E34 drain holes

I'm beginning to think that the builder was cutting corners when constructing my 1991 Pacific Seacraft Ericson 34.

1. There is a locker in the V-berth that collects water (from condensation and a leak in my chain locker topside). In the center rear of it there is a raised area that looks like it was meant as a place to install a drain. However, none is there so I get another water tank!

2. There is a tiny locker built into the counter in my head. Any water that goes into it stay in it because it has no drain. ANOTHER extra water tank.

3. In a cubby behind my settee there is a swath of fiberglass between the hull and the woodwork that forms the backrest. Condensation pools in there and, voila, more fresh water storage.

Has anyone else seen this? My theory is that this boat was built during the transition from Ericson to Pacific Seacraft and and the Quality Control guys were busy sending out resumes for new jobs.

So, the question is: can I just drill holes through the fiberglass in the appropriate places to drain the water? If I do, shouldn't I line the thusly exposed inner fiberglass with something so as to keep water to prevent decay/delamination?

Thanks in advance!

Pesky Leaks

Regarding the "transition" -- I have heard that it happened sometime in late (?) 1990 and spanned a number of months. One reasonable guess is that when building out the first few Ericson hulls the PSC shop guys were kind of in a learning phase. They were dealing with multiple tooling parts and presumably a big ol' pile of patterns for a lot of interior woodwork assemblies and sub-assemblies.
They likely were trying to learn hundreds of little production check-lists on the fly. And we have no way to know just how many, if any, of the former EY employees were on hand to pass along all the practical construction hints learned over a ten year period with that particular family of Ericson hulls (32-200, 34, and 38-200).

Having said all that blather..... I would start looking for he actual water ingress, while continuing to find an expedient way to deal with it once it gets inside. I find that after several decades, some of our deck hardware will start to let some water in.

Recently I had to find a way to re-seal the large screws that hold the top of the bearing (and the chrome-bronze screw out cover plate) over our rudder shaft. There was never any leakage from the stern area until last spring when I traced some "new" water that started showing up under the engine, all the way back to the quadrant and then found the rain leak at the deck level right over it.

Fun Times, eh?!


Loren

I have an E-34 and have none of the problems you mention. All of the compartments are connected to the main bilge by openings through the grid, 'limber holes'.

Is it possible that a previous owner let the limber holes get clogged up? It seems strange to me that someone would live with these problems for over twenty years.

Loren,

Well, it is what it is. Otherwise it seems to be a well-constructed boat.

I'm probably getting water in at the top of the rudder shaft and I'll have to deal with that. But it would seem that the lack of a drain to the bilge from the locker itself is the first problem to solve. Condensation in the aft locker alone is enough to soak my bed.

Thanks!

Ed

Hi Tom,

No, there aren't any plugged holes. The first owner bought it new and apparently just put up with it.

So, could I just drill holes in the appropriate places?

Ed

I would. Make sure that you know where the drill is going. You don't want to drain the water back into the ocean. :0

Tom Metzger said:

I would. Make sure that you know where the drill is going. You don't want to drain the water back into the ocean. :0

Click to expand...

Yup!

Would you then line the hole with something to protect the fiberglass thus exposed?

I wouldn't, but I'm old... the boat only has to last another 30 years. I think holes are sealed primarily to keep water out of core materials, not the fiberglass. Ericson left them raw.

You may get differing opinions from others.

In the pic you can see the limber hole draining under the transducer compartment and probably the V-berth. Also forward of the mast.

Thanks, Tom!