Floor Drain

[badhatharry]

Bought a 2008 Ranger TR177 last month and it surprises me that there is no floor drain. I washed the carpet the other day and the water takes a long time to dissipate. There is a hole for a seat pedestal but it probably wouldn't do much good if there was a seat in place there.

Although we've had an incredibly dry summer, this is Seattle and it will start raining eventually. Should I drill the floor and install a shower drain? And if I do, would I just run into a bunch of foam?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Ski213]

I can't speak to that specific boat. When you say dissipate are you saying standing water or very wet carpet?On mine the water will run off the deck and compartment tops into what is essentially a channel that ultimately leads into the hull and thereby to the bilge. The water that gets in the console areas takes a little longer to drain out and after a heavy rain that carpet will remain wet for a much longer period of time.

You would kind of think they would come up with a little better system to get the water out of that area. If you do a drain of some type my advice would be to make sure that the uppermost surface of the drain is at hard surface level rather than on top of the carpet if that makes sense.

[A-Jay]

Bought a 2008 Ranger TR177 last month and it surprises me that there is no floor drain. I washed the carpet the other day and the water takes a long time to dissipate. There is a hole for a seat pedestal but it probably wouldn't do much good if there was a seat in place there.

Although we've had an incredibly dry summer, this is Seattle and it will start raining eventually. Should I drill the floor and install a shower drain? And if I do, would I just run into a bunch of foam?

Thanks for any suggestions.

IMG_2453_resize.JPG

 

Yes definitely.

 

A-Jay

 

[Ski213]

Also you need to know for absolute certain what you are drilling in to. I re read your post and you're right you could very well hit foam. I have a little, mostly useless, cooler in the floor between the consoles. It has a drain inside. If I were going to install an additional drain I would probably put it in that lid. I think that's where the water in that area ends up anyway. It's also possible that one of the little holes that allow the water to drain to the bilge is clogged up. That may be worth checking before you do any modifications.

[cfalco]

No doubt a sub floor under there will be foam but I have found that 99 percent of the ones I have rebuilt will have a channel or what ever you want to call it under the sub floor down the center of the boat leading back to the battery area.   You could call the manufacture and ask them before you drill but I would bet that area down the center is clear of any foam.  Most have a wall to the left and right of the center that goes from the sub floor down to the hull.  Lots of drains on amazon very cheap you dont need more than a 2 inch which is also a cheap hole saw drill bit to buy at lowes or home depot.   The one I am doing now seemed to like to puddle on the left and right of center so I did drill left and ran into foam, I sealed the hole back up with the piece inside the hole saw and wound up using liquid nails in the large tube form to slope the flooring go pitch the water to the center where the drain is.  You got to figure it out because standing water will ruin your carpet over time.  As to to the fall and winter coming you want that boat dry and aired once covered for the winter or you will have mold and a crummy looking carpet come spring time.  I even open every hatch and put a once inch wood block in them to keep them slightly open during the winter months and even in the summer to keep the inside of the hatches dry.  I live in texas so there are a lot of bugs, spiders etc that want to nest in the boat so once a month I spray all the cabinet areas and all the places that bugs might like with a home boarder bug stuff to keep the little scoundrels out of there.  Nothing worse than not using the boat for a month during the summer and taking the cover off hitting the lake to find a wasp nest being stirred up by the wind and boat movement same goes for the spiders.  Plus all the bugs, mice and other animals around here want to eat the plastic off the wires.     I treat mine like my living room when it is covered up.   

[Way2slow]

look in the corners below the seats and see if there are some holes about 1/2". I've seen a lot of boats put them there and the get plugged up or covered over.

Adding a drain with the floor in may not be possible and do it properly. you don't want it dumping on top of the flotation foam and it may not any way for it to run off it because of other bulkheads. you will also be compromising the water seal if it has a plywood floor that's glassed over and sealed on the bottom side.

[Fishing Rhino]

The best way to get rid of the water in the soaked carpet is a wet or dry shop vacuum.  Use the crevice tool.  A bit of trial and error will show you the best angle to use for best results.  It should take only a few minutes to get rid of the bulk of the water.

 

When done, it should feel nearly dry to the touch.  The carpet on a bass boat can hold a lot of water.  Depending on the size of the boat, you could get well over a gallon of water from the carpet in the cockpit and on the decks.  If you put the boat in the sun, it should be completely dry in less than an hour after vacuuming.  On a dry, breezy, sunny day, the carpet could be completely dry in a few minutes after it has been vacuumed.

 

It a sure way to prevent mold and mildew from forming on the carpet.

 

I'll second what was said about not drilling any holes without knowing what is underneath.  I find it hard to believe that there is not some type of drain(s) in the cockpit. 

[badhatharry]

I found this photo of a 2010 TR177 (mine's a 2008). Evidentally Ranger figured out they had an issue and installed floor drains in later models. Mine does have that little slot you see just behind the drain.  Maybe thats supposed to act as the drain.