Where is "lowest" point on C22 (for water to collection in the bilge/lockers) and whats this RED stuff?

[Carl Wonderful]

Just wondering because I bought a 1971 C22 and no idea who the owner was so not sure what I'm looking at here or dealing with in the cabin/locker area/bilge.

So under the cabin "liner" I guess you call it....I'm talking about the inch or so of space under the little walkway on a C22.

-I'm guessing this is usually just an inch or 2 of open space??
-If so is that important so water can move freely and collect farther aft?

On my boat when I look inside the lockers, under the whole walkway, there is a deep red (epoxy poured in??) something the whole way under the walkway part. I can see a little coming out up at front of of walkway (looking into that front locker) and on the starboard side, inside the lock see a little more there.

Its hard like plastic (epoxy?) but I can still chip it off at thin parts a little.

What is this and why would this be done?

I'm also worried that its making water collect and sort of just sit there, not draining back aft. I'm very sensitive to mold so definitely don't want water sitting under there becasue of this red stuff?

 

[Project_Mayhem]

It looks like a filler material to me

 

[Carl Wonderful]

It looks like a filler material to me

Any idea what the reason for a filler material would be?

Would this filler trap water and cause me mold or stinky sitting water under it?

I know previous owner had a lot of work done with redoing/repairing the hull about 10 years ago, but thats all I know.

 

[Carl Wonderful]

Can anyone else chime in... I don't know what I'm looking at (this red filler?) and having hard time understanding where and how water is supposed to flow/collect in the old C22.

 

[Will Gilmore]

The space you're describing under the cabin sole is the bilge; the gap between the bottom of the boat and the level planks you walk on.

I have no idea what that red material is. It doesn't look like a repair that I have ever seen, and it doesn't look like ballast, but maybe.

-Will

 

[Carl Wonderful]

The space you're describing under the cabin sole is the bilge; the gap between the bottom of the boat and the level planks you walk on.

I have no idea what that red material is. It doesn't look like a repair that I have ever seen, and it doesn't look like ballast, but maybe.

-Will

So the lowest point in my C22 would be basically the middle/middle of the boat? I was hoping it was farther aft to where you can actually see it and get to the water....?

Also I worry that water will get trapped under whatever that red stuff is and start to stink and grow mold and things. Any thoughts..

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I've seen other boats with similar filler material. My O'Day had it on the curved transom to reinforce it

 

[Carl Wonderful]

I've seen other boats with similar filler material. My O'Day had it on the curved transom to reinforce it

Pro May... Can you help me understand few things...

What is this filler... a large batch of epoxy or something just poured in?
What might have been the reason they did this on my boat?
Will this trap water and give me mold/smells?

 

[Project_Mayhem]

What is this filler... a large batch of epoxy or something just poured in?
>>I'm guessing it's polyester resin based. Epoxy resin is too expensive to make a whole boat out of

What might have been the reason they did this on my boat?
>>I don't know. Catalina does strange and questionable things sometimes

Will this trap water and give me mold/smells?
>>No idea. I suppose you could always fill the bottom of the bilge with some cleaner to kill anything off and vacuum out as much as you can. Something that dries out would be best

 

[Carl Wonderful]

I have a feeling this was done later in the boats life. I saw a receipt for $6500 of the whole hull being redone due to cracks and old age. Would they have done this as part of a repair like that for some reason?

I did end up flooding the boat with this borax solution. Then I Shop vac-ed it all out but its impossible to tell if I got all the water or if some water is just sitting at a low point under this red stuff. I tried to jack up and down the trailer and got a little more water that flowed back toward the volcano. So I feel like waters just gonna end up sitting down there, which is a bummer. Any thoughts or ideas?

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I have a feeling this was done later in the boats life. I saw a receipt for $6500 of the whole hull being redone due to cracks and old age. Would they have done this as part of a repair like that for some reason?

I did end up flooding the boat with this borax solution. Then I Shop vac-ed it all out but its impossible to tell if I got all the water or if some water is just sitting at a low point under this red stuff. I tried to jack up and down the trailer and got a little more water that flowed back toward the volcano. So I feel like waters just gonna end up sitting down there, which is a bummer. Any thoughts or ideas?

Fans in areas that you suspect have trapped water will help a lot. Also, just go sailing. You'll drive yourself mad, broke or both trying to solve every problem on a boat

 

[Carl Wonderful]

I know that it'll never be perfect. Its just that mold makes me really sick.. like cant do anything or think straight sick....so this is why I'm overly paranoid about it.

So would the lowest spot be pretty much in the middle of the little walkway in the cabin?

If so would it be crazy if I cut out a little area (6x6" ish) in the floor (and also through that red stuff) being careful not to go beyond.... so I can get the sitting water out of there when needed? I could easily build a cover for the little area.

