1988 32' Carver Montego Structurac repair and wate

J

Jsboettcher

Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2006
RO Number
20066
Messages
1
I am looking for feedback from other owners, or repairers.

I own a 1988 32' Montego and I am getting water from the engine compartment to slowly flow into the mid-cabin bilge area (where the waste-water holding tank is, not in the area below the aft cabin ( where the bilge pump is).

On the starboard side of the engine compartment, there appears to be a black corrugated plastic hose that is running from the engine compartment through the bulkhead and into the living area of the boat. If anyone has any things to check, or information as to how to disassemble parts of the boat for inspection, please let me know, please.

I also just noticed a 36" crack in the area near the waste holding tank. The crack is where the stringer/brace (runs the length of the boat)on the starboard side of holding tank. if the removable floor section is removed to view the holding tank, the crack in on the brace/stringer that the A/C water circulation mounts to.

Has anyone ever seen or dealt with something like this? is this a pattern failure?

Thanks
Jamie
 
I've got a Mariner which uses the same hull as the Montego. I've heard that if the boat is lifted and/or blocked improperly, the stringers can pop from the hull. From your description, that is what it sounds like.
 
Yep. As a previous 3257 owner I have to agree with cmariner's assessment of your stringer issue. The water seeping forward is something we always had as well but I doubt its related to the stringer issue.

I don't think you can count on a dry bilge with that boat...we always had some water in the bilge and found that it would move forward when the boat was at rest and towards the stern when at cruise. I made it a point to suck the excess water out of the forward bilge with a shop vac every so often. Never got more than a few gallons. When we went out and got up on plane I made it a habit to manually operate the aft bilge pump so we could expel some of the water that moved aft.

Get the stringer fixed and don't sweat the water in the bilge.
 
Yeah, the water in the bilge isn't much of a concern, but that stringer is. Don't let water get in that crack for very long or the repair bill will likely get much bigger!!!
 
The forward bilge gets water from the engine compartment. As well, rain water will find its way in. This is normal. The bilge pump under the aft cabin and under the forward cabin are mounted too high to drain it. I mounted a small pump just aft of the holding tank, but it still won't get all the water, a shop vac is the only way to get it out (if you really need to get it out, that is). I can't imagine that water would be entering the bilge from the crack that you describe, but as Pete suggested, if the crack is in an area that is submerged, it's an issue. I don't think that I have ever had water up to that stringer.
 
Jamie,
I owned a 1988 3257 Carver Montego for 9 years, however sold it last year and moved up. Great boat.

The waste tank is mounted to a board that is attached to the stringer. Are you sure it is not the board that has seperated from the stringer. If it is lower and towards the bottom of the hull then it sounds like your stringer may be cracked. You should address this issue quickly. I personally have not heard of any stringers popping on these boats.

With regards to the water intrusion, I use to get water in the forward section of the boat under the forward berth due to condensation from the AC unit. I corrected this by running a drain line to the shower sump pump.

I also would get water in the mid section of the boat that ran from the aft (were the engines were located) to the mid section. When running the boat on plane it would drain to the aft. When comming off plane, the water traveled to the mid section. I noticed that it was from my shaft seals. I changed them to dripless which corrected the issue. The mid section was dry.

If your boat is in salt water it will be easy to determine if it is salt water comming in from your shaft seals or fresh water entering into the boat when it rains.

Here is a picture of the dripless shaft seals I used.

85202200.jpg


85202196.jpg


69064781.jpg
 
To the Montego owners above,

I am selling my boat and if it sells I am looking to go to a larger carver. The 32 Montego is high on my list but I am curious how the boat handles the open water as well as on the dock since it has such a flat bottom (6 degrees I believe). Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jim
 
My 28 Voyager has pretty much the same shape of hull and it will take as much as my body can. I've had it out in 3'-4' seas quite often and it handles it just fine.

The spacing between the props make it very maneuverable in tight quarters as well.

Bob
quote:
Originally posted by ChefJunk

To the Montego owners above,

I am selling my boat and if it sells I am looking to go to a larger carver. The 32 Montego is high on my list but I am curious how the boat handles the open water as well as on the dock since it has such a flat bottom (6 degrees I believe). Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jim

Click to expand...
 
Great boat at the dock (very stable and the wide beam makes for incredible space). On flat water it will run faster than one would expect for a boat that size and cruise comfortably at 3200 RPMs making about 24 knots. We boat in the Chesapeake Bay which is known for its "chop" and had her out in 3 to 5 foot chop several times. While the flat bottom made her bang through the chop, once you learn the characteristics of the vessel you'll find yourself very confident with her handling. Overall, great boat!

BTW, Happy Anniversary to this thread!!![:-party]
 
i realize that this is an old thread, but i've always thought/believed that forward bilges should be sealed from the engine compartment on a gas boat so that a gas leak woudlnt' send fumes to the main cabin where you will have non ignition protected components?

not sure why you would want them to be linked in the first place.
 
Exactly why I plugged mine off a long time ago. They are connected and can flow as far forward as the V drives "so drip seals can drain" but from there forward everything is sealed off.This fall I'm going to install dripless seals so may even seal it off even further.

Bob

quote:
Originally posted by PascalG

i realize that this is an old thread, but i've always thought/believed that forward bilges should be sealed from the engine compartment on a gas boat so that a gas leak woudlnt' send fumes to the main cabin where you will have non ignition protected components?

not sure why you would want them to be linked in the first place.

Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top