Water in under hull.
- Thread starter Pam
- Start date
Has a PO added any thru-hulls on the boat? Particularly below the waterline? The Macs only had one for a cockpit/motorwell drain on the aft port side and one stbd abeam for the sink. Both are well above the waterline.
I have an older 26d. I had a lot of topside leaks and have rebedded almost everything. But that's for another day.
I would first check all through hulls that are below the water line.
I would check on top of the water ballast (I'm assuming the X has one and that you have screwed it down tight). I've heard of several that have had a leak on top of the water ballast, mine included. It's hard to see because it is hidden under everything.
Next I'd check the bow. Has it been hit or dinged?
Our cockpit drain was also somewhere water was coming in, but only when launching or healing was it under water. Had to have my spouse back the boat into the water, stopping every couple of feet until I saw the water gushing in around the through hull. Yes, we did this during the week when we had the ramp to ourselves (and no witnesses).
Good luck! This takes ruling out one place at a time or fixing one place at a time until you have a dry boat. You will learn a lot about the contours of your boat this way.
I would first check all through hulls that are below the water line.
I would check on top of the water ballast (I'm assuming the X has one and that you have screwed it down tight). I've heard of several that have had a leak on top of the water ballast, mine included. It's hard to see because it is hidden under everything.
Next I'd check the bow. Has it been hit or dinged?
Our cockpit drain was also somewhere water was coming in, but only when launching or healing was it under water. Had to have my spouse back the boat into the water, stopping every couple of feet until I saw the water gushing in around the through hull. Yes, we did this during the week when we had the ramp to ourselves (and no witnesses).
Good luck! This takes ruling out one place at a time or fixing one place at a time until you have a dry boat. You will learn a lot about the contours of your boat this way.
The 2 factory drains stay dry. Can't speak for any that someone may have added for like a depth gauge or knot meter. My '92 didn't have the "round thing" you mention, but I think that might be access to your keel bolts.
Is your ballast tank closed up good? The screwed down valve rod and the small vent plug?
Is your ballast tank closed up good? The screwed down valve rod and the small vent plug?
It's possible that the seam behind the rub rail is leaking. You need to find out if it takes on water just floating, or was it from the spray. Leaks can be a PITA to isolate, but first you can tell if it's coming in from below or above.
Congratulations on your first launch! Keep us informed on how things go. Definitely pump out the water and see if any more accumulates and how fast. The round thing in front of the head could be an inspection port. If so, it was probably installed by a previous owner. I wouldn't put one on my ballast tank but some people do. That would be the first place that I would look for leaks. The second place that I would look is where the line goes through to raise the centerboard.
Besides the ballast plug and the fittings that secure the centerboard the 26s has no fittings below the waterline. The ones mentioned are all inside the ballast tank so there shouldn't be any leaks at all. We had our boat in the water for about a week and a half last May. A few hours after launching I noticed about an inch of water under the port settee (left cabin seat). I pumped it out and sponged it dry. The next day it had about 1/4 inch of water so I sponged it out again. On the third day it was damp but had no standing water. By the end of our stay it was completely dry. My guess is that the water got there from when I washed the boat. Yours could be as well.
Besides the ballast plug and the fittings that secure the centerboard the 26s has no fittings below the waterline. The ones mentioned are all inside the ballast tank so there shouldn't be any leaks at all. We had our boat in the water for about a week and a half last May. A few hours after launching I noticed about an inch of water under the port settee (left cabin seat). I pumped it out and sponged it dry. The next day it had about 1/4 inch of water so I sponged it out again. On the third day it was damp but had no standing water. By the end of our stay it was completely dry. My guess is that the water got there from when I washed the boat. Yours could be as well.