Rain water came in through cover

[jth877]

My boat is a 1998 caravelle 209. Typical era 21ft with an alpha one stern drive. It was my father in law's boat and he bought boat it new. Always trailered and very careful about water intrusion.

I bought a new cover this year. Rain water pooled in the back cockpit area after some storms and came in through the vents. Carpet was wet, back seat and sundeck too. The bilge in engine compartment had some water. I usually pull the plug but didn't last time. I pulled the plug on the ramp and about 4 gallons came out.

After reading and watching videos about rot I'm scared! Could this one transgression cause major problems? It's a very loved family boat and I'm upset that Iet my FIL down. I plan on putting a fan under the cover to aid in drying her out.

 

[GA_Boater]

It takes more than once.

 

[JASinIL2006]

We have inflatable tubes under the cover - in addition to the poles - to keep water from pooling. It’s not watertight, but the tubes help a great deal.

 

[jth877]

Any good dying out techniques besides sun, heat, air movement and time?

Some of the articles mention 90% of all boats over 15 years old have rot. Is this even remotely true? It seems excessive especially in fresh water seasonal lake environments.

 

[GA_Boater]

You're asking when the boat isn't stored out of the weather if I read the opening post correctly. It probably has some under deck fixing needed, we cant see the boat.

 

[JASinIL2006]

No magic to drying it out... sunlight, air movement, etc. are what's needed.

It won't hurt your boat to occasionally get wet, because the cover leaked, or some wet swimmers climbed into it, or you got caught on water in a surprise downpour. If a boat gets wet in that manner, but then is stored indoors where it can dry thoroughly, you're not likely to have problems.

Boats that are constantly wet, especially due to ingress from thru-hull fittings like outdrives, ladder attachments, etc., are much more vulnerable because they often don't dry out. Water wicks into wood following its grain, and the longer the wood is wet, the farther the water wicks. Then bacteria can start to munch on the wood causing rot. If water makes its way into cavities filled with flotation foam, it can eventually penetrate the closed cells - especially if exposed to freeze-thaw cycles, and the closed cells rupture and act like a sponge, holding water and often contributing to wood rot by providing a constant source of moisture.

I have no idea if the statistic you cited is accurate. If your boat was well cared for, stored dry, and does not have water intrusion via thru-hull fittings, it should be fine. If that was not the case, the chances for rot and related problems goes up.

If your boat got water in it as you describe, open up every compartment you can and let it air out. One soaking won't cause it to rot.

 

[jth877]

Thank you for the thoughtful reply! I'm a bit more at ease now. I saw that a lot of boat manufacturers have ceased using wood in hull construction.

The statistic I stated was from a search on this forum. Seems a few old salts have repeated it a number of times and quite frankly freaked me out. Also there's quite a few restorations documented via YouTube and on forums that all started out with "I thought my new (used) boat was in great shape.... "

 

[hugh g]

Any good dying out techniques besides sun, heat, air movement and time?

Some of the articles mention 90% of all boats over 15 years old have rot. Is this even remotely true? It seems excessive especially in fresh water seasonal lake environments.

Grab a shop vac & vacuum the carpets. Open the engine cover to help dry out the bilge. As far as rot is concerned one incident isn't going to rot your boat. Don't sweat it but get that carpet as dry as you can & mother nature will take care of the rest. Store your boat with the bow up & the plug removed. Just don't forget to put it back in at the ramp.........

 

[JASinIL2006]

Thank you for the thoughtful reply! I'm a bit more at ease now. I saw that a lot of boat manufacturers have ceased using wood in hull construction.

The statistic I stated was from a search on this forum. Seems a few old salts have repeated it a number of times and quite frankly freaked me out. Also there's quite a few restorations documented via YouTube and on forums that all started out with "I thought my new (used) boat was in great shape.... "

It's probably true that 90% of boats 15 year of age or older were poorly maintained and stored, so it's eventual they will have problems. Its all about how the boat was cared for.

