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Drainage Issues

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Brad Simpson

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Just received my new triton about three weeks ago. First of all I really enjoy the Bennington and am pretty happy with the product. However, I went thru my first rain storm with the boat uncovered. I have encountered severe drain problems. All my front storage areas acquired several inches of water with no where to drain. I noticed the drain holes in the channels under the seat tops drain directly into the storage areas that do not have drains. Some holes were just partially drilled, some not at all. The console indentations below the gauges also filled with a couple inches of water. (worried about gauges and switches). I get you should put dry containers under seats for items that should not get wet, however life jackets and other item will mildew if not pulled out to dry every time it rains or kids with wet swim trunk sits on the seat. These drain channels should have drain tubes directing water away from storage areas. A simple fix that would not be very costly but would solve a lot of problems.  A little disappointed this issue was overlooked at the factory. I try to compare the Bennington to the Cobalt runabouts I have owned for years....hmmmm
 
 There should be holes in the bottom of the seat bases.
 
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Nope..no holes...just several cups of water. But still a simple drain tube would correct the real problem. Maybe $20 worth of parts tops I have seen it done on several boats I have owned. If you work for Bennington I'm sorry there is no interest in correcting the problem properly...Ill fix it the proper way...but my guard is now up on other corners that may have been cut.....just disappointed 
 
This is a supplier issue or (and I doubt this) a dealer issue. Bennington needs to be made aware (through your dealer) so they can implimanent corrective actions with their suppliers. You are correct that the factory should have caught it. Now that you did, the factory will go abck to the supplier and make sure it does not happen again. This is how products continue to get better and better. Granted, it should have been caught up front, but assisting in making the brand a better brand than it is... now that's what I call partnership.
 
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As nice as Bennington is, I still feel they are where the auto industry was fifteen years ago (or so). I've noticed similar short comings and still have half a dozen outstanding warranty issues. That said, based upon what others have indicated on this forum, I'm confident that they will be taken care of to my satisfaction. Part of what we're purchasing is that seven year bumper to bumper... 
 
Brad Simpson said:
Just received my new triton about three weeks ago. First of all I really enjoy the Bennington and am pretty happy with the product. However, I went thru my first rain storm with the boat uncovered. I have encountered severe drain problems. All my front storage areas acquired several inches of water with no where to drain. I noticed the drain holes in the channels under the seat tops drain directly into the storage areas that do not have drains. Some holes were just partially drilled, some not at all. The console indentations below the gauges also filled with a couple inches of water. (worried about gauges and switches). I get you should put dry containers under seats for items that should not get wet, however life jackets and other item will mildew if not pulled out to dry every time it rains or kids with wet swim trunk sits on the seat. These drain channels should have drain tubes directing water away from storage areas. A simple fix that would not be very costly but would solve a lot of problems.  A little disappointed this issue was overlooked at the factory. I try to compare the Bennington to the Cobalt runabouts I have owned for years....hmmmm
Click to expand...

Put some chipotle burritos under the seats and that will get the drains flowing.
 
Ok guys someone has to quit passing the buck to get this problem corrected. The answer is not to drill holes in the bottom of the seat. Water still passes thru and gets whatever is in this compartment wet. Drilling holes in the bottom of the seat is a very weak answer and it does not solve the problem. If the vendors answer is to drill holes... its the wrong answer. I will personally fix the issue because it scares me that the dealer will be instructed to mickey mouse the fix by drilling holes. I will post pictures of the proper repair when finished. About $30 in parts and everything in the compartment will stay dry. I will install drain tubes like any other quality manufacturer has been doing for years. If Bennington wants to improve quality they have to be part of the partnership.
 
Brad,


Sorry you feel this way about how it "should be done", but all I've ever seen is holes drilled in the seat base water channels. 


Also, who's passing the buck? Did you contact your dealer to take care of drilling the holes out?
 
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I have no problem with drilling holes or doing my own maintenance. Unless my holes are drilled in the wrong place, all the water (at least two cupfuls after an hour of rain) goes right thru to the storage area and sits in the bottom of the storage area. Granted the water would drain out if  holes were drilled in the bottom of the compartment, but the life jackets in that compartment need to be removed and dried out to prevent more than usual mildew. All I'm saying is a simple drain system easily installed will prevent this. This forum is probably not the place to voice improvements to the product. I seems this issue doesn't bother anyone else.  What I mean by passing the buck is saying its the vendors fault that the compartment fills with water when drilling holes that empty into this compartment is a poor design to begin with. The helm had over two inches of water in the pockets in front of the gauges. Sorry but this is unacceptable to me. I do not have a trailer yet and the boat is to far for the dealer to service it easily. I have no problem as of yet with the dealer. They have been very professional so far and great to work with. I will fix the problem, I was just trying to give constructive criticism to improve the product. Take for what it is worth. I do buy a new boat every other year anyway.  
 
Brad Simpson said:
Ok guys someone has to quit passing the buck to get this problem corrected. The answer is not to drill holes in the bottom of the seat. Water still passes thru and gets whatever is in this compartment wet. Drilling holes in the bottom of the seat is a very weak answer and it does not solve the problem. If the vendors answer is to drill holes... its the wrong answer. I will personally fix the issue because it scares me that the dealer will be instructed to mickey mouse the fix by drilling holes. I will post pictures of the proper repair when finished. About $30 in parts and everything in the compartment will stay dry. I will install drain tubes like any other quality manufacturer has been doing for years. If Bennington wants to improve quality they have to be part of the partnership.
Click to expand...

