 13 this summer and know basically what to look for and how to dry the hull. My 13 had a poorly done repair made to the bottom and water was seeping out. I found this condition before buying, and used this defect in negotating a price.I have owned other Boston Whalers over the years, but wasn't even aware of this potential water-log condition, until I found this web site. Does anyone know of a way, short of drilling or weighing, to check for water-in-hull condition before buying?
Jerry Townsend posted 11-01-2002 12:18 AM ET (US)
Jiles - I cannot think of a way to detect and evaluate the quantity of water in a hull via non-destructive testing techniques. It would be nice - but I am not aware of anything that would work.
In view of the non-destructive techniques I have used and am experience with - mechanical impedance vibration, heat transfer, dynamics, and to a lesser extent, ultrasonics, none are really applicable to solving this problem.
You eliminated consideration of weighing the hull. Now, if (and that is a big if) water in a hull would somewhat freely flow, theoretically one could experimentally determine the CG of a hull, then raise one end of the boat to let water flow toward the lower end and then again determine the CG of the hull. The shift of the CG would be indicative of water in the hull. Accuracy would be a potential problem because the weight of the hull would be vastly more than the weight of the water. ---- Jerry/Idaho
jimh posted 11-01-2002 01:26 PM ET (US)
As Jiles noted, this question has been asked many times, so often in fact that it is one of our "Frequently Asked Questions". The best answers have been collected and are available at URI: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q3
If anyone has additional information on the topic, I'd be glad to include it in the FAQ.
Cpt Quint posted 11-01-2002 03:43 PM ET (US)
never alot of mention about comparing draft. If the boat is weighted properly and not overloaded with equipment there is a normal level for each style whaler with reguards to how high up it sits in the water. You can normally just tell by looking at load that is under the waterline if she is hiding enough excess weight to cause a problem.
Tom W Clark posted 11-01-2002 08:23 PM ET (US)
Jiles,
I know of no way other than weighing the hull or drilling holes in it to satisfactorily determine if water is present in the hull.
Observing how a Whaler sits in the water will tell you nothing unless there is a huge amount of water in the hull. (Maybe CSW would fall into this category, but that was an extraordinary hull that should have weighed about 300 pounds but actually weighed over 1000 pounds.) Given the variation in motor weights, various equipment and its placement as well as fuel capacity, the waterline of a given model of Whaler will vary widely.
I like Jerry's idea of determining the presence of water in a hull by measuring the center of gravity but alas water does not freely flow in the foam filled hull, not at all.
jimh posted 11-01-2002 10:47 PM ET (US)
Analysis of water content by measurement of waterline would also be dependent on other factors like the temperature and salinity of the water.
Again, if anyone has a technique or method for assessing water content that is not mentioned in the FAQ, I would be most happy to add it to the answer given there.
Ed Z posted 11-03-2002 04:30 PM ET (US)
To bad a guy can't just get an MRI done on it... Would probably be able to see much more than just water soaked areas (i.e. voids,etc)...

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Author	Topic: Water in hull
Jiles	posted 10-31-2002 08:31 PM ET (US) I know, water-in-the-hull, has been discussed many times in this forum. I dried out the hull of a 13 this summer and know basically what to look for and how to dry the hull. My 13 had a poorly done repair made to the bottom and water was seeping out. I found this condition before buying, and used this defect in negotating a price.I have owned other Boston Whalers over the years, but wasn't even aware of this potential water-log condition, until I found this web site. Does anyone know of a way, short of drilling or weighing, to check for water-in-hull condition before buying?
Jerry Townsend	posted 11-01-2002 12:18 AM ET (US) Jiles - I cannot think of a way to detect and evaluate the quantity of water in a hull via non-destructive testing techniques. It would be nice - but I am not aware of anything that would work. In view of the non-destructive techniques I have used and am experience with - mechanical impedance vibration, heat transfer, dynamics, and to a lesser extent, ultrasonics, none are really applicable to solving this problem. You eliminated consideration of weighing the hull. Now, if (and that is a big if) water in a hull would somewhat freely flow, theoretically one could experimentally determine the CG of a hull, then raise one end of the boat to let water flow toward the lower end and then again determine the CG of the hull. The shift of the CG would be indicative of water in the hull. Accuracy would be a potential problem because the weight of the hull would be vastly more than the weight of the water. ---- Jerry/Idaho
jimh	posted 11-01-2002 01:26 PM ET (US) As Jiles noted, this question has been asked many times, so often in fact that it is one of our "Frequently Asked Questions". The best answers have been collected and are available at URI: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q3 If anyone has additional information on the topic, I'd be glad to include it in the FAQ.
Cpt Quint	posted 11-01-2002 03:43 PM ET (US) never alot of mention about comparing draft. If the boat is weighted properly and not overloaded with equipment there is a normal level for each style whaler with reguards to how high up it sits in the water. You can normally just tell by looking at load that is under the waterline if she is hiding enough excess weight to cause a problem.
Tom W Clark	posted 11-01-2002 08:23 PM ET (US) Jiles, I know of no way other than weighing the hull or drilling holes in it to satisfactorily determine if water is present in the hull. Observing how a Whaler sits in the water will tell you nothing unless there is a huge amount of water in the hull. (Maybe CSW would fall into this category, but that was an extraordinary hull that should have weighed about 300 pounds but actually weighed over 1000 pounds.) Given the variation in motor weights, various equipment and its placement as well as fuel capacity, the waterline of a given model of Whaler will vary widely. I like Jerry's idea of determining the presence of water in a hull by measuring the center of gravity but alas water does not freely flow in the foam filled hull, not at all.
jimh	posted 11-01-2002 10:47 PM ET (US) Analysis of water content by measurement of waterline would also be dependent on other factors like the temperature and salinity of the water. Again, if anyone has a technique or method for assessing water content that is not mentioned in the FAQ, I would be most happy to add it to the answer given there.
Ed Z	posted 11-03-2002 04:30 PM ET (US) To bad a guy can't just get an MRI done on it... Would probably be able to see much more than just water soaked areas (i.e. voids,etc)...