big water ponding problem under vberth on 2004 centerline

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Joe	big water ponding problem under vberth on 2004 centerline		Lead	[-]
Posts: 47 08/15/07 14:03:36	Tags : None I have found a major problem under our vberth in the void below the water tanks and holding tank. There is a large flat area tabbed onto the hull that supports the water tank and holding tank. Stupidly there is no entry/exit holes in this big space and over the years this area of around 50 gallons has filled up with sea water that has slowly leaked in from the bow roller and anchor locker area. As you can imagine it really smells. The water is a dark brown color. I just found it yesterday after I pulled the whole area apart trying to fix the smell. I thought it must have been from the holding tank. Its a different smell from the usual holding tank smell but just as bad. If you have bad odors in the vberth I would check that you have drain holes in and out of this area. Here is a rough picture of the affected area. http://sailing.inetd.com/Cat42/images/vberthTrappedWater.JPG I called the factory today and asked an engineer where I can drill holes into this area to remove the water. He said there should be holes but they must have been glassed over by mistake. I will drill a 3/4" hole at the front and rear of the box about 1" above the hull to let water pass thro if there is a leak in the future. The catalina engineer said to glass over any exposed plywood edges. Im amazed this got thro Quality control at the factory! This is the 2nd ponding problem I have found on this boat, the other is in the port berth when the rear water tank leaks when overfilled. I removed 5 gallons of stale water from that space. He did inform me that they are on hull 1008 at the factory! Joe #873 3cl
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cathyinct		#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 310 08/15/07 14:32:52	I can't get to the picture.... cAthy in ct
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yorkrose		#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 261 08/15/07 17:41:43	Joe, This topic comes up regularly, and I believe there was some discussion a couple of months ago. In any case, in addition to the hole you propose, you may also need to look at draining the space that surrounds the waste tank. I found that a small depth of water (1/2 inch) could sit in there forever. I punched holes all over the boat, whether the factory intended them to be there or not. Water can find its way into all sorts of places, for various reasons. It may or may not represent a problem, but it definitely is a problem if the water is trapped. By the way, we did not have the major water storage problem that you found. The drain hole at the very front of the boat was also blocked, so nothing ever got into the large space under the tanks. That space now has both in and out ports. Regards, Gene Fuller Yorkshire Rose, C42 #870 (2CL) Last Edited By: yorkrose 08/15/07 17:45:51. Edited 1 time.
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Joe		#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 47 08/15/07 19:09:03	I went to the boat this afternoon and drilled the holes. Our came gallons and gallons of brown stinky sea water that had been under there for years! It was so much water that the bow is now 2" higher on the waterline! Im real happy as a major reason for getting this 'new' boat was to have less "boat smells" and so far this boat has been worse than my previous 1981 Islander Bahama 30. I will take your advice Gene and drill holes all around the tank retaining box as I can see standing water down there also. To see the picture I posted earlier, just cut and paste the URL below into your browser if the link doesn't work http://sailing.inetd.com/Cat42/images/vberthTrappedWater.JPG Its probably only relevant to the MK2 centerline models. Catalina obviously make a lot of compromises to sell this boat at the price they do and that results in these quality issues. I hope I'm not in for too many more surprises! Joe #872 3CL
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oscar		#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 475 08/16/07 04:34:48	It's one of the weak spots of the factory imho. I bought a brand new 250 a few years ago and any leak in the cockpit, and there's always something, ended up in the aft berth......a 3/8" hole in a strategic location took care of the problem. I documented it and submitted it to Frank Butler, and he acted surprised that there was a problem.... I don't know if he ever incorporated my "fix", but I was able to share it with a lot of folks on the 25/250 forum.....which underscores why we have these forums. The 42 has numerous locations where any water acumulation does not flow to the bilge....drilling holes is good. Remember though, with every hole you drill THINK......if you know what I mean. Avoid drilling close to and perpendicular to the hull, especially below the water line. Joe, I recommend you get a hose in there and some cleaner with bleach to kill anything that might be "alive" and able to create odor...... Which brings me to another peeve.... Catalina does not do a good job at removing construction debris. They may clean the hull when the interior liner goes in, but the dust and plugs from every hole drilled after that stay under the floor. My new 250 was full of stuff, my 26 year old 42 still yielded stuff which was clearly from the construction period. I have taken a hose and thoroughly rinsed out the bilges, aiming up and to the sides. The returning waterflow brought all kinds of stuff. The problem with this is, that it comes loose if the bilges ever fill with water, and then they pose the danger of clogging the pump(s), just when you need them most. Keeping bilges clean is a safety issue. Lady Kay, C42#76, 1989, WK 3C. Chesapeake/Fort Lauderdale.
