[Rhodes22-list] Solar panels and battery storage?

Mon Oct 26 18:28:29 EDT 2026

I agree with Graham. I’m sure that water can pass from cabin to the area under the cockpit. The area forward of the center board is the low spot of the bilge. 
I have a couple of times filled the cabin to the floor boards.  Long story. But when I got pumped out and sponged dry, a half hour later there is another quart or two of water. It has to be coming from the cockpit foam area.  I really don’t thin one should trap water in there. 
If the cockpit cabin bulkhead were sealed , that area could fill any voids and add a lot of weight to the boat. It makes no sense to me 
Ric 
Dadventure.  
Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 26, 2026, at 1:30 PM, Bob Garrant <bgarrant at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I have two solar panels that charge two deep cycle batteries.
> I would like to:
> - remove the batteries and trickle charge them over the winter
> - tarp the boat for the winter
> 
> Normally I left the batteries in the boat and did not tarp it to let the
> solar panels charge thee batteries.
> 
> Any issues with that?
> 
> Thanks
> Bob Garrant
> s/v Sail la Vie
> Kent Island, MD
> 
> 
> Bob
> 
>> On Mon, Oct 26, 2026 at 12:41 PM Weiss, Robert L via Rhodes22-list <
>> rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org> wrote:
>> 
>> I'm pretty sure the boat is unsinkable. As for a while, Stan had a photo
>> online of one completely full of water and still not sunk. (Only Stan would
>> do that.)
>> 
>> Bob
>> 
>> Dr. Robert L Weiss Jr.
>> Director of Music
>> First United Methodist Carbondale, IL
>> Professor Emeritus, SIUC
>> S/V Beach Spring
>> ________________________________
>> From: Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org> on behalf of
>> Graham Stewart <graham at debgraham.ca>
>> Sent: Monday, October 26, 2026 11:38 AM
>> To: The Rhodes Email List <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Cockpit Drainage Channel - Cracking
>> 
>> [EXTERNAL EMAIL ALERT]: Verify sender before opening links or attachments.
>> 
>> On my boat the lazerette bulkhead is sealed off but the bulkhead under the
>> companion way has what I have always thought was a drain hole. As water
>> intrusion below the sole is always possible, if not inevitable, it makes
>> sense to me that it is there.
>> 
>> The purpose of the foam, as I understand it, was to give the boat buoyancy
>> should it be swamped so it was “unsinkable “. I have not heard of a case
>> where that was actually tested.
>> Personally, I would grind out the crack in the lazerette and reglass it -
>> especially if your boat is subject to freezing in the winter.
>> I would look for cracks or holes in the cabin sole where water might get
>> in and fix them.
>> If there is a drain hole below the companion way, I would make sure it
>> isn’t blocked and then use a tube connected to a shop vac to blow air into
>> the cavity for 12 hours or so to dry out the cavity. If the is no drain
>> hole I would be tempted to make one. You don’t want water to get trapped
>> there.
>> 
>> If the cabin sole is very soft, you might cut it out to remove the old
>> foam and replace it. That is not an impossible job but, personally, I would
>> not do it unless the sole is so soft it was cracking.
>> 
>> Not having full flotation makes the Rhodes 22  more like every other boat
>> out there. Repairing fibreglass is a pita for sure but not particularly
>> difficult.  I would be very reluctant to assume the boat is a write off if
>> it is otherwise ok.
>> 
>> Graham
>> Agile, 1976
>> 
>>> On Oct 26, 2026, at 2:10 AM, ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com>
>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Otto,
>>> 
>>> There is floatation foam under the cockpit.  The foam compartment is
>> separated from the lazerette by the bulkhead you are asking about.  If you
>> check in the cabin, you will find a similar bulkhead at the aft end of the
>> cabin back up under the step.  If these 2 bulkheads are compromised, it is
>> possible for bilge water to move from the cabin bilge to the lazerette and
>> vice versa.  If your cockpit/lazerette bulkhead shows damage; then, it is
>> likely your cockpit/cabin bulkhead is damaged as well.  If you have water
>> infiltration into the under cockpit foam, this would be very serious.  It’s
>> probably not a DIY repair job.  Does your cockpit sole feel “punky” or does
>> it oil can?  It should feel as rigid as a concrete sidewalk.  You should
>> have the boat surveyed.  This may cost more to repair than the boat is
>> worth.  Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
>>> 
>>> Roger Pihlaja
>>> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>>> Sanford, MI  1978
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>>> On Oct 25, 2026, at 6:09 PM, Otto Ohngren <ohngreno at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Hello from Oregon,
>>>> 
>>>> My Rhodes 22 was manufactured in 1992 and factory refurbished in 2012.
>> It is sailed on the Columbia River near Hermiston.
>>>> 
>>>> Cracking has developed in the cockpit drainage channel at the aft end
>> of the boat along the bottom exterior of the lazarette. The cracks are on
>> both sides of the scupper hole. They may be the result of a prior freezing
>> event. On the inside of the lazarette the bulkhead seems solid.
>>>> 
>>>> Visible from inside the lazarette below the bulkhead is a slightly
>> recessed parallel secondary wall, which continues to the bottom of the
>> hull. It is positioned near where the scupper plumbing comes through the
>> lazarette. The aft end of the cockpit tub floor (my term) is above that
>> thin secondary wall. There appears to be flotation material on the other
>> side of the wall. The fiberglass fabric making up that secondary wall is
>> deteriorated and torn.
>>>> 
>>>> I’m wondering how common these two conditions are, how serious are
>> they, and what is the best way to repair them? Are the repairs something a
>> versatile owner with no prior fiberglass experience can properly accomplish
>> or are they best left to a pro? Qualified marine fiberglass professionals,
>> if any, are scant in these parts. I’m going to be selling her one of these
>> days and want to ensure these two issues are properly remedied.
>>>> 
>>>> Any insight or suggestions for the good of the cause will be very much
>> appreciated. Photos are attached.
>>>> 
>>>> Thank you,
>>>> 
>>>> -Otto Ohngren
>>>> 
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>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>> 