# Water trapped in somewhere in my Riverhawk



## topnative2 (Feb 22, 2009)

you can carefully drill a whole on the lowest bottom of the bench near to the deck as possible and see if it drains and no more sound--wet vac it maybe---tilt it to
the worst problem can be weight from the foam absorbing h20
usually depends on the age of hull and weather the foam was damaged -----i do not think u will have that problem
good luck sumthin to do :
gotta luv em---boats that is


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

I agree, drill a small hole, drain the water.
Set the hull out in the sun to cook the compartment dry.
Marine-Tex to seal the hole.


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## iagreen (Apr 23, 2009)

Thanks for the advice. Does the foam in there hold water? Or is that water likely to just be in the space around it?

I drilled a 3/16 in hole at the very base of the bench. Water started pouring out immediately. I tilted the boat and let it run out. It is slow drip now but still coming out. I'll let it sit for the next couple of days and see.


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## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

Welcome to the forum [smiley=beer.gif]


Boat manufactures use closed cell foam. The surface of the foam block may be saturated but for the most part it should be dry. Letting the boat sit outside in the sun for a couple of days with the open holes should get rid of most of it.


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## Kemo (Jun 22, 2008)

If the seat holes go all the way through and expose the inside of the bench, which is what it sounds like if that's how the water got in, leave the seat off and the bolts out for better air circulation and it will also speed up the drying process. Just my .02.

Kemo


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## kuzus (Apr 23, 2009)

The closed cell foam will still absorb some water through osmosis, so make sure you give it plenty of time to dry out. The foam should be fine once dry though. Make sure you seal up the screws and holes with a marine sealant like 3M 5200 or Bostik 940 when you are done though, or you will have the same problem down the road. Since you drilled such a small hole, I would just use the same sealant for filling that. Marine Tex, Superbond, or a polyester putty would work for the hole as well.


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## Un-shore (Sep 27, 2007)

If it is sloshing around you might have a hollow area under there that needs to be filled with foam. But first you need to dry out that area and the foam that is in there. Like FCP said that foam will absorb water and is tough to dry out. The fiberglass will absorb water too and will rot so this needs to be completely dried out. You could try this, it works really good, a pain in the ars but works.

After you drain the bulk of water out through the drilled hole, turn it over so that more water will not get in if it rains again. Level the boat so the water will go right back out the seat anchor holes. Drape black or clear plastic over it to add and trap heat. Let this sit in the sun for as long as you can , a couple days at least but the longer the better. This should be done on the trailer or saw horses.

Then turn the boat upright, tent it with clear plastic. With the sun beating down it is like a super green house and will dry it out really good. It gets hot, I mean real hot so don't leave anything in there that is heat sensitive or that you don't want faded. 

The downside is that if it rains the plastic will droop and fill with water so only do this on days when you can be around to turn it back over if you get rain. I can't tell you how many days you would have to do this, it depends on how soaked the foam is. When you stop getting condensation on the inside of the plastic that should be long enough. Oh yeah, tilt the hull so the condensation runs out the drain.


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## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

i agree with almost everything thats been said except filling the weep hole you drilled. i would leave it so that in the future if water gets in then it will have a way to drain out


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## kuzus (Apr 23, 2009)

If you leave a hole open near the hull of the boat you are assuring that the seat will get water in it again. The foam will be more likely soak up water the second time. I would plug the hole once you get it as dry as possible. Even if there is a little water left in the seat, it probably won't hurt anything for a long time. I would be inclined to do the quick fix and spend my free time fishing. Worst case, you might have to refoam it in a few years, and maybe a small glass repair. Don't fret too much about this. Just get the water out and seal everything up good. Un-shores method seems like a good idea if you want to put the time into it.


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## iagreen (Apr 23, 2009)

Thanks for everyone's replies. The water has stopped actively draining out of the hole, but it is still wet in there -- the is some water on the other side of the hole, but I think the water tension keeps it in. If I rub the hole some moisture comes out. We are expecting some hot, rainless weather, and I am not planning on being out on the water until middle of next week, so I am going to let it bake some more. I no longer hear sloshing, which makes me happier! I'll see if I can find some plastic to cover it with.

I thought of leaving the hole, but I tend to get a fair amount of water in the boat. I am hoping when I reseal the seat holes water will stay out. If not, it will be easy enough to drill out the sealant in my current weep hole.


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## topnative2 (Feb 22, 2009)

stick a piece of cotton string in the hole and leave it there --smaller dia. than hole--should help get it out


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