standing water in the floor

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water bouy

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For some reason my Sea Nymph has no way for water to drain under the ribs. I'm wondering if I should put some 1/4 or 3/8 holes in em so it has a way out. Is it something that will cause mildew? The pic is a little misleading the way the boat is tilted.

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I recognized the same issue when I put my floor in (DIY). So, I added a vent. Since I fish saltwater as well as fresh, I am sure I will have to replace it in a few years. It was cheap enough at Home Depot or Loews. You can see it in the picture attached.
 

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You may be surprised that there COULD BE a drain under those ribs. I take an old hacksaw blade and grind off the kerf using a grinding wheel or belt sander. Wrap a hands width w/ duct tape to make a simple & cheap handle and you have a flexible tool to clear the crap out from the center under the ribs. Some ribs you can use a plastic disposable knife.
 
I was hoping they were clogged but I couldn't get a tiny wire through even one of em. My last boat had the ribs slightly raised in the middle. Venting is a good idea. Small holes would probably not cause it to fold up ... if I go that route.
 
Can you drive a screw driver under the rib to pry it up slightly, it wouldn't need much, just be very careful. That is definitely a design flaw how can you not let water drain from a boat?
 
I could live with it if it wouldn't cause a problem. If the 2nd pic is enlarged you can see where water left cone shapes when it evaporated. The rib is flat against the bottom all the way across.
 
The reason that I added my drain/vent was....I was worried about a big wave, or a Texas Gully Washer.... that might swamp the boat.

If the water from that wouldn't drain away quickly, my boat could become unstable. If it will drain to the bilge, I can pump it out.

On my prior boat (1648 Lowe) the stern seat was raised about one inch. That allowed the water to drain to the bilge. This boat (1652 G3)...the stern seat is all of the way to my newly installed floor/deck.

rich
 
I have the same issue on my Sea Nymph. Planning to deck over winter. So will be interested in your solution. I planned to create a drain channel under ribs


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Personally, I would leave it alone. The water will drain over the rib and leave maybe a pint in front of a few ribs. That will not cause any flotation problem or swamping of course.
I know it is annoying but drilling holes in ribs that low right where it needs the most strength may cause bigger issues. Hate for you to be saying a year
from now "Shoulda just left it alone"
Tim
 
I can’t believe a boat company would make a boat without any limber holes for drainage in the bilge!

If it were mine, I’d force some SS shim stock under the rib & using a Dremel tool, would cut a limber hole on center ... where the SS is just to protect the bottom from the cutting tool. Pain in the arse to do them all, but once you did the area by the hull bottom, the rest would be easy.
 
Okay, I'm confused.

On my tinny (G3) there are "Strakes" molded/bent into the bottom sheet of aluminum. Their primary purpose is to strengthen the flat sheet..and the secondary purpose is to prevent the hull from sliding when making a sharp turn.

Anyhow, their shape allows water to flow from bow to stern. Any ribs that I have noticed sit ON TOP of the strakes. I purposely left my sheets of added foam loose so water could find its way down to the grooves and exit to the bilge.

I guess I cannot see why any Limber Holes have to be added???

If the suggestion was to drill a bunch of holes in the upper decking to allow water to gradually get to the lower hull bottom panel, then I still don't see why Limber Holes have to be added.

rich
 
richg99 said:
I guess I cannot see why any Limber Holes have to be added???
There's no way for water collected in the center of the boat - fore to aft - to drain to the stern (like when at rest or while getting up on plane) so that a bilge pump can get it out. Or so that it could drain out via the drain plug when removed. Absence of a 'limber hole' feature was probably a bean counter conceived cost savings idea, but to me it's an extremely poor design! I can envision water being trapped in there and freezing, putting additional stress on the rivets. Plus I HATE a wet bilge!

Do they need to be added? Good question! Maybe not ... if not used in a boat with a deck, or in freezing climates or where the owner doesn't care about standing water or manages to get it out with a sponge. So while not mandatory, if it were my boat for my use (saltwater environment & freezing ccccccccold Winters), then I sure would do something about it. Imagine if you had a fuel spill under the deck and there was no way to get it all out, when it was trapped in-between the ribs and the boat was decked over ... :shock: ?

Then again, my bros and I once lost an eel in the 'enclosed' bilge of an old wooden boat ... didn't find it (oops :oops: )... but my Father sure did! A week later (Summer, 90 degrees temperature) ... when rowing out to the boat and he said could SMELL it a mile away! ... and he knew instantly which son did it! You know, the one named "Not me!"
 

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Oh, I understand what limber holes are, and what they do. I had to cut them into the supports when I built my wooden dory some many years ago.

My point was, at least in MY tinny, the strakes themselves are the biggest limber holes that one could find. Each one is about one inch in diameter and runs fore to aft. Any water that gets down there has about five such paths to clear water to the stern.

That statement would NOT be correct for a fiberglass or wood boat since the molded in Strakes do not exist in those crafts. Perhaps some tinnys are not built the same way my G3 is????
 
richg99 said:
Perhaps some tinnys are not built the same way my G3 is????
I would opine that most aren't. Those strakes formed into the running hull also give it strength. Most tin boat companies simply rivet a formed strake onto the bottom of the hull ... adding more rivets to the overall construction.
 
Gotcha....Now, that makes sense. I'm was thinking that my tinny was the "normal" one and I now understand that other hulls may not be built in that same manner.

Incidentally, when I bought my bare hull, the dealer wanted $600.00 to put a deck/floor in. I chose to do it myself since I wanted to run wires and I also wanted to know what I had down there. I am now even happier that I made that choice.

thank you.
rich
 
Hmmm never thought about it.

I pull the plug when I drive back from wherever I launch. Any water that got in the boat during my outing runs back and exits via the drain hole while I am driving 70 mph.

I guess if your boat doesn't drain properly, then, yes, standing water in a hot, humid environment would cause some mold to grow.

rich
p.s. One time, when I was returning from the coast, I hadn't pulled the plug. We had a Texas gully washer. I had to pull over and pull the drain plug since the boat was getting awfully heavy . It was filling with water from the downpour.
 
I’m in a similar boat here. Question if I’ll run into drainage problems with decking. Especially if I lay foam [emoji848]
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Nowhere for water to go under there.


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