Water under steps in cabin MF895

[marcusv]

Hi guys,

The strangest thing... I found water in the cabin just under the second step. See picture.



The water is coming from under the second step. There is a wooden plate; screwed and sealed. I believe this is a hollow space. Until now I was not able to open it without force. The red arrows indicate where the water is coming from.
It is no drinking water, and it also no windshieldwasher fluid.

Did anyone opened this area? Is it hollow? Where is the water coming from?

The technical area is dry, even the cealing.
Can it be the condensed water from refrigerator?

Any help is welcome.


Marco

[stephenm27]

Aug 6, 2023 20:04:41 GMT marcusv said:

Hi guys,

The strangest thing... I found water in the cabin just under the second step. See picture.

View Attachment


The water is coming from under the second step. There is a wooden plate; screwed and sealed. I believe this is a hollow space. Until now I was not able to open it without force. The red arrows indicate where the water is coming from.
It is no drinking water, and it also no windshieldwasher fluid.

Did anyone opened this area? Is it hollow? Where is the water coming from?

The technical area is dry, even the cealing.
Can it be the condensed water from refrigerator?

Any help is welcome.


Marco

Do you have air conditioning?  On the 1095, the rear (salon) AC condensate pan can slosh excess/remaining water out of the pan where it finds its way under the wood floor to the midship companionway where it exits under the steps down to the berth area.

Typically this only occurs when the boat attitude is changed significantly (for us, loading onto a trailer and transporting the boat). 

[marcusv]

No changes have been made to the boat. It doesn't have airconditioning. Only the Webasto heater. 
This is the first time I noticed this problem. 

The Dometic refrigerator has a small outlet in the bottom. I have now turn off the refrigerator to see if new water will leak. 
In the meantime I will open this small space to see if any damage has been done.

[venus1]

I have the same issue, and I know others have too. No aircon.
I thought it may have been the fridge (as mentioned above), but it seems to correlate more with rainfall.
I haven’t managed to trace the source.
In my case it’s only an occasional spoonful.
Like you I’m tempted to drill into the “box” under the upper step (wondering if it’s filled with water..)
I’ve taken some comfort knowing the issue is common :/

[markkastelic]

Hi, I have the same issue and I am wondering if you have had found any solutions?
Thank you

[lynnardm]

Last fall with the rains I noticed water at the steps on my 2019 NC895. I traced it to wet areas at the bottom of the fwd port and starboard side windows and finally determined it was failure of the windshield seal on both the port and starboard sides. Removing the sealant/caulk and resealing with black silicon sealant fixed it. I now again have a totally dry hull :,)

Capt’n Lynn

[Ryan]

Hello all, 
First time posting! Just purchased an NC 895 and have similar water issues (thx PNW). 

Rainwater is coming from the bottom of starboard helms sliding door. It appears the door's exterior track is not draining rainwater and is backfilling under the door, to the helm station and down the salon stairs (similar to first poster issue). Hope this helps.


-Ryan H.
 

[venus1]

Hello Marco and others,
I am replying to this thread again as I’m still perplexed at this “water under steps” issue, and I believe it is a common problem.
I know that in my case, it is not from the fridge, nor the side door. It happens after rain.

I’m tempted to drill into the box to have a look and maybe control drainage,  and would be keen to hear whether anyone has done this.
Also, Marco, can you discuss the holes with the blue arrows in your photo?
Cheers

[darbyjsthompson]

We have an 855, so build is a bit different and I'm not sure how well this will translate.

We have similar occasional water drips from mid step towards the forward berth. My current best guess is water entering the space under the floor from rear door.

We've noted the water dripping out when we've had the back door open a lot on very rainy PNW days (ie: fishing) or when kids have been swimming or otherwise tracking a lot of water over the threshold. The water only appears out the steps berth when we have any downward pitch forward -- like when we anchor, or simply come off the power, or if the weight distribution otherwise comes more forward than when we are in the cockpit or underway.

So, our conclusion is that whenever there is any water around the threshold of the cabin entry it will eventually find it's way forward and out from under the floor at the steps.

We don't get water coming out the step when there is water in the cockpit and the doors are closed - for example, when we wash the boat, or are otherwise buttoned up on a rainy-day run. It's almost definitely water we bring with us into the cabin.

That said, if the drain holes in the track of your rear door become clogged, it could easily overflow inside the cabin, go under the floor, and find the same way forward. We get a lot of rain so I am very studious about keeping these clear -- same with the side door where we've also had water come inside because of clogged drain.

Also, it's possible the water is cumulative and so might not always appear. I can't find any other egress for water under the floor, so it could well stay there from occasional splashes until ultimately draining when the boat tilts forward. 

I have no doubt Capt Lynn is right about his leak, but that's not the issue we have.