I've got my H37 plastic wrapped, mast in place. We've had a couple of rain storms in the last month. I pumped out 8 gallons of water. Seems like too much to me. Is this common?
Water in Bilge!
- Thread starter DanMaine
- Start date
Depends - how much rain have you had? From what direction relative to the mast slot? Slope of wrap around mast? Any internal water leaks if not ‘winterized’?
It is likely a deck stepped mast I believe. It could still be coming down the mast and if the drains holes at the mast base are not clear, water can build up there and water can enter the boat. If that is the case you should be able to see water stains or other traces of water coming in. 8 gallons is a lot of water for water leakage into the boat in a short time. Have you checked to see if you have a potable water leak from one of your tanks?
it is keel stepped. I'm worried about it accumulating and freezing. What can you do about the mast?
Sorry about the misinformation on deck stepped. I thought the Cheribini Hunters were deck stepped. How long did it take to collect 8 gallons of water and how much rain did you have over the period that you observed the collection of 8 gallons? Still seems like a lot of accumulation down small slots or openings in the mast. I would expect that other Cheribini 37 owners would have the same problem if it is just water coming down the mast? Hopefully they will weigh in soon.
Being on the hard, it has to becoming in from the mast, bad hatch seals, deck fittings, or possibly the anchor locker and would be fresh water.
I had a garboard plug installed in my boat to address this issue. I'm not aware there's anything that can be done to better seal the top of the mast.
I went on a mission to seal
All the penetrations at the bow
All the chain plates
The hatches
The scuppers - biggy because lots of water flows down the side decks when raining
Around the mast partners
The binnacle
Hatches and portlights
Holes in the mast left from removal of an old radar
All stanchions
The deck rails
And anything else on the deck.
With a deep socket and a long extension my young and flexible son tightened every deck to hull bolt.
All the penetrations at the bow
All the chain plates
The hatches
The scuppers - biggy because lots of water flows down the side decks when raining
Around the mast partners
The binnacle
Hatches and portlights
Holes in the mast left from removal of an old radar
All stanchions
The deck rails
And anything else on the deck.
With a deep socket and a long extension my young and flexible son tightened every deck to hull bolt.
I have a 2011 Hunter e36. This will be my third winter owning the boat. It is stored in it's slip. The rear half of the boat is covered with a tarp. For the last 2 years the bilge would fill after rain/wind storms. I check the boat every 3 to 4 weeks and sometimes the bilge would remain dry. I did have leaks in the fixed ports so I replaced them all this spring. I was hoping the bilge would stay dry. It doesn't, this year every time I check the boat there is water in the bilge. Could be we have just had more wind and rain this year. I can see where the water is coming into the bilge but have not traced it back to the source. All the potable water is drained so I know it is coming from the outside. I don't know how much water comes in as the bilge pump keeps it to a minimum level. As the remainder of the interior is dry I am not overly worried but I would like to know if this is normal. Perhaps by design some exterior water is directed to the bilge.
As Kappy stated above, install a garboard plug and be done with it. I put one on my 37C after the first winter, when I made the same discovery as you, and never had to worry about the bilge again. (Just remember to put the plug back in before launch!!!). My current boat has a deck-stepped mast but I am still considering installing one to take care of condensation, etc. that ends up in the bilge. No boat that is hauled out for winter in freezing climates should be without a garboard plug.
I do the same as a precaution because I once found my bilge pump sitting in two inches of ice. It survived and the water was from condensation. The boat is shrink wrapped every winter so I only get a little water on the deck below the (deck stepped) mast and rigging penetrations. None inside the boat. The only water I get in the bilge is from condensation and I haven’t seen that happen in years because I learned to deploy about eight DampRid buckets throughout the cabin and keep the cabin well ventilated during winter storage.
Eight gallons seems like a lot of water to have come in through a keel stepped mast, but I guess it’s possible with enough rain and water coming in both through the mast, the mast boot and possibly other places.
I prefer desiccants and good ventilation over a garboard drain that I have remember to plug in the spring and that adds yet another hole and through hull fitting that could leak at some point.
In terms of condensation control, our cold, dry Chicago winters may be better for winter storage than rainy PNW winters.
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Depending on your climate, you can get lots of water build up just from condensation. Especially when the boat is all closed up for winter. Worst case is cold nights and warm days where you get lots of condensation inside the boat. I had this happen to me. I hadnt been to the boat in a few months in winter and it had a lot of water inside from this, many gallons, with the associated mold issues. It was on a trailer and covered, so Im sure it wasnt some sort of leak.