 

[Will Gilmore]

would it be crazy if I cut out a little area (6x6" ish) in the floor (and also through that red stuff) being careful not to go beyond

No, not crazy at all. You might want to flush your boat with a bleach solution first, so whatever you expose is not alive when you cut it open, if you're that sensitive.

-Will

 

[Carl Wonderful]

No, not crazy at all. You might want to flush your boat with a bleach solution first, so whatever you expose is not alive when you cut it open, if you're that sensitive.

-Will

Well, what I've been doing all dang week is cleaning, scrubbin, sprayin, scrubbin, whipin, scrubbin with this borax formula..every possible inch that I can reach with a long scrubber!!. I heard about this borax formula (borax, baking soda, TSP and hot water) It's supposed to be really good for mold and also mold prevention..? Any experience with this?

You think I should also hit some parts like this, that I cant see or scrub, with a bleach solution would be better?

Any special recipe for a bleach solution here? I never really used bleach for anything...?

Think I might make this cut so I can get to this standing water...But where is the lowest spot, where should I cut? The middle of the "cabin walkway" on the old c22?

Thanks!!

 

[Will Gilmore]

No experience with borax except as an ant killer. I've used it, it works well, no idea about how it compares to bleach. As a marina kid from many years ago, bleach was what everyone added to a bucket of water to use for scrubbing the squid guts off the decks of all the charter boats.

Sounds like you've got it covered.

As far as where the lowest point is, it will also be where the deepest draft is, so stand back, looking at the boat on the trailer, and see where the bottom, sitting on the trailer, is the farthest distance from the waterline; assuming your C22 has a waterline marked on her. Otherwise, put her in the water, pour a bucket of your borax solution into the bilge, and see where it settles.

-Will

 

[Captain Grey Beard]

Carl, look into a product called: Concrobium Mold Control. It's awesome! You can get it on Amazon. I bought a gallon of it. It kills and cleans mold and mildew and leaves a surface that's toxic to mold. So it won't grow back.
That "Red thing" is likely just a plastic block of some sort they put in the hull when they installed the liner. Probably to establish it's position until the polyester putty and other glass work cured.. If you're worried about it collecting bilge water, just clean it out as best you can, dry it out as best you can, and fill that area with some epoxy. The epoxy will fill the area that the water would go in. If it's deep or a large area, make multiple smaller pours, like 1 cup at a time. This will keep the epoxy from getting too hot during curing. That will fill whatever gaps you have down there. And keep the water out.
Hope this helps. ‍

 

[Carl Wonderful]

Carl, look into a product called: Concrobium Mold Control. It's awesome! You can get it on Amazon. I bought a gallon of it. It kills and cleans mold and mildew and leaves a surface that's toxic to mold. So it won't grow back.
That "Red thing" is likely just a plastic block of some sort they put in the hull when they installed the liner. Probably to establish it's position until the polyester putty and other glass work cured.. If you're worried about it collecting bilge water, just clean it out as best you can, dry it out as best you can, and fill that area with some epoxy. The epoxy will fill the area that the water would go in. If it's deep or a large area, make multiple smaller pours, like 1 cup at a time. This will keep the epoxy from getting too hot during curing. That will fill whatever gaps you have down there. And keep the water out.
Hope this helps. ‍

I do use Concrobium a lot now. its great! Has worked really well!

The "red thing" is not moveable and is like 2 x 8 ' its filling part of the tiny space under the cabin walkway floor. Like it was poured in for some reason and no way to really clean on top of on bottom of it. That's the issue with it and also no way to tell if water is trapped under it or any way to remove the water under it. Just make me nervous and I'm sure its filled with mold and sludge and who knows what.

 

[Captain Grey Beard]

So I'd resort to chemical warfare..

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I do use Concrobium a lot now. its great! Has worked really well!

The "red thing" is not moveable and is like 2 x 8 ' its filling part of the tiny space under the cabin walkway floor. Like it was poured in for some reason and no way to really clean on top of on bottom of it. That's the issue with it and also no way to tell if water is trapped under it or any way to remove the water under it. Just make me nervous and I'm sure its filled with mold and sludge and who knows what.

Peggy Hall is well known for her book on marine sanitation and and boat odors. She suggests using a pressure washer to clean the bilge and under the cockpit floor as it's otherwise impossible to reach (make sure electrical connections and whatnot are well sealed). There's add on attachments that let you inject liquids along with the water of a pressure washer. I'm guessing that if you use the right chemical, you would leave behind something that would help to prevent mold growth in the future. Practical Sailor has some excellent articles and tests regarding such products as well as home made formulas