Water collecting at deck level after drilling a pilot hole.

[Grover70]

On a post about "Below the Battery Tray" I was going over some drainage issues and then this came up. I thought I'd post a new thread to see if there would be some more input from you fellow boaters who were not following the original post.

In order to get some drainage from chronic water collecting around my battery trays, I drilled a 2-3" pilot hole. I stopped at about 2 1/2" because I became concerned about the depth and hitting no void. I capped the hole and left it alone until today.

Today, I removed the plug and used a wire and explored the bottom of the hole. Suddenly, the hole filled with water. It beads up to the top of the deck but does not flow over. Now I am a little concerned. Where is this water originating from? This video shows a paper towel whisking up the water, then the hole filling. Mind you, the hole is only about 3" at the most. Why would water be at deck level on a boat that's been sitting dry for over a week? It's salt water, which I was in. And now I know the balsa wood sandwiched between the foam is exposed. It won't stop filling to deck level. I'm taking it into Yamaha for another warranty issue on Tuesday they are fixing. Now this too I guess.

 

[Grover70]

Additionally:
I removed the two screws of the white retainer that keeps the battery tray from moving and the holes were damp. Not 100% certain if that water came from above or below the deck though.

 

[Tailwaters]

Any word from the dealer?

 

[Grover70]

Any word from the dealer?

Not yet. I don't expect to hear anything from corporate until after the Thanksgiving craziness is over.
The dealer accidentally broke my trailer emergency brake cord so I got that to get fixed now too.
It's always something!
Should have gotten a canoe....

 

[ClemsonTiger]

No, don't say that. Those manufacturing robots by Yamaha Motor Corp, USA are top notch incapable of defects. Quality Quality Quality is all that can be said!

 

[Tailwaters]

Keep us up to date on Yamaha's response. My boats sitting in storage behind my office and I've just not had enough motivation to haul a heater out there to start correcting some of the drain issues.

 

[Grover70]

Keep us up to date on Yamaha's response. My boats sitting in storage behind my office and I've just not had enough motivation to haul a heater out there to start correcting some of the drain issues.

Merry Christmas!
We've taken the boat out a few times and had a bone-dry bilge. However, the water was still under the deck filling that hole I tapped.
I think I figured out the cause: The screw holes that hold in the battery trays and the small spacers were never filled with any silicone. Water that gets in there from washing down the deck has entered the screw holes and fills the voids below. When I mentioned this to the dealer he said it made sense and said those holes were supposed to be filled with a sealant. Whether that's true or not I don't know but he said they would do that for me. I've placed box fan over the hatch to slowly dry out the water and hope that is enough. In any case, the claim with Yamaha is on file should anything further down the line happen.