C22 Spongy cabin floor

[randy]

i have just bought this 1976 C22. In the cabin floor, there is about a 1' area that is spongy, just forward of the battery storage compartment. One can hear the squishiness when you step on it. I have had this boat on my driveway for 4 days; NO evidence of leakage to the outside. No blisters. Very little gel coat damage anywhere.The inside was washed by the seller; had lots of fresh standing water ( what WAS he thinking?) in low areas.My question is: should I carefully drill a small hole into the inner layer and pump this out? I don't THINK this is a major problem. I am comfortable and competent with fiberglassing. Should I go ahead and open up this area and glass it?Thanks in advance.

 

[Mike]

Mine does that too

I am curious as to this exact topic as mine does that too. Squishy sounding, right where u described. I don't think drilling it out there will solve anything as the bilge water somehow got in somewhere else and most likely will do so again. So, drilling and letting it air out would simply be a temporary solution. Any water that gets in the bilge would seep back in the same way this water did. Maybe I am wrong, and I hope that someone corrects me if I am, but I have decided just to leave it be and

 

[Herb]

should flow right through

Hi there I would think that it would be a problem. My boat has a tunnel of sorts that allows an water that may seep in from the keel bolt to runn back to the bilge area. As I keel the keel bolt greased I have very little seepage but I can see when it runs back. If it was me and you are already able to handle the fiberglass work I would open it up check for any coring that was wet dry it out fill it with an epoxi filler then glass the repair in I would be concerned about it spreading if I left it to sit. My thought is that it filled with water when it was being scrubbed down and now you need to get the water and damaged coring out.

 

[Ted]

Trapped water . . .

The interior compartments can trap water, particularly when the interior has been washed/flooded as you mention. My boat trapped water beneath the floor under the dinette table. I drilled a small hole in the bulkhead leading to that area. The water drained out and any water trapped in the future will drain out. I would imagine you could do the same for water trapped under the main floor area.Another way to get rid of it would be to tip the boat forward by lowering the trailer tongue, and then pumping out the v-berth bilge.Water left beneath the floor over the winter may/will freeze and the expansion may cause structural damage.

 

[Eric]

I had the same problem

I solved the same situation by tipping the boat on the trailer backwards. I raised the tongue as high as possible ----until the back of the boat was on the ground. left it overnight. next a.m. I was able to sponge up 100% of the water from the compartment where the battery sits.

 

[judy hatfield]

dry and fill

why not dry it out and fill with resin?