Introduction with questions....water in battery and oil compartments

[Nomad]

Hi everyone,

I am just selling my boat and have found a v21 for sale that I can get for about 6 to 6500. It is a 95 with an 05 Rude DI on the back.
the boat seems to be very solid and in decent condition but it does have 2 issues that I am a bit concerned about.
1. The hatch over the gas tank is a bit soft and looks like it will need o be replaced. Strange thing is that it seems like it is more of a access hatch template than an actual hatch.....are these hatches removable? It looks to be sealed.

2. There were no plugs put in the rod holders which allows rain water to collect in the compartments that hold the battery on one side, and the oil injection tank on the other. I don't see how these drain to the lower bilge. Any thoughts? Pic here.


Is this a decent price for a 1995 v21 that doesn't look great but seems solid except for the noted concerns.

Thanks in advance.

 

[phatdaddy]

welcome, i have an 84, so not so sure of your boat , but the tank cover is usually about the size of the tank with smaller access ports to get to the hoses & fuel guage sending unit. most are screwed to the deck and bedded with silicone.
on the rear compartments. mine has 3/4 holes drilled through the stringer to allow any water to migrate to the lower part of the bilge. not a good idea because they did not seal these holes and the core of the stringer was exposed. i drilled mine larger and coated the wood with some epoxy. yours could be holding water because of a blocked passage. i'm sure somebody with a newer model will be along..

as far as price, who knows in this market, but a hull that is only 15 years old and motor that is only 5 years old seems like a good deal.

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

There should an access for water to drain back there, it might be clogged.
As far as the gas tank hatch is an easy fix, mine was like yours soft and i fixed it my self. Wellcraft was using corrugated paper as core for the hatch.

 

[Nomad]

Thanks a bunch guys!!

I am hoping that the guy that has committed to buy my boat actually shows up with the bank check as he says he will on Saturday!!

I may be the proud new owner of a v21 on Sunday if he does

I will post pics and more details if everything goes as I hope.....tough to sell a boat in this economy.

 

[dmoore]

The soft patch you speak of is supposed to be soft in that area......mine on my 1996 V-21 was caulked in place with no screws...all I would need is a couple of sharp exacto blades to cut it out......but it won't be necessary for a long, long, long time.....: )

 

[nipper]

Different problem but maybe same solution. When my Dad had my V20 cuddy with an I/O rainwater and just daily dew in the summer would always run down between where the motor cover met the bulkhead of the transom compartment and drip down onto the engine. My Dad fashioned a channel out of a pvc pipe cut in two which would catch the water. He then had a clear tube in the channel which would direct the water down into the bilge. Still works great after 20 years.

I would think you could also find a way to attach pieces of plastic tubing to the bottom of the rodholders (probably using a rubber plug) and route the tubing down to drain into the bilge proper.

 

[dmoore]

My 74 V-20 had the original aluminum rain gutter screwed to the transom above the engine for that exact purpose...it work well..motor never got rained on......

 

[Curious]

Thanks a bunch guys!!

I am hoping that the guy that has committed to buy my boat actually shows up with the bank check as he says he will on Saturday!!

I may be the proud new owner of a v21 on Sunday if he does

I will post pics and more details if everything goes as I hope.....tough to sell a boat in this economy.

Well? The suspense is killing us!

 

[Nomad]

Successful sea trial today

Took her out tonight on a successful sea trial and she ran very well starting on the first twitch of the key after sitting for a month.
Jumped right up on plane and planed out at a minimum of 19mph and WOT was 42mph and 5400rpm.
In for a mechanical inspection and informal survey with my marina inspecting for rot and structural issues. If all is ok then I will be pulling the trigger

 

[Nomad]

so sad.....survey found a saturated core......floor, structure..etc
Dodged a bullet but no boat
and the search goes on

 

[nipper]

Sorry to hear that Nomad. Don't give up on the V20/21. There are lots of good ones out there. Glad you spent a few bucks for the survey and found the problem before you shelled out premium dollars for it. Heck, owner probably did not know about it.

 

[Nomad]

Yeah...the owner is a very nice guy and I really feel bad for him...the boat is off the market while he has it gone over to determine if it can be saved. Class act to take it back, pull the ads, ad receive it back from his broker.....gave me my deposit back too

 

[Curious]

Just out of curiosity, do any of you guys know what it means when a survey finds a "saturated core" and what that entails as far a repair?
Thanks.

 

[RWilson2526]

Good question, I was wondering the same thing. Is that the transom or the hull or the floor or what?

 

[peiserma]

This refers to how the part in question was built. Generically, it refers to a layer of fiberglass, the core material in the middle, then another layer of fiberglass. The layers of fiberglass are often called the inner skin and outer skin. The core may be foam or wood, there are hundreds of different materials used for the core. Cored construction is used to add strength/rigidity without as much weight (compared to using all fiberglass). When water gets into the core material, the condition is known as a saturated core.

The transom on the V20 is a cored construction. The deck isn't a true cored construction since there is only a top layer of fiberglass (I am pretty sure that is a true statement, but I am going to find out on mine pretty soon). However, you don't hear the term saturated core used with transoms very often. Usually a saturated core on a transom is called "rotted transom". The term saturated core is commonly used with the deck, even if its not a true core construction. Another common place to find cored construction is on the deck above cabins. And lots of sailboats have a cored hull. Don't know if the hull on a V20 is cored.

 

[Curious]

Thanks, Peiserma. My next question is how does it happen as it pertains to this particular survey/boat? I understand how an improperly sealed fastener screwed through the deck, for example, can allow water intrusion around the area of the fastener, but that is typically isolated to a small area around the fastener. I guess what I'm asking is, was this boat swamped or sunk for a period of time and never dried out? I see that it has a newer motor so maybe that's a sign that it sunk sometime shortly before 2004.

Thanks for the reply- this is a good lesson in "let the buyer beware" in this current market of reasonabley priced used boats.

 

[peiserma]

I don't know about this particular boat. Core saturation does not happen overnight, but rather over long periods of time. Think several years. It's easy for water to get in. As already mentioned, improperly sealed fasteners are a source. In fact, this is probably the major source. There is a good reason for the advice to drill holes oversize, fill with epoxy, then drill the correct size - it seals the core from water. The skin being built too thin is another cause (it can fracture and let water in). So is storing the boat uncovered over several seasons. Or not having it leveled so water can drain out. Once water is in your fiberglass-encapsulated core, its hard for the water to get back out. According to one book I have (Fiberglass Boat Repair Manual by Alan Vaitses - older but lots of good info), it can take 6 to 15 years for total saturation, and the saturation can go unnoticed until it's well advanced.

see page 83 here : http://books.google.com/books?id=uN...onepage&q=causes boat core saturation&f=false

 

[Nomad]

One thing that may have contributed is the water in the side bilges as shown in the OP. The lack of covers or drain hoses on the rod holders was a pretty big concern to me as a potential buyer and there is no way I would have left the boat that way as an owner....speaks to the overall maintenance that may have (not) been done.

I also found the seller told me that he installed the motor as a leftover in '06 when I called the place that installed it and they confirmed that it was installed in '04...although they also said that they did the fall and winter maintenance so that is a plus i guess. They also said that the boat was not sunk and that they never noticed any water intrusion when working on the boat.