X-ray vision?

[13Echo70271]

jvitiel, Nice rig, very clean V, wish mine was as clean.
You can test the foam from inside the rod box opening with the box removed, if you don't see wet foam you can cut a core sample with a spade bit. Very carefully drill down into the foam from the rod box opening. If you find wet foam, tear it out. If not, seal the hole with new foam and/or sealant.

Maybe more important while you're in there, check to see that your rod holders drain to bilge or deck also. I don't see covers on them.

There is room in the aft port hatch for a battery. It can be placed without any cutting, by removing the bin inside the hatch and reaching down. Get a tray or box and fix to shelf you find inside. If there isn't a shelf you can glass a plywood shelf or use starboard. All install work can be done from above. Adding a hatch makes the work a bit easier, adds access and isn't too expensive, about $35 on ebay.
I'd move a battery there .

Good luck,
Tom

[SkunkBoat]

its interesting seeing the different configurations of theses hulls. My 84 cuddy has a much larger fuel tank hatch further aft and the in-deck storage (fishbox) is further aft. I have a battery compartment centerline under the motorwell.
and no foam except the fuel tank compartment.

I'm surprised to see the amount of inaccessible unused space aft of your fuel tank. Is there foam in there too? you would think they would have put a livewell there(between tank and motor) like the center consoles have.

[phatdaddy]

Mines like yours skunk, layout and foam-wise. I had a large blank area right out of the cabin door, where I added a in deck hatch to access storage below. I'd be very surprised if you had enough water to affect trim. Before I cut up deck, I'd put a small inspection plate where the A is in your picture.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by phatdaddy

Mines like yours skunk, layout and foam-wise. I had a large blank area right out of the cabin door, where I added a in deck hatch to access storage below. I'd be very surprised if you had enough water to affect trim. Before I cut up deck, I'd put a small inspection plate where the A is in your picture.

Hmmm... As I recall, when I redid my soft deck on my V21 I pulled out (about) 3 1/2 40 gallon garbage cans of saturated foam. Now, I'm not suggesting that each can was exactly 40 gallons of water, but if even half of each can was actual water that would still be about 70 gallons of water total... and at 6.34 lbs. per gallon that equals roughly 450 lbs. I stress that this was evenly distributed in all the foam under my deck, not just one side, so I had no real listing problem, but I can attest that when the job was done the boat got up on plane a little faster and just seems to handle better when moving along.

I guess my point is that half of that 450 lbs was on one side of my centerline, so roughly 225 lbs. I agree that shouldn't make for a pronounced list, but it would effect list by about the same as a full grown adult male on that side would.

[phatdaddy]

Hmmmm... As I recall water is approx 8.4 lbs per gallon, so your point is even more valid

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by phatdaddy

Hmmmm... As I recall water is approx 8.4 lbs per gallon, so your point is even more valid

Yep. 8.34 lbs to be exact. You are 100% correct, and I must admit to poor vision and making typos... That 6.34 I quoted should have been 8.34. Ahhh... the joys of growing older.....

That being said, add another 70 lbs (2 lbs x 70 total = 140, then divide that by 2 (half on each side of the centerline) = 70 lbs) more to the 225 already there and you get 295 lbs extra on one side of the boat. Might be enough to cause a noticeable list. Since we haven't seen any pics of the list it's hard to tell exactly what we are dealing with in this case.

But here's the one thing we all know.

Foam, even closed cell foam like the type used in boats, when constantly exposed to water will eventually get saturated, loose it's buoyancy, and add weight to the boat. Sometimes by hundreds of lbs. Additionally, it's insidious because it gradually happens over time, not suddenly, so it's hard to notice. This is the main reason to keep the bilge area and all below deck compartments as dry as possible at all times. Seal cracks, put caps on rod holders, etc etc,. In short, do everything in your power to keep the below decks area DRY!!! (Oh, it also will extend the life of the wooden stringers and the underdeck flooring too).

[SkunkBoat]

8 pounds/gallon of water....pint is a pound the world around

[phatdaddy]

Does it list at rest with nobody in it?
How far above the waterline are the deck drains, equal on both sides?

[jvitiel]

Ok, so here is a mini update. Thank you for all of your insightful comments..

The area marked "C" in the photo is wide open - no foam. There is indeed a bulkhead aft of the tank and a full height stringer between (at least) "B" and "C".

Nearest I can tell, there is about 4" between the deck and the hull where the rod box is. I'm thinking that I will go in there and attack the exposed foam with a mason's trowel and/or garden claw and see what I see. If I can't get far maybe I will use a long auger bit straight through the deck to get a deep core sample.

I would love suggestions as to what process or tool would be good for pulling the foam out through the gap by the rod box. If the foam was a little less dense, I feel like I could almost pull it out with my hand (but I doubt it). They should have used closed cell shipping peanuts. :-)

As an aside, a marine surveyor stopped by today for an unrelated issue and he didn't think the lopsided batteries were weighty enough to cause the list I described. He said maybe live with it but at lease know what it is...

[jvitiel]

The list is there both at rest and while running. It is such that the port chine is at water level and the stbd chine is maybe 3.5" to 4" under water. If I sit on the port hatch I can get it to a little less than level.

The deck drains are mounted at the same height on each side of the hull but the stbd one is at water level when in the water and at rest. I assume, but don't know if there is a leak in that plumbing - another thing to check..

The forward rod holders drain into the cockpit but the aft ones drain onto the foam on both sides. I don't have covers for them. The boat now lives under a carport next to my house so thats a non issue going forward but I don't know its storage/exposure history.

The hull strake on the stbd side has been repaired. It looks like it kissed the ramp at some point. It appears to have been well sealed with a hard, semi clear epoxy of some sort although I haven't inspected it closely. That may be the old (or ongoing) culprit - TBD