My boat always takes on a little water in the bilge just sitting there at the slip. What are some typical causes of leaks? I need to take it out of the water in about a month, so I would have time to repaint and try to reseal.
Water in Bilge of Oday 23
- Thread starter G Newboat
- Start date
Every hole in the deck is a potential leaking point, especially after 30 plus years: stanchions, hatches, ports, winches, cleats, mast base etc. all need to pierce the deck to be attached. Suspect all of them. Start isolating the source(s) - you can trace for leaks with paper towels, taping them around the inside of the hull where you suspect a problem, it will be obvious when a towel has gotten wet. Once you determine the source, remove the item and check for core rot - if found you "should" address it but your choice. Then re-bed the fitting with butyl tape - shouldn't leak for a long time.
Yes it is - sorry, was thinking rain water. Again, any piercing of the hull is a potential. On your boat, any through hulls (valves) or the center-board are the likely culprits if water is coming in without rain. I don't think your boat has any other hull penetrations under the waterline. Dry it out and place paper towels around each of them.
O'Day's are known for leaks as they used silicone to seal everything from the factory. Paper, tape and dry erase markers and a good old hose are of many methods for finding leaks. Is it after a rain, sail, etc?
Thankfully (?) I was confused. After a week of dry weather, I haven't taken in an appreciable amount of water, so it must be coming in from above. Which means the toe rails and stanchions are probably allowing water into the deck. I have a tarp over the sliding hatch (which I know leaks), so it has to be other various holes. I have some butyl tape on order. I get the feeling I'll never be done fixing this boat.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 21,206
This is a common, unspoken, feeling among boat owners. Well founded. Perhaps that is why BOAT really means.
“Break Out Another Thousand “.
I don’t know if the build process is the same across multiple years of the 23 but I’ve spent the last six months pulling apart my 1978 23 so that’s where I’m getting my information.
You mentioned toe rails and stanchions as possible entry points for water. Though this is very possible, as until you take the time to do it, not many folks spend the time removing and rebedding hardware the ‘right way,’ based on how my 1978 is put together, if a toe rail or stanchion from, at least, the companionway forward was leaking, any water would hit the hull liner first and end up up running down the inside of the hull in the cabin, across seats, etc. before it found its way to the bilge through a cabin storage locker or the sole of the boat. There is no direct route for water from the stanchions or toe rails to the bilge.
At the aft of the boat, being the cockpit area, it’s a different story. Anything mounted to the deck at the aft will leak into the empty space underneath the cockpit, accessible from the lazarette. This water would run down into the bilge.
There are also some old thru-hull type instruments, accessible through the seat lockers in the cabin (in my boat) which, if those were leaking, would run straight into the bilge but, since you’ve said after some dry weather you noticed a decrease in water in the bilge I would focus your attention on the anything aft first, unless you notice your hull liner is wet to the touch or there’s an obvious water trail, because anything aft would run straight into the bilge.
I can provide some photos of what my boat looks like stripped if you’d like. I’m at a stage of the process where I have access to everything, including the underside of the molded toe rails, stanchions, etc.
Good luck with it and welcome to the “Gold Medal Fleet!”
Friday was partly cloudy, 10-12 mph of steady wind. I was having a great day until dark clouds gathered by the North-East shore. I didn't know the extent of the storm, but I didn't want to get trapped at the other side of the lake, so I started the motor, turned into the wind and took down the jib. It wasn't raining yet, but there were flashes of lightning and pieces of torn cloud flying around. I got the main down and bungeed, but I couldn't get it covered while keeping the boat pointed toward the sailing club (North East side of the lake). I got to the island that marks the entrance to the inlet where the club is located, and then it started. The rain was so heavy, I lost sight of the island which was maybe 75 yards away. The wind was so strong that I couldn't maintain direction with the rudder and outboard both pointed where I wanted to go. The outboard kept lifting out of the water, gurgling loudly. I was crouched down in the cockpit trying to keep control, hoping I wasn't going to be stuck by lightning. I opened my mouth and spit out a pea-sized hail stone. When it let up, I was probably 100 yards further south than I thought I was. And then I saw a rainbow and motored in. Back at the slip, I emptied the half gallon of water from the folds of the main and it started to rain again. Getting to the point of the story, I then got to sit inside the cabin while it was raining. As it turns out, the larger aft windows are leaking like a seive.
I got caught by surprise a few years ago when a big thunderstorm blew in behind me. The “funny” thing was that my slip mate (a new sailor) had asked if I would take him out and show him “ the ropes”. By the time I realized this storm was blowing in on us fast, it was too late to get the main down…
So I said, let’s just run downwind with it for a while and then we can tack around and get the main down...which we did and all ended well.
But he never asked me for any more “lessons”….
Glad to hear you survived the storm and got back in safely.
Greg
So I said, let’s just run downwind with it for a while and then we can tack around and get the main down...which we did and all ended well.
But he never asked me for any more “lessons”….
Glad to hear you survived the storm and got back in safely.
Greg
It's always a good day when your outboard starts and runs in the face of a storm! Take a pic of your windows. Chances are, we've done this exact job before and can guide you through it
Happy to hear you’ve, at least, discovered the source of your leak! Thankfully, resealing the windows is a pretty easy task. Just be sure not to pry from the outside or risk breaking the trim (lesson learned)
Sadly, mine was more than chipped. I broke off a 4” section of trim (in three or four pieces) and I had to repair it with a combination of plastic glue, plastic putty, and JB Weld.
I did it. And it looks great. But it wasn’t fun. It definitely taught me to be more gentle with old, brittle window trim.
I cracked one, repaired it, swore I wouldn't drop the second window, dropped it twice and it ended up in multiple pieces! I have a few spares on hand now. I started out repairing them with fiberglass and hot glue to hold it while the expoxy cured. I then moved onto tape and 5 minute epoxy.
I do not suggest rebedding these with butyl. It's too difficult to get it to compress. I'd probably go with 3M 4000UV next time
hahaahah. I finished my repair, went to place the window down in my shop and it slid sideways, hit something, and I broke another piece off
I’ll keep that in mind regarding the butyl. I haven’t gotten to the part where I put my windows back in but if butyl really is a pain to get good compression it’s good to have alternative solutions!
The channel on the inside of the exterior trim is thicker than the butyl. If you double up the butyl, it'll never be flush with the fiberglass. Exposed butyl will continue to look ugly and collect dirt. It will however do an excellent job of sealing