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bob776		#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 119 08/16/07 04:53:18	Joe: I reported the same problem a couple months ago. Apparently Catalina has a history of glassing over the limber holes. My A/C is mounted in that area and I assumed the water source was from the A/C condensation. I have since re-routed the drain hose. If you don't have A/C, any idea of the source of the water? Bob 776
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Joe		#6	[url]	[-]
Posts: 47 08/16/07 10:03:14	Hi Bob, I have found a very slow leak from the bow roller area when taking water over the bow which happens a lot in the SF bay! It slowly drips down the inside of the bow and ponds in a triangular are just beneath the vberth forward locker (take out the removable locker floor panel to see it. This area was poorly glaased and allowed this sea water to leak into the big void in my attached diagram. Over the years it has slowly filled up. It was nasty water. When I got the boat earlier this year there was a bad smell in the vberth like rotten mold/head smell. All the wooden draws under the vberth smelled particularly bad. Looking thro the access hatch on the vberth floor you could see mold spores and stains. All this was coming from this trapped water. I of course assumed it was from the holding tank/pipes/pump etc and have been cleaning around there for months. I finally discovered this trapped water yesterday and have drilled limber holes to stop it happening again. If the bow area didnt leak in the first place it would never have been a problem. I agree with Oscar about all the fiberglass swarf, I had to do a major rinse/clean around the bilges and removed about a pound of fiberglass shards. A coathanger was used to clean out all the plugged limber holes. The Cat42 has been a great value boat and Im very happy with it, but with a little more attention to detail it could be a lot better. Its something a college grad on minimum wage could check for and fix with a hose, dustpan and brush. I will mention this to them when I get a chance. Joe #872 3CL
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oscar		#7	[url]	[-]
Posts: 475 08/16/07 15:05:39	Its something a college grad on minimum wage could check for and fix with a hose, dustpan and brush. I will mention this to them when I get a chance. I have, and I know others who have.....mostly blank stares and general statements. The good news is that it's a problem we can fix ourselves with a dustpan....lol. I prefer this scenario over structural problems....They get it right where it matters. My classic story was my new (2003) 250. It has the classic Catalina style coaming cubbies. They get glassed to the deck before it gets flipped and mated to the hull. Mine were leaking, they were poorly glassed on, as in with insufficient goop. After complaining to Catalina I was e-mailed a graphic with details on construction, and how to fix it. Pour in thin epoxy, it follows the leak and plugs it. The drawing was dated........1986!!!!! They have been dealing wit the same problem for twenty odd years.....you'd think they'd figure it out....lol. Oh well, like I said, if that's the worst we're OK. Lady Kay, C42#76, 1989, WK 3C. Chesapeake/Fort Lauderdale. Last Edited By: oscar 08/16/07 15:08:55. Edited 2 times.
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SteveInMD		#8	[url]	[-]
Posts: 38 08/17/07 05:43:34	If I drill new limber holes to replace missing ones, do I need to install a tube in a waterproof manner to prevent moisture from entering the core? Or is it just solid glass / resin there? I hope college grads have more to look forward to than a minimum wage job drilling holes. Last Edited By: SteveInMD 08/17/07 05:45:52. Edited 1 time.
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oscar		#9	[url]	[-]
Posts: 475 08/17/07 08:16:38	Most places is solid glass, no core. In some places, like the bilge stringers, you'll run into plywood core. You can tell when there's saw dust when you drill the hole..... In that case you can take a small brush and some epoxy and seal the hole. Remember.....don't drill through the hull...... Lady Kay, C42#76, 1989, WK 3C. Chesapeake/Fort Lauderdale.
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yorkrose		#10	[url]	[-]
Posts: 261 08/17/07 13:52:48	If you do drill through the hull, be sure to seal that hole quickly. Some of the stringers are now cored with foam. The foam won't rot, and probably won't absorb and wick water. It never hurts to seal the raw edges, but it is not necessary to insert a PVC tube. I suspect that is done primarily for manufacturing convenience. Keep in mind that most of these extra limber holes are for areas that are normally dry. Stuff happens on a boat, and water gets into places it should not. If there is a continuing water problem, then the root cause should be investigated and corrected. Regards, Gene Fuller Yorkshire Rose, C42 #870
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big water ponding problem under vberth on 2004 centerline

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