Looks like Yamaha did not address the anchor locker drain issue

[Steven Parker]

I had the opportunity to board an 2017 FSH 190 sport today at a boat show in Brevard country. Was checking out all hatches and the dealer had the center storage area locked. Thought it was strange until I opened the anchor locker and saw what out on the reef had found with his 2016. This is a concern to me when determining if this is a model (deluxe) I want to own. I guess they (Yamaha) are not addressing there quality issues from the past. Wonder if 2018 will produce a better more quality detail boat.

 

[dlkhmk]

Wouldn't hold your breath. According to Yamaha from my contact and others who have posted on here, "they are not aware of any quality control issues".

I've had to seal or tighten every single, fitting, hatch, hose, and clamp. Still a Great boat, even better, if Yamaha could get their quality control squared away.

Most dealers are only concerned with new boat sales, not with quality control on their end either.

 

[Scottintexas]

what a shame,

 

[Julian]

Apparently the checks that Yamaha needed to put in to ensure this problem didn't persist have failed or are yet to be properly initiated..... :-(

 

[Steven Parker]

Thanks to all who commented. I found this concerning to see. Maybe it was just this particular boat that I saw. But it does through caution into making decisions down the road. But when I finally hit the dealers to be more serious in the purchase process I will have to have a back up in mind. So I will be doing more research on other sizes (21 ft) of Yamaha and other manufacturers.

 

[Tonkatoy]

There have been anchor locker drains that haven't leaked with the drain hole in the anchor locker looking unfinished.

My dealer and I tested some he had on the lot. (months ago) I was trying to tell him that all lockers leaked... so we leak tested a few... not many leakers... I was wrong...

I am by no means saying that Yamaha QC has their panties on straight, but it's hard to tell if the locker leaks without a water test.

 

[Hector Leiva]

How do you water test the leak on dry ground?

 

[Tailwaters]

I assumed mine was leaking so I went ahead and pulled the fitting being it wasn't very difficult. I had no gap between the hull and liner. I went ahead and applied some silicone inside the hole and around the fitting and re-installed. I do however have water coming from somewhere but have yet to take the time to figure it out. Only had the boat a couple weeks so have been busy making updates. Once I'm done in that dept I'll start checking all the fittings.

 

[Scottintexas]

@Tailwaters did you see this link from our FAQ tab at the top of the page, it has previous FSH leaks that have been found,

an unfortunate but needed FAQ topic // How to fix your FSH leaks //

https://jetboaters.net/faq/how-to-stop-your-fsh-from-taking-on-water-inside-the-boat.160/

 

[Tonkatoy]

How do you water test the leak on dry ground?

We poured water into the anchor locker from a bucket while stopping up the exterior locker drain hole.

 

[Grover70]

How do you water test the leak on dry ground?

I filled my locker with water to test my seal like Tonkatoy.

 

[Hector Leiva]

Thanks for the reaponse will be checking mine as well.

 

[16'FSHSport]

My locker on my 16' was fine.....and it still is. I'm out on the river a bit and it is a necessity to clean my anchor lines. I can plug my locker drain and fill it up with no leaks at all! HOWEVER obviously at least some people are having issues with the locker specifically and that means Yamaha is having quality control issues. It's not like one....or two.....or three people had this issue.

I have had leaks that I needed and still need to attend to though. For instance my thru-hull drains didn't leak at first. After about 10 hours sure enough they leaked (right at the lower base/rear washer sits at the rounded area of the fiberglass/very little contact making it very easy for it to leak). Easy fix but annoying. Also some of the hardware on the center console drips when it rains. I still have to attend to this.

Over all I am very happy with my 190, BUT I wish I didn't have the issues even if they are cheap to fix.......I shouldn't have to fix them or deal with them.

