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Random Quote: All the world's a bowl and us just boaters in it. We have our entrances and our exits...
Those circular deck plates over your main gas tank that is.. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]
After removing and rebuilding [with epoxy of course] the hatch over the main tank and rebedding those two press-in deck plates, i still get water that enters through there and wets the tank and ends up in the bilge. I changed the 'o' ring around the plates but water will still enters with a strong down pour of rain. I like to keep thing as dry as possible with the gas tank which is now 17 years old. Heard of guys using 4200 to seal them up and some guys using vaseline around the edges so they can still remove them without the fuss.
Don't have a Grady but thanks for the tip. I do have access plates for the tanks and never thought to check for water leakage - that's a good idea - especially with the aluminum tanks and the fittings in that area. Maybe its just the gaskets or you've worn down the plastic threads (or twist lock nubs) so they don't really fit good??
I don't know what 4200 is but make sure it doesn't react with the gasket material. If so Vaseline might do it.
Ahoy mate,
Those covers are called Beckson Plates and indeed they are notorious for leakage on Grady's but I suspect that other vessels suffer the same effects. The ones on my Grady are not even the screw in O ring type but rather the snap in type. I have found that only one is really a problem and that one just happens to be over my auxillary tank sending unit. Water leakage at this plate will remain trapped on top of my tank. I carefully inspected my hoses and tank at this area, replaced the sending unit and used 4200 to rebed the outer ring. Going one step further I also sealed the snap in cover with 4200. After a full season I decided to remove the Beckson plate for inspection since I am wet berthed. That area stayed bone dry! I resealed it and made sure to caulk all deck seams and screw holes especially in the splash well. Now the most water I get is about a quart that the pump just wont pump out in the aft bilge. Everything else is bone dry. Seal everything up tightly with 4200 and only worry about access if you have a problem. By the way please check your thru hull fittings and scupper drain tubes. They are also notorious for leakage!
My 1988 Grady C/C had a problem with the aux. tank sending unit corroding and sending a false signal to the gas gauge because of the inspection plate leaking.
This happened the first year I had the boat.
What I did after I cleaned the sending unit and getting it working properly was to put a big glob of grease from my grease gun right over the sending unit.....covered it up completely.
I had the boat for 12 years after that and I told the new owner what I had done and to check it out and it has been fine since.
Just condensation can cause you problems so I don't think you are ever going to have a completely dry bilge.
Good luck..............Booby
Our '82 Grady has the snap deck plates that leak water also. One is in the motor well and one over the fuel tank. The one in the motor well isn't too bad as water really has sit in the well before leaking, but I need to shore up the one over the fuel tank. The sending unit went bad last year due to water leaks.
I just contacted Grady to find out the dimensions of those plates for my '85 CC as I have heard that aftermarket ones don't fit. Anyway, here's the response I got:
In early models we were using deck plates by Tempress. Unfortunately, they are no longer producing deck plates. Later model 204F's had deck plates manufactured by Beckson. They are still available and can be contacted at 203-333-1412. If your boat has tempress plates they can be replaced with Beckson plates but the holes will need to be routed out to a little larger
diameter."
AHOY BACK... [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]
I too have the push in type and they have the clear circular 'o'ring not the neoprene that I've seen on some of the newest Gradys. At the advise of Grady, I keep the stop plug in the exit/drain tube of the gas tank compartment closed in the bilge. But after a hard rain I open it and perhaps a half gallon of water comes out into the bilge. Then when I open one of the press-in inspection lids and stick my hand in to touch the backside of my deck things are all wet and humid: not good. I think I will just seal them up with the 4200 after airing the compartment out.
Oh and about those 1 1/2" deck drain scuppers... several years ago mine cracked and were replaced. The wood had minimal wetness damage since they were bedded down with alot of 5200. Seems boat builders like to over tighten them when installing. But later on with vibration and use they typically crack.
GW204.. Your local Grady retailer/dealer should have those in stock in the exact color and hole configuration you need. They will bite you on the price. My local dealer wanted $20 each. If its worth it, you may want to call around and see if they have them.
