200 Dauntless-Unexpected rainwater accumulation in bilge

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Author Topic:   200 Dauntless-Unexpected rainwater accumulation in bilge

boatdryver posted 02-25-2009 09:59 AM ET (US)
This is my first winter with this new Whaler. My previous Whaler was a Montauk with no bilge.
I recently left the boat on its trailer at a yard to get a gel coat ding repaired and forgot to remove the plug. We had about 4 inches of rain during that couple of weeks and when I picked the boat up I noticed that battery #1 was dead. Hmmm...I thought, what's going on here? this hasn't happened before.
I don't know if the yard had the trailer parked with bow elevated.
When I connected the battery charger at home, about 20 gallons of fresh water came out via the bilge pump discharge. Duhh.... So there had been so much additional bilge water that the battery had discharged trying to remove it.
So, here's a self bailing boat that allows that much rainwater to accumulate in the bilge. I looked carefully at all the deck joint caulking and couldn't find any obvious explanation.
I keep the boat in a slip all spring summer and fall with no available shore power but our rainfall is zero during that part of the year.
Anyone out there with similar experience?
If it ever stops raining I'm going to do some detective work with a hose.
JimL
bluewaterpirate posted 02-25-2009 10:18 AM ET (US)
Jim ....
I would look very closely at the stern port/starboard access hatches where your battery switch and batteries are located.
Tom
K Albus posted 02-25-2009 10:18 AM ET (US)
On my Dauntless 180, some of the cup holders and rod holders drain to the bilge. It would take an awful lot of rain, however, to run the bilge pump enough to kill the battery and leave another 20 gallons of water in the bilge.
Jefecinco posted 02-25-2009 07:36 PM ET (US)
I believe you'll find the console is not water tight. Heavy rain will find it easy to enter the console around the base and ultimately the bilge. The issue is exacerbated by storing the boat level. I recommend storing the boat with the bow elevated and the plug removed.
I was caught out once when some particularly heavy thunder storms rolled in unexpectedly. I was a good few miles from the ramp, probly thirty or thirty-five miles and the rain didn't let up during the entire return. My bilge pump was operating for at least half of the running time. At times there was two to three inches of rain water awash on the deck.
My boat is a Dauntless 160.
Butch
boatdryver posted 02-26-2009 12:43 PM ET (US)
OK, thanks everybody for the input.
Here's the followup:
Considering the large volume of rainwater accumulation in the bilge with the boat on its trailer and the plug in, I was concerned one or both of the self bailing scupper hoses hadn't got attached at the factory.
Not so.
I got up in the boat with a hose and ruled that out. I elevated the bow a lot till the bilge was as dry as it was going to get. Then I sluiced hose water down both sides of the deck and it was obvious that a new small trickle of water was entering the bilge. Then I noticed the factory caulk around the aft 180 degrees of the midships deck plate just forward of the aft seat was flapping around in the air.
Add to this the small contribution of the stern rod holders and cup holders which drain into the bilge and the likelihood of small leaks around the console and I'm satisfied there isn't a problem to worry about. Just remember to pull the plug when the boat is uncovered on its trailer during the rainy season.
It had rained like heck for two weeks and the boat had probably been stored sort of level at the boatyard.
This hadn't become evident during the boating season with the boat in its slip because we don't have a drop of rain that time of the year.
JimL
lurkynot posted 03-05-2009 09:58 PM ET (US)
On my Dauntless I was suprised to actually see daylight at the rub rail sections of the stern when cleaning the bilge. My dauntless has exhibited the same characteristics you have described and I realized then that the section at the rub rail is not water tight contributing to much of the rainwater when uncovered.

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Author	Topic: 200 Dauntless-Unexpected rainwater accumulation in bilge
boatdryver	posted 02-25-2009 09:59 AM ET (US) This is my first winter with this new Whaler. My previous Whaler was a Montauk with no bilge. I recently left the boat on its trailer at a yard to get a gel coat ding repaired and forgot to remove the plug. We had about 4 inches of rain during that couple of weeks and when I picked the boat up I noticed that battery #1 was dead. Hmmm...I thought, what's going on here? this hasn't happened before. I don't know if the yard had the trailer parked with bow elevated. When I connected the battery charger at home, about 20 gallons of fresh water came out via the bilge pump discharge. Duhh.... So there had been so much additional bilge water that the battery had discharged trying to remove it. So, here's a self bailing boat that allows that much rainwater to accumulate in the bilge. I looked carefully at all the deck joint caulking and couldn't find any obvious explanation. I keep the boat in a slip all spring summer and fall with no available shore power but our rainfall is zero during that part of the year. Anyone out there with similar experience? If it ever stops raining I'm going to do some detective work with a hose. JimL
bluewaterpirate	posted 02-25-2009 10:18 AM ET (US) Jim .... I would look very closely at the stern port/starboard access hatches where your battery switch and batteries are located. Tom
K Albus	posted 02-25-2009 10:18 AM ET (US) On my Dauntless 180, some of the cup holders and rod holders drain to the bilge. It would take an awful lot of rain, however, to run the bilge pump enough to kill the battery and leave another 20 gallons of water in the bilge.
Jefecinco	posted 02-25-2009 07:36 PM ET (US) I believe you'll find the console is not water tight. Heavy rain will find it easy to enter the console around the base and ultimately the bilge. The issue is exacerbated by storing the boat level. I recommend storing the boat with the bow elevated and the plug removed. I was caught out once when some particularly heavy thunder storms rolled in unexpectedly. I was a good few miles from the ramp, probly thirty or thirty-five miles and the rain didn't let up during the entire return. My bilge pump was operating for at least half of the running time. At times there was two to three inches of rain water awash on the deck. My boat is a Dauntless 160. Butch
boatdryver	posted 02-26-2009 12:43 PM ET (US) OK, thanks everybody for the input. Here's the followup: Considering the large volume of rainwater accumulation in the bilge with the boat on its trailer and the plug in, I was concerned one or both of the self bailing scupper hoses hadn't got attached at the factory. Not so. I got up in the boat with a hose and ruled that out. I elevated the bow a lot till the bilge was as dry as it was going to get. Then I sluiced hose water down both sides of the deck and it was obvious that a new small trickle of water was entering the bilge. Then I noticed the factory caulk around the aft 180 degrees of the midships deck plate just forward of the aft seat was flapping around in the air. Add to this the small contribution of the stern rod holders and cup holders which drain into the bilge and the likelihood of small leaks around the console and I'm satisfied there isn't a problem to worry about. Just remember to pull the plug when the boat is uncovered on its trailer during the rainy season. It had rained like heck for two weeks and the boat had probably been stored sort of level at the boatyard. This hadn't become evident during the boating season with the boat in its slip because we don't have a drop of rain that time of the year. JimL
lurkynot	posted 03-05-2009 09:58 PM ET (US) On my Dauntless I was suprised to actually see daylight at the rub rail sections of the stern when cleaning the bilge. My dauntless has exhibited the same characteristics you have described and I realized then that the section at the rub rail is not water tight contributing to much of the rainwater when uncovered.