Freeze Damage?

[Supra-in-steamboat]

First apologies for no pics ever... I will change that this week. My 87 SunSport was vioalated from above this winter. The facility I stored with leaked @ 7 gallons and counting into Mrs.Thirsty. Water entered through the front tower split in the cover- which was rusty in a spot- as was the tarp over her. After removing all water- the bilge is still filling up from under itself...Inside the boat- at the most foreward deepest part of the bilge on the passenger side there is a small fold- folded upward in the floor. I am assuming water froze inside the the bilge. The boat was out of water 30 days before storage and dry dry. All winterizing done correctly. I have a punch list of projects now. Any imput on things to look for is welcome.

[Okie Boarder]

If you are continuing to have water oozing down to the bilge pump area, it is oozing out of "hidden" areas, most likely. It could be coming from saturated areas of the floor. You may want to poke around and see if you can find the source.

[Supra-in-steamboat]

The water is actually coming from the bottom of the bilge. I can sit and watch it. Okie you are right- it is oozing from somewhere- but it definitely appears from the lowest point in the bilge. I have exterior damage forward of the area in question- just adjacent to the keel on the drivers side where the strake begins the water found its way out. I will post pics later. I guess i am wondering how small/big this area is that is holding water? When i got the boat back- it was full- more full then i would ever have the bilge- and holding water not leaking to the outside- so i am concerned that water over time will continue to find its way to thru this area in the bilge to other area i dont need water in ie. foam,stringers, etc.

[Okie Boarder]

When you say it is coming from the bottom of the bilge, where exactly are you talking about.

[Salty87]

sounds like you're saying water is seeping up from the bilge? mine used to do that. the bottom of the bilge isn't the actual hull. they glass in a flat section otherwise, you'd see the 'v' of the hull and the bilge pump wouldn't work well in that design. on my boat (saltare) water seemed to seep below the bilge from the bow. the bulkhead between the main stringers in the front of the boat allowed water to get down there. i can't remember how the sunsport front bulkhead is designed...not gonna try to 'scan' okie's thread lol.

i'd think about talking insurance settlements with the storage place. there's no easy access to fixing that area without taking the topcap off (i'm assuming you have playpen, a walk-thru bow may be easier to work on but wet foam is wet foam). and, chances are water has saturated foam in a larger area too. you could drill some strategically placed holes to see how much water you're dealing with. they can be sealed if everything is ok. if you find a bunch of water...well, saturated foam will never dry out. the buckled floor is a pretty good sign of saturated foam. there's no point in working on that spot with water in the foam.

that sucks to hear. i hope your baby is ok. talk about a trickle-down effect.

[Supra-in-steamboat]

Thanks Salty- I looked at your rebuild and others to try to get an idea of the area. The advice helps alot as I was sort of on the fence on the issue. They said they would pay- but sticker shock is inevitable for this fix to be done right, and this means making the call to Tennessee and not having a 2010 season. I called Supra but they havn't returned the call yet. I will try to post some pics tonight. Thanks again.
dp

[Salty87]

you'd be surprised how long these boats will run with mushy stringers. you mentioned a leak in the hull too? that might be a quicker fix. if the buckle in the floor isn't too bad, you might be able to keep running her so you don't lose the season.

[Supra-in-steamboat]

I guess that is what i am torn about. Alot of people have told me to run it and just watch it. I am of the mindset of fixing it correctly once sooner-especially if i need to start an insurance claim with the storage place. Did i mention it snowed two feet here last night. Going snowmo. Adios

[Okie Boarder]

Salty,

I think our front bulkheads between the main stringers was the same. It was basically a 2x4 going across at the top of the stringers, then plywood at a downward angle from there to where the bilge pump is.

steamboat,

I had a spot near the bilge pump that broke and I remember some seepage before I did the rebuild. I had glassed over it to stop it, but when I did my teardown, I saw why. That whole front area that slopes down towards the bilge from the bow is filled with foam down into the deep vee.

I'm not sure of the differences on the 87 to 89, but mine had a panel at the helm right where your left leg/knee/foot would be. When I removed that panel I could see under the cooler and see the bulkhead and slope area. You might peek under there and see if you have a split open area up there. My guess is the compartment is full and there is a crack somewhere lower. You could drill a hole saw hole in the lowest possible section of that slope right near the bilge and see if you can get the water to drain a little faster, then maybe try to patch it up, too.

My thread definitely has pictures that show the area you're looking at if you want to see them for reference. You may have already done that.