 Please post some pictures of your repairs. Thanks!
 
Brad Simpson said:
I have no problem with drilling holes or doing my own maintenance. Unless my holes are drilled in the wrong place, all the water (at least two cupfuls after an hour of rain) goes right thru to the storage area and sits in the bottom of the storage area. Granted the water would drain out if  holes were drilled in the bottom of the compartment, but the life jackets in that compartment need to be removed and dried out to prevent more than usual mildew. All I'm saying is a simple drain system easily installed will prevent this. This forum is probably not the place to voice improvements to the product. I seems this issue doesn't bother anyone else.  What I mean by passing the buck is saying its the vendors fault that the compartment fills with water when drilling holes that empty into this compartment is a poor design to begin with. The helm had over two inches of water in the pockets in front of the gauges. Sorry but this is unacceptable to me. I do not have a trailer yet and the boat is to far for the dealer to service it easily. I have no problem as of yet with the dealer. They have been very professional so far and great to work with. I will fix the problem, I was just trying to give constructive criticism to improve the product. Take for what it is worth. I do buy a new boat every other year anyway.  
Click to expand...

I have a new Benny as well.  I was a little surprised the first time I raised the seats.  The drain channel holes were mismatched and the front cooler was barely mounted.  (The screws just barely made contact to hold the cooler in place.)  I've used the heck out of my vessel since I got it and have been caught in numerous storms.  I've been a little surprised at how wet items in my under-seat storage gets.  I would love to see what you do to improve the drainage.  Please post some before/after images and the parts used to repair it.


Honestly, I have not contacted the dealer because right now the most important thing for me is to use my boat before it gets cooler.  I've had so much custom work done that my days have been limited...so I'll be patient and fix it a little later in the year. 
 
Brad Simpson said:
I have no problem with drilling holes or doing my own maintenance. Unless my holes are drilled in the wrong place, all the water (at least two cupfuls after an hour of rain) goes right thru to the storage area and sits in the bottom of the storage area. Granted the water would drain out if  holes were drilled in the bottom of the compartment, but the life jackets in that compartment need to be removed and dried out to prevent more than usual mildew. All I'm saying is a simple drain system easily installed will prevent this. This forum is probably not the place to voice improvements to the product. I seems this issue doesn't bother anyone else.  What I mean by passing the buck is saying its the vendors fault that the compartment fills with water when drilling holes that empty into this compartment is a poor design to begin with. The helm had over two inches of water in the pockets in front of the gauges. Sorry but this is unacceptable to me. I do not have a trailer yet and the boat is to far for the dealer to service it easily. I have no problem as of yet with the dealer. They have been very professional so far and great to work with. I will fix the problem, I was just trying to give constructive criticism to improve the product. Take for what it is worth. I do buy a new boat every other year anyway.  
Click to expand...

Never had any problems with water under any of the seats/storage areas. But if any were to get in I have seen properly drilled holes to remove/direct any water away..........
 
Brad, 


I'm not sure that adding any drain tubes to the channels in the channels in the top of the seat bases will help all that much. I don't know about your Benni, but ours, with the SPS hull, sits in a bow high attitude, especially at rest. This means that the water flowing through the upper channels will not necessarily follow the channels to the tubes you plan to install. My seat bases also have channels in the the bottom of the bases, and there are holes drilled there, that allow water to flow out of the seat bases, and onto the vinyl floors below the seats.


The best defense against water intrusion is still your mooring cover, properly installed. We are in Florida, and we get some real gully wompers that have upon occasion caught us while still out on the water. Even then, water has not been a problem for us. I have also owned many convertible cars, and when I have been caught with the top down, I have had lots of water that needed to be drained manually.  That's what happens when it rains. 


As long as the cushions are removable, making the seat compartments water tight is impossible. We keep several "dry" storage boxes for items that have to remain dry. 


My hope for you is that you will enjoy all of the good things that Bennington builds into their products, and not allow yourself to have your experience be soured by what in the overall scope of things is a very minor issue. 
 
Individual seat covers are the best! They are fast and easily accessible to put on in a down pour. I stow them in the front port flip up seat. Takes 2-3 mins. Just an idea! We never have gotten water in the storage compartments. Good luck.
 
When I flipped my seats up I noticed the drain holes did not line up with the bottom section. I realigned them with punch and installed small stainless steel screws adjacent to them to hold the alignment. A small dab of silicone on q-tip and sealed the joint between the layers. So far so go. Was a little time consuming but it would bother me every time I flipped the seat up if I didn't do it. 
 
Thank you for the info. I thought of that... instead I made some drain tubes from a couple cheap supply lines from home depot.($4). made from chromed brass they bend and flare easily and do not rust. I cut 2" sections and flared the ends. I plan on inserting them with silicon into the holes to align and deposit water outside compartments. Clear rubber tubing fits tightly over the tubes if I need to reroute the water i.e. at my helm. Haven't tried them yet but will let every one know if it works. Hopefully it will be a clean application.
 
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