26X Motor Well Drain Plumbing Question

[Tomfoolery]

In the course of chasing down a messy leak in the stern berth overhead liner, where the bump around the motor well is . . .



. . . I pulled the back panel off the interior and found the hose much too low to have anything to do with it. Testing by shooting a stream from a hose nozzle into the hole produced no leak, not even a drip. But I think I found why it clogs so easily. The big sag in the middle is just asking for debris to accumulate, which it does, requiring frequent blasts from a hose to blow out so it runs freely.



The cause of the leak turned out to be the entry point of the steering cable, which allowed copious amounts of water in under the right conditions (including getting sprayed with a hose ), but the sorry part is that once it got in, it would run into the space between the liner and the cockpit sole and engine well. They're glassed together around the sides and bottom of the engine well/liner interface, so water can't get out once it gets in. A few freezes and there's a big cracked mess back there, with brown water coming in.




My question is a two-parter:

1) Does anyone know what that hose run is supposed to look like? Is this how it came from the factory, or is this yet another 'project' by the PO?

2) How do you all seal the steering cable where it exits the hull into the engine well? That blob of silicone isn't really doing anything, so I filled the hole from the outside with butyl tape, which seems to be doing the job so far, and is flexible enough that the cable can move as the attachment to the hull pivots on its bolt.

[Highlander]

Hi Tom look in this pic u can see the rubber boot I have on my eng, cables on the eng. well wall
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee20 ... 010006.jpg

J

[vulcan98]

I have a 98' 26X and when I bought it 5 years ago the liner was cracked in the rear berth just like your. The PO had it setting outside without a cover for a few years before I purchased it. Best I could figure out was rain water was entering around the chain plates. I sealed them 5 years ago and has not leaked since. I repaired the inner hull and does not show any damage now.
The plumbing in the stern looks like mine also. I do not know why it sags in the middle mine does too, but it must have a reason.Sure yours is OEM. I used 3M 5200 around the steering cable on the outside and inside due to the cable does have some movement through the cockpit siding.

[Tomfoolery]

That's a nice boot arrangement, John, but it won't help me. The steering cable comes out right next to the sole, and there's no room for such a boot.

I packed it with butyl tape that I got from Mainesail (on another forum), which is marvelous stuff. That cable rotates on it's pivot bolt at the side, which flexes the sealant a fair bit, but it's pretty sticky stuff with a consistency like bubble gum and seems to be working. For now, at least.

Some kind of 3/4 shield would probably be a nice addition, just to shield the joint in the first place.

[Tomfoolery]

I have a 98' 26X and when I bought it 5 years ago the liner was cracked in the rear berth just like your. The PO had it setting outside without a cover for a few years before I purchased it. Best I could figure out was rain water was entering around the chain plates. I sealed them 5 years ago and has not leaked since. I repaired the inner hull and does not show any damage now.
The plumbing in the stern looks like mine also. I do not know why it sags in the middle mine does too, but it must have a reason.Sure yours is OEM. I used 3M 5200 around the steering cable on the outside and inside due to the cable does have some movement through the cockpit siding.

I'm not going to worry about the drain tube now, as I've got bigger fish to fry. I did rebed the chainplates which seems to have stopped the leaks onto the table and port side bench cushions. Still have other leaks to look into, like the stem fitting, which I should have done at the same time as the chain plates, since it's basically the same thing, with the same rivets and cover.

But before I close up the stern, I'll take a look at making that hose run straight, or with a little bow toward the front for flexibility. A sagging gravity drain hose is an invitation for clogs, and that engine well gets a lot of crap in it. Had the same problem with our kitchen sink and garbage disposal - 2" PVC was installed without a mid-span support on a horizontal run, and it clogged on a regular basis. Strapped it up so the pitch was constant, and it hasn't clogged in 10 years.