Anybody else use a different solution aside from vaseline or 4200 for those access lids??
[This message was edited by NIGHTIDES on 09-10-02 at 11:54 PM.]
The stop/drain plug you are referring to, is that accessed from deckplate in the motor well? Sounds like something I need to check!
I'm going to just install the Beckson plates. It may take a little work to get them to fit to my abnormally high, sometimes anal standards but that's OK. At Boatfix.com, you can get the 4" screw in plates for like $6 and the 8" snap in for around $9. I wish Beckson made an 8" screw in with a non-skid surface. I bet they'de sell a lot of them. I know I'd buy.
Just installed new tank in boat after original tank gave way. Bottom of tank is where metal began to give do to old age. I resealed inspection plate when i had tank cover off. Never in million yrs going to stop some condensation and some water getting in . Just have to live with it hope for best.
Hey GW guys, I've had a Gulfstream for 10 years and love it. Am about to have tanks pulled and sent out for cleaning and inspection, pursuant to an article in Boat US magazine about Grady and aluminium gas tanks. I'm sure I have the same problem with inspection plates, but my bilge has stayed pretty dry after correcting a leaking wash down valve.
I have the solid transom walk around variety of Grady hull and in the bilge there are two draining pipes. One drains both the rear main gas tank and the auxil tank compartments. The other one I believe just drains the forward area where the front bige pump is loacated. If you have a bilge, I would look there for these drain tubes.
To GW204,
Brian, the drain plug he is talking about is accessed through the aft beckson plate in the splash well. It is a rubber plug at the forward bottom of the bilge area and seals the fuel cell compartment from the bilge area. It should be installed at all times when the boat is in use and only removed periodically for draining water from the contained fuel compartment. I am looking at a Boaters World catalog right now and they have 8" screw in plates. All white ones are $15.99 and white ring with clear cover are $17.99 each. I don't see where those non skid ones are really necessary, they are well recessed to begin with. If you absolutely must have non skid surfaces then simply apply a non skid paint or non skid sticker to the cover. The screw in plates are really the ticket for this.
Thanks. I got a chance to pull it yesterday and to my surprise, very little water came out. I'de have to say less than half a quart. Knowing my recent luck, I was expecting gallons... [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] Thanks for point it's location out. Now I know to check it periodically.
Grady came out a few years ago with a tech tip in their newsletter about using liberal quantities of fresh water to (twice a season?) thoroughly rinse out the whole gas tank compartment. They are worried about salt water intrusion - sounds like they acknowledge that water will get in there, they just want to make sure that the salt water doesn't build up. Mine is a 94 208 Adventure, and the good news is that tank access is easy; I had mine out several years ago to install a fresh water tank behind the gas tank. Thought I remember that Grady suggested NOT using a plug to isolate the gas tank compartment but can't remember why.
I do not have a Grady, however, my access plates leak also. I just use some cheap clear silicone to seal them up. I use the cheapest clear silicone that Wal Mart sells. When I am ready to open the hatches, i just run a bait knife around the seam and pop them right open. When I am ready to re-seat them, i scrub off the old silicone with a scotch brite, put the plate back in, and silicone it sealed
I have a GW 1993 209 Escape and seem to be pumping allot of water out of the bilge.* One thing not mentioned here is the seams around the center console border on the deck.* There appears to be some ort of calking here that is dried up...could this be a source as well? *
Just last summer I purchased replacement gaskets for the large retangular hatches (only $1.50 each) as well as those for 6" & 8" round Snap-In inspection ports, less than a buck, I think 2 for a buck even.
FWIW I lube them up liberally with a blue synthetic waterproof grease like the OMC/Bombardier "Triple Guard" grease, plus I clean them twice or more during the season. Every other year I replace the O-Rings. That said, not a drop of water enters those ports !
Call TOLL FREE @ 877-2FISHON or 877-234-7466 for the replacement Tempress O-Rings and/or gasket material.
__________________ [red]MISS TEAK[/red], 25' Parker mod-V Sport Cabin "Life's too short to own an ugly boat ..." www.classicparker.com
Hey Grady guys... do yours leak too...??? 
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