ABA Boat Maintenance & Repair Questions and Responses
The information contained herein is
the opinion of ABA member and marine mechanic Tim Harrington of
Madison Marine Service, Harwich, Massachusetts. Tim is responding to
a question solely based on the information an ABA member provided. Neither
ABA, nor Tim Harrington, nor Madison Marine Service assume any
responsibility or liability for events that occur due to actions you
or others on your behalf take based on the information given in Tim's
response. You are proceeding at your own risk.
Q. My question is a
tad bit perplexing. My 1981, 31' Tiara 310 sport boat seems to kick up
a spray that ends up in the cockpit of the boat and pretty quickly
wets down the boat. I can see the water travels through the
anti-ventilation plates of the out drives and seems normal. Note that
the bottom has no obstructions; the tabs and speedo seem to be
omitting water normally. No matter what I do with the trim, (drives
and tabs) the problem seems to be the same. The only way I can run the
boat without wetting down the back seats and my back at the helm is to
remove all canvas windows and open the center window to alleviate the
station wagon effect. Do you have any ideas?
A.
I have researched if there are any design problems that have come to
light or if other owners have had a similar experience to yours. I
have an idea of what may be happening from your description. I checked
with a company that has experience in sales and service and that has a
great history and reputation. I asked them the same question that you
had asked me, and their reply confirmed my suspicions.
Depending on the structure and canvas, this is a
phenomenon that is created by forward motion and air circulation that
is created by being underway. The boat will create its own mist and
displace water as she moves, the faster your forward speed, the more
water that will be lifted and become airborne. You have already
figured this out, and you have appropriately named this the "station
wagon effect". If your aft panels or your aft canvas can be removed or
placed up and your forward panels opened, this may be the only way to
keep the air flow going in a rearward motion to help minimize the
saturation you're experiencing in the cockpit area and helm. I would
be willing to bet that when the canvas is off, your problem is
minimized. Splash rails may help if you do not have any. That will
also help displace water lower towards the water surface.
