Ski locker doesn't have a drain, factory defect? Pics included please look/comment

[gt2003]

1997 Monterey Montura 186

I posted this last year and finally today the weather is good enough for me to investigate further. Last year my ski locker wouldn't drain but there was only maybe a 3/4 inch hole in the bottom of the locker that I figured should drain into the bilge. The strange thing was there was no pvc pipe attached to it, simply a hole in the bottom of the locker. I could see/feel 2 raised areas on the bottom of the boat, underneath the locker that I thought might be "caps" to the pvc pipe but they didn't come out/come off and just appeared to be raised areas in the fiberglass. Anyway, I bought 6" drain at Lowes last night so I could drill a large hole in the locker to investigate. Here's what I found:

Here's the hole I cut out. You can see the small hole to the left of it. That's the original drain hole for the ski locker

I've got the camera down about floor level looking into the large hole pointed toward the area directly underneath the original small drain hole. Those 2 white areas look like "paint drips". I'm about 99% sure they aren't removable caps as I can't get a fingernail/screwdriver etc under the edge of them to pry them up. I figure they are drips of whatever material they were using when they built the boat

Here is another picture to give you perspective. I've got my index finger in the original drain hole:

So, two questions: 1. Did the factory simply not put a drain in the locker? 2. What are my options now? I've alread snaked a "fish tape" from the bilge up towards the locker but it hits some sort of blockage and won't go any further. Thoughts/input please

 

[Bondo]

Re: Ski locker doesn't have a drain, factory defect? Pics included please look/comme

Ayuh,... In this picture,...
Are the holes in the bottom of the locker,..??
Is this shot from the big new hole, lookin' Aft, to the little original hole,..??

If so, it appears there's No limber hole in that bulkhead/ rib...

 

[gt2003]

Re: Ski locker doesn't have a drain, factory defect? Pics included please look/comme

I think so. The small hole and the larger one are both cut out of the floor of the ski locker. The smaller one has always been there. The larger one I cut today. I literally put the camera thru the new big hole so it's actually a shot underneath the ski locker from the big hole towards the small hole. My finger is actually in the small hole in the ski locker floor for reference.

I also got back out there and scraped off the white areas. They were just drips from some assembly material. Unfortunately you are right, no holes in the floor or in the bulkhead. I'm guessing this was a manufacturing error? If so, do I have any avenues to pursue it since its such an old boat?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Ski locker doesn't have a drain, factory defect? Pics included please look/comme

Unfortunately you are right, no holes in the floor or in the bulkhead.

Ayuh,... That ain't a Floor, it's the inside of the Hull,... Water's on the otherside...

So,... The camera is pointed Aft, Right,..?? you didn't say....

What's on the Otherside of the bulkhead/ rib We can see in the pic,..??

I donno if it's a build defect, or design flaw,...

Personally,... I make sure that every nook, cranny, 'n compartment can naturally Drain to the pumpable bilge....
It keeps things from rottin' out on ya....

 

[gt2003]

Re: Ski locker doesn't have a drain, factory defect? Pics included please look/comme

The camera is pointed aft, that's correct. I'm not sure what's behind the bulkhead as the floor of the boat is sealed with no other compartments except the ski locker. I'm going to assume it's the gas tank but I don't know for sure. There is a single hole that drains into the bilge area. I've run a fish tape from the engine up towards the bow but it will only go so far. Any ideas?

 

[tschmidty]

Re: Ski locker doesn't have a drain, factory defect? Pics included please look/comme

This isn't likely to be real useful, but I'd contact Monterrey and try to find someone who can figure this out for you. You could also try contacting Monterrey dealers and see if anyone in the shop has seen this and maybe has figured this out before.

But yeah, most likely the next compartment aft is the gas tank (should be easy to figure out, where do the fuel lines run?). There should be some kind of access to the top of the fuel tank and perhaps you can get a manufacturer and figure out the general shape.

