2005 26.5 Express - Water in Cabin under cushions

[kman]

I have a 2005 26.5 Express. I am getting water and dampness under the cushions. This is happening primarily towards the rear corners of the cabin. The water seems to appears after I am running in sloppy conditions. I have not seen any obvious leaks from underneath or above. I opened the hatches under the cushions and they are dry. I hosed down the outside of the boat with a high pressure hose all around seams, trim but can't replicate the problem. Sometimes I do see some condensation on the sides of the cabin, but there is significant dampness on the underside of the cushions. Anyone else experience anything similar?

 

[djohnson52]

Kman,

I have a 2001 268 Islander so I am not sure if it is set up the same as yours, but here is my experience. I had a leak that I noticed while running under rougher conditions, mainly with the bow up a little bit while running. It turns out the leak was coming from my wiper arm on the starboard side. The water would get trapped in the wiper motor cover inside the cabin and when the bow was up high enough the water would leak out. I took the cover off and noticed the motor was starting to corrode a little. I cleaned it up with some corrosion block, re-attached the cover and caulked along the top edge of the cover from inside the cabin where it meets the cabin ceiling. I then caulked around the wiper arm on the outside of the cabin and have not had a drop of water inside since.

I have also read that someone found a leak coming from the horn mounting bracket causing the same issue. Hope this helps!

 

[kman]

Thanks for the reply....I will check that, but what is very strange is that the water is mostly under the cushions. It must be seeping down the interior wall somehow, but I have yet to figure it out. I thought I would be able to replicate it by using a hose on the exterior at different angles. No such luck. I have to remember to have someone downstairs next time I am running in sloppy seas to see if they can detect anything. Thanks again, and I'll keep investigating.

 

[lgusto]

I had the same problem for 2 years after buying my "slightly used" Gulfstream. We and the dealer tried everything including soaking every possible entry point. Turns out the rub rail near the bow had been damaged from hitting something. When moving through sloppy conditions, especially a head sea, the hull and the deck seams were opening under the rub rail and letting water come in which eventually pooled in the rear of the cabin under the cushions. A full removal and reseal of all seams and screws was the ticket. The dealer and Grady did this at no cost to me.

 

[Lucky13]

I have the same problem on my 265 i think it is coming down the sides of the cabin somehow. There is a little shelf there and that seams to have asome water in it every once and a while and it would make sence that the water would run down that towards teh back of teh cabin and then get under the cushions. I was going to caulk all the joints over the winter and see if it still happens. Just got the boat this season so trying to enjoy it.

 

[lgusto]

I tried a DIY fix a couple of times without success. A full removal of the rub rail and complete re-caulking was necessary. Now the cabin is dry as a bone.

 

[kman]

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like the rub rail may be a logical next step for me. Appreciate the feedback!

 

[drbatts]

From your description my first guess would be to check the bases of the rail. In my boat I do get some leakage from the windshield washer arm which drains into the cover which will in turn leak in rough conditions. However when this happens it is usually directly below the wiper motor which is the center of the cabin where the 2 cushions meet. I have never seen the water migrate to both sides. but I guess this could be possible.