I am posting this for a friend who has a 1996 Mac 26. I do not know the model number. He has a leak in the water ballast and is having a hard time finding exactly where it is leaking. Has anyone had this problem and if so what did you do? He has tried filling the ballast while the boat is on the trailer but it does not leak there. If he rigs it and puts it in the water it starts to leak.
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Your post is confusing
You stated that the leak is in the ballast, but follow up that the ballast is eliminated from suspicion on the basis of a ballast fill on the trailer. Discovering a leak is a process of elimination. One area of suspicion needs to be eliminated and leave it eliminated and move on to the next suspected area, etc. I recently had this problem like I had never had before. I had gone camping with friends and we took my 26S and did some sailing. As we launched the boat, I thought the ballast valve was closed and went through the normal launch, park the car, place the boom, etc., etc. It dawned on me to go open the valve before we took off........it already was and overflowing. I didn't think it bad so we went on. There was excellent wind and the lake was large and we were able to get on a port reach and hold it for about 5 miles. We did a tack and went on for another 3+ miles and then the return to camp. I beached the boat for the night and the boat rested on the bottom toward the starboard side. Next morning, the boat really listed to that side but seemed ok as we took off. More similar sailing, but as we prepared to leave, the tires on the trailer were rediculous and the pull up the ramp nearly impossible. Looked under starboard seat after draining ballast. Lots of water. Turned on bilge...........very slow drain. When I got home and went into boat, I stepped into ankle deep water. Never saw that before!! Bail and pump again and check everything. Suspected ballast, like you, and filled on trailer. Nope! Crawled inside storage to find the massive crack that I couldn't see from outside. Not there! You know what was? Broken drain hose from the bilge pump and sink that I teed together. On port tack and sitting overnight to that side, I had pumped almost the entire bottom of my boat full of water. I reworked my ballast drain seal anyway, and repaired the drain lines for the sink and bilge. Simple solution, but all that bailing and blowing fans to dry out the bilge area.........ran up the electric bill. Sprinkled around some talc to use as a tell tale for any leaks. Rain exposed one rubrail drip, but encouraged me to re-caulk everything. If your ballast is not leaking (and I doubt that it is unless you've drilled through it from the top), then you need to look elsewhere........one at a time. Check the transom (rudder mount), etc. Check the most obvious spots first, then when they are eliminated, start at one end and go toward other systematically. Good luck.........hope this helps!!
You stated that the leak is in the ballast, but follow up that the ballast is eliminated from suspicion on the basis of a ballast fill on the trailer. Discovering a leak is a process of elimination. One area of suspicion needs to be eliminated and leave it eliminated and move on to the next suspected area, etc. I recently had this problem like I had never had before. I had gone camping with friends and we took my 26S and did some sailing. As we launched the boat, I thought the ballast valve was closed and went through the normal launch, park the car, place the boom, etc., etc. It dawned on me to go open the valve before we took off........it already was and overflowing. I didn't think it bad so we went on. There was excellent wind and the lake was large and we were able to get on a port reach and hold it for about 5 miles. We did a tack and went on for another 3+ miles and then the return to camp. I beached the boat for the night and the boat rested on the bottom toward the starboard side. Next morning, the boat really listed to that side but seemed ok as we took off. More similar sailing, but as we prepared to leave, the tires on the trailer were rediculous and the pull up the ramp nearly impossible. Looked under starboard seat after draining ballast. Lots of water. Turned on bilge...........very slow drain. When I got home and went into boat, I stepped into ankle deep water. Never saw that before!! Bail and pump again and check everything. Suspected ballast, like you, and filled on trailer. Nope! Crawled inside storage to find the massive crack that I couldn't see from outside. Not there! You know what was? Broken drain hose from the bilge pump and sink that I teed together. On port tack and sitting overnight to that side, I had pumped almost the entire bottom of my boat full of water. I reworked my ballast drain seal anyway, and repaired the drain lines for the sink and bilge. Simple solution, but all that bailing and blowing fans to dry out the bilge area.........ran up the electric bill. Sprinkled around some talc to use as a tell tale for any leaks. Rain exposed one rubrail drip, but encouraged me to re-caulk everything. If your ballast is not leaking (and I doubt that it is unless you've drilled through it from the top), then you need to look elsewhere........one at a time. Check the transom (rudder mount), etc. Check the most obvious spots first, then when they are eliminated, start at one end and go toward other systematically. Good luck.........hope this helps!!