 

[Scott Danforth]

put the boat in the garage

put your car in the drive way

you use the car every day and most likely will sell it or trade it in 5 years

 

[Ronnie_16]

Not only will the rain damage a boat's interior, but leaving it without a cover exposes it to the sun's harmful rays. A boat left without a cover while not in use, will lose value very rapidly.

 

[poconojoe]

I'm adamant about this too. I dont allow uneccessary water into my boat if I can help it.
You can't help it if you're out boating and it pours, but you can prevent it when the boat is not being used.

Open everything up on a nice sunny day.
Covering it while it's all wet inside for long enough will invite mold.

You obviously need to prevent the water from pooling. That is your goal with the cover.

You can place just about any inflatable device under any sections that are prone to pooling.
There are also telescoping poles that can be used.

Here's what I do....
I "double bag it".
I have the factory mooring covers snapped on the open bow and cockpit (bow rider) with their poles installed. The mooring covers don't completely protect it though due to certain areas around bimini poles, etc.

I have a decent aftermarket complete cover over the mooring covers. This cover is well supported by the mooring covers and their poles. I keep the top cover really tight to prevent pooling. That cover has both elastic in it's seam and straps that I can tighten to the trailer frame.

If your boat is in a slip, you won't be able to use the straps, but it still has the elastic seam. You could always add snaps to the hull and cover. My boat actually has snaps all around the outside of the hull that I never use. I dont know if they are factory or someone added them. I thought about adding snaps to the top cover to match the ones on the hull, but for me it's not necessary since I no long slip my boat.

My boat is always bone dry. We had three big storms this summer totaling over 13 inches in a matter of three days along several other storms. It's been a very wet summer for us.
The boat is still bone dry.

Oh, and keep your covers waterproofed. I redo the waterproofing every few years or when I see it isn't shedding the water well enough.

 

[crazy charlie]

You need to eliminate any gather/pooling of rain water.Proper pitch of your cover will allow all water to run off.

 

[Lou C]

Any good dying out techniques besides sun, heat, air movement and time?

Some of the articles mention 90% of all boats over 15 years old have rot. Is this even remotely true? It seems excessive especially in fresh water seasonal lake environments.

Well believe it or not freshwater causes far more rot than saltwater does because the microorganisms that cause wood rot don’t live in salt water. Salt water rots cast iron and aluminum but preserves wood!

 

[jth877]

Well believe it or not freshwater causes far more rot than saltwater does because the microorganisms that cause wood rot don’t live in salt water. Salt water rots cast iron and aluminum but preserves wood!

I have been reading on the subject and found that out!

 

[jth877]

Well after some more storms and the boat now sitting bow up, it was obvious that the cover leaked again. This is a brand new empire 1200d full cover with the straps that run under the boat for a tight fit. 10 year warranty. What a POS.

 

[poconojoe]

Well after some more storms and the boat now sitting bow up, it was obvious that the cover leaked again. This is a brand new empire 1200d full cover with the straps that run under the boat for a tight fit. 10 year warranty. What a POS.

Sorry to hear that.
Even the best cover will leak through if there's any pooling going on.
Your goal is preventing any pooling.

As I stated previously, I double cover it. My stock mooring covers and the three poles are what supports my top cover.

My top cover is made by Classic Accessories and for a $165 cover that fits 17-19 roundabouts, it fits my 185 bow rider surprisingly real well.

With just the mooring covers, rain got in my boat through the spots around bimini poles and such. The second cover over it, did the trick. I lay my bimini down so the top cover is over it.
The boat is absolutely bone dry and believe me, we've had several storms this year with crazy amounts of rain.

 

[thisisdom]

Oh, and keep your covers waterproofed. I redo the waterproofing every few years or when I see it isn't shedding the water well enough.

I do the double bag method as well with the telescoping poles, one thing I do notice is that my top storage cover does not last longer than a year as it weathers and the sun degrades it thankfully it has a warranty which I’ve utilized already.

Having said that, what do you use to waterproof the top cover? And do you do a uv treatment as well? Trying to get a few more years out of the top cover.

Thanks!
Dom