RT188P Wet Compartments

[exFirefighter]

I took delivery of a RT188P in June. On a fishing trip in July my boat sat out in a heavy evening rain. The next day I discovered water in ALL but one of my compartments. My front right compartment had an open plastic tote in it for wacky worm storage and had about a quarter cup in it. The right rear compartment had maybe a teaspoon. I emptied my boat and took it to the dealer for this issue along with a couple others. Their answer was to adjust the latches to close tighter. When I got the boat home I did a little test and still had water coming in. I decided to investigate and this is what I did and discovered.
I removed the gaskets from all of the compartments. The gasket is a "U" shaped channel with rubber hose attached to it. The channel has an aluminum core with a vinyl covering. When I removed the gasket I found the channel was expanded or widened in some areas. Being aluminum, I was able to pinch them back into shape. I put a bead of silicone in the channel and remounted them. When I remounted the gaskets, being sure to press them into the corners, some of them came up short...up to half an inch. Where the two ends of the gasket come together, there is a piece of plastic rod connecting the top hose section. Where the gasket came up short, I filled the gap with silicone. I did this to all the storage compartments that had a gasket.
The rear deck compartments are different, they do not have a gasket. They are basically a plastic tub with a lip. The only way the water can get in is through the latch. I removed the latch and found it to have three parts. There is the top part with the "T" latch that screws into a piece on the underside. There is a rubber gasket between the two pieces. I researched the latches and found they are most likely "Perko" T latches. They can be mounted over smooth or carpeted surfaces. Their installation instructions state the rubber gasket is NOT to be used over carpeted surfaces. All mine are installed over carpet. My fix was to cut away the carpet and reinstall with the rubber gasket. I had reservations installing over the carpet even without the gasket. I broke one of my latches trying to remove it and there is one I can't get off. It appears it was mounted when the carpet glue was still wet and had dripped into the edge.
So there are there are four ways water is getting into the compartments. Gasket not pressed into corners tightly, deformed gasket channel, the joint where the gasket ends meet, and the latch being mounted over carpet WITH the rubber gasket.
The inside of my stepbox was also wet. It appears the stepbox does not have it own bottom. It is mounted to the floor of the boat over the carpet and water migrates in. I'm looking for a piece of dry deck to keep items off the carpet in the stepbox.

Rained on me yesterday while fishing.....compartments are dry.

[Bill Reynolds]

Thanks for posting
Very Helpful.

[unknown angler]

Sad thing is it wasn't right from the factory. Ranger has made plenty of those boats, they should be able to get it right.

[Johnnyred]

I have a 2021 RT198P and addressing water getting in the boxes is on my short-list of action items. This a timely post thanks. I am going to review your findings while inspecting my compartments.

[pabasshawk]

Good info thanks. I have been dealing with water in the hatches on my RT198 since new.

[King_Fish]

Great Info... Thank You

[jkirch]

I have a 178 and had water in my back compartments . They have the drop in tubs with a lip. I had water getting around the edge of the lid and going over the lip of the tub. My solution was to take the tub out . It was foamed in which made it a little difficult. Next I added some drains with clear plastic tubing to the corners of the aluminum that the lid closes against. I routed the tubes into the bilge area and reinstalled the tub. I ran a bead of silicone around the edge of the tub and so far no more water has gotten in .

[billwvu05]

Can I ask how you got the tubs out from the foam. My tubs are slightly deformed from too much foam around them causing 3700 boxes to not fit in there. I would like to remove some foam from around them without breaking the tubs.

[jkirch]

I used a pry bar and a lot of patience . One corner would go a little bit then I moved to the next corner and after a while it popped out .I think the hole in the aluminum is actually what held it in more. I first used the pry bar just to bend in the sides of the tub to break it free from the foam .

[wsdv135]

Dude you are the man! I've got a 2013 RT188 (bought it in '17) and that bastard has been soaking wet for years!

[Kdixer]

I have a 2019 RT188 and all 3 front compartments get soaked near the rear deepest section of the compartment. I removed the console and panel where a passenger console would be just to make sure there is no potential for water to get in there. I found the drain hose from the cup holder under the tool holder was clogged so I corrected that issue.

The gaskets around the compartment openings all appear to be glued in properly. But the main issue is the seal is only around 1" tall. The seal would need to be around 1-1/2" tall to actually contact and seal against the compartment lid. I studied on applying some rubber on the bottom of the compartment lids to make up the difference. But after looking at how much water the front deck would collect during a hard rain I came up with an unconventional solution from everything I have read on the issue.

To correct the issue I decided to adjust the rod locker latch a bit looser and applying a rubber strip for the lid to rest on when it closes. I believe the water collects on the deck and channels down the seams of the compartment lids. My theory is that water collects under the rod locker lid until it runs over the bulb seal. Since the storage compartments are all one box with dividers, I believe the water can run into the side compartments from the rod locker. My thought is that the rubber strip holds the rod locker lid up slightly which will allow the water that runs under the rod locker lid to run off into the floor instead of accumulating to the point that it runs over the bulb seal. Due to their height, the bulb seals function as more of a dam than a seal.

[Johnnyred]

Kdixer, post back here to let us know how your solution works, please. I have a 2021 198P and like all the rest my lockers and compartments take on water.

[exFirefighter]

I've only been rained on twice since the mods. The first rain was fairly heavy. Compartments were dry except for step box. Step box get moisture through floor carpet and then develops condensation.

[Mikey D]

I appreciate this thread since I get water in my rod locker. Some good suggested solutions, but is there any reason not to go ahead and drill a couple of holes to allow water to drain out if it does get in? Seems like a simple band-aid to at least reduce the effects.

[Kdixer]

Kdixer, post back here to let us know how your solution works, please. I have a 2021 198P and like all the rest my lockers and compartments take on water.

Well I finally tested my modification. I washed the boat including the carpet to see if the compartments got wet after the modification. The good news is the rod locker stayed dry. The bad news is the modification was not even to keep the side compartments from being over run. It is hard to believe how much water makes its way under the lids. i am planning on adding some drains to the rear corners of the side compartments that drain into the floor. The only drains that are there now are in the front outer corner.

[Mechanic Bob]

I guess I am one of the few as my compartment stay dry, BUT, as the OP stated, because I do not have a carpeted boat. Rubber gaskets on my latches.

[rangerguy35]

Thanks for the post! I am addressing this issue as a winter project to keep me busy. Mine stay pretty dry but I haven't been caught in that monsoon yet lol