we used air
A friend used air pressure to look for leaks in the ballast tank on his Mac. We used a shop-vac in to the vent hole to pressurize the tank. It was leaking under the main cabin floor. He cut the floor out with a roto tool, it just lifts away in one piece. There was a piece of 1/4" plywood sitting between the tank and the floor skin. The tank had been poorly glassed at the factory in two spots. Some air and some soap showed them up quite easily. He patched it up, works fine now. Bob
A friend used air pressure to look for leaks in the ballast tank on his Mac. We used a shop-vac in to the vent hole to pressurize the tank. It was leaking under the main cabin floor. He cut the floor out with a roto tool, it just lifts away in one piece. There was a piece of 1/4" plywood sitting between the tank and the floor skin. The tank had been poorly glassed at the factory in two spots. Some air and some soap showed them up quite easily. He patched it up, works fine now. Bob
Bob, I'm curious
Perhaps we should discuss this off forum, but I considered using air myself. I just coudn't figure out how I would ascertain exactly where the air leaked out. Can you tell me just how you figured out where to start cutting, etc. Everytime I take a drill or saw to my boat, it takes a lot of gut wrenching first. I was concerned about the same thing you found. Thankfully, it wasn't, but I'd still like to have the knowledge in case a leak there should ever develop. Thanks
Perhaps we should discuss this off forum, but I considered using air myself. I just coudn't figure out how I would ascertain exactly where the air leaked out. Can you tell me just how you figured out where to start cutting, etc. Everytime I take a drill or saw to my boat, it takes a lot of gut wrenching first. I was concerned about the same thing you found. Thankfully, it wasn't, but I'd still like to have the knowledge in case a leak there should ever develop. Thanks
used sound
Hi Larry, the boat had quite a bit of water inside (it was on the hard) and so we could easily track down a leak to within a few inches by the sound of air gurgling up through the water. I was surprised the floor was not attached to the ballast tank, it is just sitting on top. He had one leak in the tank under the floor just in front of the galley counter. We could hear it from inside the cabinet and could see the air coming out there from under the floor. He cut the floor out in the groove near the edge just as the non-slip ends and the edge cove begins. The whole thing just came right out, it appears that the lower inside liner is one piece and is only attached to the boat under the seats, in the bilge area. We could easily see the leaks and mark them once the floor was out of the way. The water was vacuumed up and the leaks were repaired with epoxy. The 1/4" piece of plywood between the floor and the tank was not in very good shape and was replaced. The floor is still just sitting there, only thing holding it in place is gravity. I think he is waiting a while to see if all is well before putting it back down with some epoxy. I hope this answered your question, Bob
Hi Larry, the boat had quite a bit of water inside (it was on the hard) and so we could easily track down a leak to within a few inches by the sound of air gurgling up through the water. I was surprised the floor was not attached to the ballast tank, it is just sitting on top. He had one leak in the tank under the floor just in front of the galley counter. We could hear it from inside the cabinet and could see the air coming out there from under the floor. He cut the floor out in the groove near the edge just as the non-slip ends and the edge cove begins. The whole thing just came right out, it appears that the lower inside liner is one piece and is only attached to the boat under the seats, in the bilge area. We could easily see the leaks and mark them once the floor was out of the way. The water was vacuumed up and the leaks were repaired with epoxy. The 1/4" piece of plywood between the floor and the tank was not in very good shape and was replaced. The floor is still just sitting there, only thing holding it in place is gravity. I think he is waiting a while to see if all is well before putting it back down with some epoxy. I hope this answered your question, Bob
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