 

[Brian Filas]

Here is a quick and easy fix. Basically, just roll up a piece of paper. This creates a perfect "gap" between the paper and the fiberglass. Make sure it is sticking up just a bit inside the locker. Then I just squirted some 4200 in between the paper and the fiberglass and use a small dowel to work the material down into the gap to make sure I had good coverage. I also gave the paper a quick twist and pulled it down slightly to make sure there was a good seal between the 4200 and the plastic fitting. Then it dried and I pealed out most of the paper (the rest came off when it got wet). Ended up with a pretty good looking seal with minimal effort. This way you keep the looks of the factory fitting and don't have to drill the hole any bigger.

 

[Grover70]

Here is a quick and easy fix. Basically, just roll up a piece of paper. This creates a perfect "gap" between the paper and the fiberglass. Make sure it is sticking up just a bit inside the locker. Then I just squirted in some 4200 in between the paper and the fiberglass. I did use a small dowel to work the material down into the gap to make sure I had good coverage. I also gave the paper a quick twist. Then it dried and I pealed out most of the paper (the rest came off when it got wet). Ended up with a pretty good looking seal with minimal effort.

Intersting solution. I'm curious to see how it works for you. I used a plastic tube that I inserted and sealed at both ends and along the interior. Works good too.

If you still get water in your changing locker, ensure that the drains are also sealed. When I had water in the bilge sloshing around, that's how it got in there. The drains are not sealed, just screwed into the hull. Once I siliconed those I had no water at all.

 

[Brian Filas]

@Grover70 - My main reason for sealing the gap in the anchor locker is to protect the exposed fiberglass. In the original boats there was a huge gap between the hull and the actual anchor locker insert. This allowed a ton of water to pour in directly into the changing area. On my boat it looks like they finally fixed this by installing the anchor locker directly against the hull (no visible gap). I still, for the life of me, don't understand why they just didn't run a drain all the way through with a sealed flange in the anchor locker (that part might cost all of $5). I agree, most of the water coming into the changing area now is either coming from the bilges, the fish locker fitting, or from too much water on deck (washdown or rain).

However, if this gap is left untreated, water can wick in between the fibers and can cause some serious damage in the long run (usually the gel coat will start blistering). Capillary action can pull water into the surrounding area way farther than one might think and it is impossible to dry out. Again, not sure why Yamaha's design leaves any untreated fiberglass directly exposed to water.

With that said, this fix turned out really well. It was super easy and I was able to retain the original fitting. My only suggestion is to make sure you do this while you have another 4200 project ready to go. That is the most expensive part as it is not a big enough job to waste $15 on a single tube (4200 does not store well). I really wished they made a small tube of 4200 (like they do with 5200).

Hope this helps other FSH owners. Happy boating!

 

[Grover70]

@Grover70 - My main reason for sealing the gap in the anchor locker is to protect the exposed fiberglass. In the original boats there was a huge gap between the hull and the actual anchor locker insert. This allowed a ton of water to pour in directly into the changing area. On my boat it looks like they finally fixed this by installing the anchor locker directly against the hull (no visible gap). I still, for the life of me, don't understand why they just didn't run a drain all the way through with a sealed flange in the anchor locker (that part might cost all of $5). I agree, most of the water coming into the changing area now is either coming from the bilges, the fish locker fitting, or from too much water on deck (washdown or rain).

However, if this gap is left untreated, water can wick in between the fibers and can cause some serious damage in the long run (usually the gel coat will start blistering). Capillary action can pull water into the surrounding area way farther than one might think and it is impossible to dry out. Again, not sure why Yamaha's design leaves any untreated fiberglass directly exposed to water.

With that said, this fix turned out really well. It was super easy and I was able to retain the original fitting. My only suggestion is to make sure you do this while you have another 4200 project ready to go. That is the most expensive part as it is not a big enough job to waste $15 on a single tube (4200 does not store well). I really wished they made a small tube of 4200 (like they do with 5200).

Hope this helps other FSH owners. Happy boating!

Good information. Thank you. I hadn't considered the fiberglass fibers doing that. I'm going to take a second look at my handiwork and make sure the seal is solid.