This is a fairly common shape for a below deck tank.

http://www.iboats.com/30-Gallon-Below-Deck-Aluminum-Belly-Fuel-Tank-59181-RDS/dm/*******.051255251--**********.263884890--view_id.732621

You can see there is some space below, but not a lot of room for error! Do as much research as you can before you even think about drilling any holes. Chances are there is some kind of space underneath it, which is what the pvc pipe from the bilge drains. I am 95% confident of that, but is that enough to get you to drill a hole? If you can get a drill in there (maybe a 90 degree drill with a long bit?), you could try drilling a small hole down as close the the hull as possible. Or drill a full 3/4 hole since it can be tough to redrill a hole. Scary stuff since you obviously don't want to drill into your tank!

BTW, all the above advice is worth every penny you paid for it.

 

[produceguy]

Re: Ski locker doesn't have a drain, factory defect? Pics included please look/comme

If it's set up like my mach 1, that drain in the ski locker runs the entir lenght of the hull and into the bilge area. The gas tank is in the center with a drain,just like in the ski locker that dumps into that same drain.

ski locker

gas tank area

into the bilge

shot of the set up

My best geuss is that it plugged.

 

[gt2003]

Re: Ski locker doesn't have a drain, factory defect? Pics included please look/comme

Produceguy, look back at the first post and see if this is what yours is like. The very bottom picture, where my finger is in the drain hole, that's the end of the drainage area aftwards. It just stops there without any place else for the water to drain. No hole in the bulkhead so the water could drain into the tank area then into the bilge. The locker compartment ends then the gas compartment is a totally seperate area. If there was anywhere for the water to drain then I would expect a blockage also. Any ideas?

TSchmidty, the only way I can possibly think there is access to the tank area is maybe underneath the back seating area. Does that sound reasonable? The gas hoses run from the engine compartment to somewhere under the back seat so it's got to be the gas tank area. But, like I said above, the locker compartment totally ends without any area for the water to drain. Thats what I can't figure out.

Thanks for all the replies. Please keep 'em coming.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Ski locker doesn't have a drain, factory defect? Pics included please look/comme

here's what I think: the ski locker was designed to be sealed and a previous owner just drilled the hole, just like you're doing. You were supposed to bail/sponge out the locker (is that carpet on it? bad move!) because any water that drained out had no where to go.
Or
the water drains forward, there is a bilge area in the front, and you are supposed to havea second bilge pump up there. I think some cruisers do this.
or
there is a drain on the back wall of the ski locker, connected to a tube that runs over that blocking bulkhead you found. My center console well has its drain on the wall at the corner of the floor; it's not in the floor (which means it doesn't drain completely, but it's not supposed to get wet in there. Ha!) your hole may be covered with second generation carpet (put in to replace the stanky original carpet!)

If you do decide to drill through the bulkhead--and I don't know enough to recommend it--I'd run a tube though the hole and seal it, otherwise you're just letting water get inside that stringer.

 

[produceguy]

Re: Ski locker doesn't have a drain, factory defect? Pics included please look/comme

If you can't figure it out then maybe seal it up and make a livewell. Just a thought.

 

[tschmidty]

Re: Ski locker doesn't have a drain, factory defect? Pics included please look/comme

Under the back seat is a likely place to get to the tank. It is usually between the ski locker and bilge.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Ski locker doesn't have a drain, factory defect? Pics included please look/comme

Ayuh,... There's really Nothing you can do, til ya figure out Exactly what's on the otherside of that bulkhead, 'n how Tight it is to the bulkhead...

Personally,... I'd be rippin', 'n tearin' to see, so's I could pop a hole in it, Without breaching the fuel tank...

 

[gt2003]

Re: Ski locker doesn't have a drain, factory defect? Pics included please look/comme

Hmmm Bond-O, that kind of scares me, lol! Let me get another nice weekend and I'll look under the back seat and see if I can find access to the other side of the bulkhead. Then I'll come back and see if we can make sense of it all. Thanks