G Owners: potential water damage to amps

[nyryan2001]

Guys- check where that cup holder... The one right in front of your port windshield by the safety latch... Watch where that drains onto. Pour some water in that cup holder and watch where it drains and if you are ok with that.

suggest you attach some drain tuning and re-reroute the water, or, plug the hole in the bottom of the SS cup holder
with a blob of silicone at a minimum.

Jeff- this might be worth a call to Nautique for a simple $2 tech bulletin.

25mph winds with water spray in just the right direction.... Significant event this weekend.

[MLA]

Is this potential water damage to the factory or dealer/customer installed amps in the OEM location?

[NautiqueJeff]

I am going to check this next time I am out. I don't need water pouring all over my Roswell amps and sub!

[nyryan2001]

Is this potential water damage to the factory or dealer/customer installed amps in the OEM location?

likely both. If you have amps mounted on that OEM location wall, water would drip directly on... Or uncomfortably close. I have 3 amps on that wall, one took probably 6oz? Maybe right down an amp vent.

If I recall... The left side of the OEM Polk 5 channel would get dripped on... Or very very close.

imagine a 1000w rms amp/sub going to full max distortion max volume. I though I hit a log and ripped the rudder off. Cut everything off, aired it out for 48hrs... Alls back to normal, no damage. I plugged the drain in the cup holder with silicone.

just FYI, check your setups... Not a good place for a drain, and the water has no where to go, no drains down to the bilge....it'd just sit in that compartment. Less than ideal design. If you left it in rain... It would drip down there for hours, into a stagnant non-draining compartment and fill.

Think we we could drill a small 1/8" hole in the lowest part of that compartment to allow water to hit the bilge and get pumped/drained out? <--- another question for Natiique.

[NautiqueJeff]

Yeah, I'll check with them tomorrow on that. Certainly should have a hose or be plugged.

[nyryan2001]

Glove box grove channel also drains just forward of the trash door... Another drain into a sealed compartment. Would be an issue for a G left in the rain... Again, that port compartment is sealed, no drains to the bilge. Likely need to drill a small hole to allow the water to drain into the bilge instead of pool in that compartment.

and yes, OEM subs would get soaked from that cup drain.

[s_kelley2000]

I don't have a G but when I upgraded to the OEM stainless cup holders on my boat I ran drain lines down into the bilge to avoid water dripping near my amps and sub. I was able to get tubing at Lowes/Depot and this has worked well for me going on it's 3rd season. Next time I am in the boat I will grab the tubing size and post it up.

[nyryan2001]

yep, very simple fixes...just a terrible situation if its not fixed, and you find your boat left in the rain

really there are 2 issues:

1. the cup drains directly onto or very close to your amps and OEM sub.

2. The cup drain and the glove box grove drain both dump into a sealed compartment that wont drain to the bilge, it'd just continue to fill. along that lower right grove corner in the bottom of the compartment.

so for those folks who left their Gs in the rain, and depending on the direction the wind is blowing, perhaps onto the glove box... that bow cup holder and the glove box grove drain would continue to drain and fill into that compartment. For those folks with the high end sub enclosures placed in there, they'd be water soaking before you know it without a drian to the bilge to let that water out

[axeman]

This isn't limited to just the G series boats. My 2014 230 has the same problem. I noticed it last weekend and was planning on having the dealer install tubing like on my previous Nautiques that would drain down into the bilge.

My guess is that the 2014 210 is also affected but we'll need to wait until someone can confirm that.

[NautiqueJeff]

Yep, mine is right over my Roswell amps! I'll be plugging that before I take it out next time!

[EarmarkMarine]

likely both. If you have amps mounted on that OEM location wall, water would drip directly on... Or uncomfortably close. I have 3 amps on that wall, one took probably 6oz? Maybe right down an amp vent.

If I recall... The left side of the OEM Polk 5 channel would get dripped on... Or very very close.

imagine a 1000w rms amp/sub going to full max distortion max volume. I though I hit a log and ripped the rudder off. Cut everything off, aired it out for 48hrs... Alls back to normal, no damage. I plugged the drain in the cup holder with silicone.

just FYI, check your setups... Not a good place for a drain, and the water has no where to go, no drains down to the bilge....it'd just sit in that compartment. Less than ideal design. If you left it in rain... It would drip down there for hours, into a stagnant non-draining compartment and fill.

Think we we could drill a small 1/8" hole in the lowest part of that compartment to allow water to hit the bilge and get pumped/drained out? <--- another question for Natiique.

Even though the amp dried out and is working I suspect you could be in for an amp failure in the future if you let it go. The moisture may have done the beginning of some corrosive damage when the water hit the live circuit board. If it were mine I would pull the amp and open up the amp case. Soak everything liberally with tuner cleaner (Radio Shack) and let the tuner wash drip down into everything. It displaces moisture. When the circuit board is exposed, if you see any corrosion (look for milky or chalky areas especially) soak that area with tuner wash and scrub it good with a toothbrush. If you catch it early you can sometimes stop any potential liquid damage like this. Left untreated the amp may fail weeks or months down the road, or may start having intermittent problems.

Odin

[swankster]

Great heads up. Thanks Ryan

[nyryan2001]

Ok round two.

this issue really wants to show it's a$Z.

so even with the drain hole plugged with silicone the spray action (25-30mph cross winds) made it's way around the cup seam and still managed to turn my boat into sounding like an angry herd of African Elephants at a full run with the sub at max distortion.


Fix:

yank the entire cup holder out, it's likely marginally sealed from the factory, obviously mine wasnt done right Plug the center hole of the cup holder with silicone from both sides.

Then lay a 1/8" bead of silicone all the way around the cup hole to ensure a water tight seal, re-Install cup holder. Wipe excess.

[jrz1]

Great post

[NautiqueJeff]

Looks like they fixed this for 2016.