Water in the bilge

[MGoBoat]

We have been experiencing a water in the bilge. It seems to always 'top off' at the same point. Right at the top of the drop keel rope pipe. It also seems to appear after a good rain. I have a few ideas as to where it is coming from, either the drop keel rope fittings, or the cockpit drain through hull. We don't get enough water into the boat to worry about it until we pull the boat for the season, but if it was an easy fix or a common problem with a known repair I may go for it so it is gone before next season.

Any ideas where to start or how to determine the source?

Thanks,

Bill

 

[Joe11688]

Bill,
If it's coming in from the pendant line pipe or the self bailing cockpit hose, it may not be something that needs immediate attention for the little time we have left in the sailing season, but you really don't know that for sure. Sometimes rain water can come in from somewhere up above and flow down to the lowest point in your boat which is the bilge. If this is the case, it is imperative that you locate the leak and try to stop it.
Some day you're going to need to replace that self bailing hose and the best way to get at it is to cut in an 8" Beckson deck plate in the center of the inside transom like I did. I helped my friend Walter cut one in on his O'Day 192 years ago when I helped him install a swim ladder on his boat. It not only allows access to your self bailing hose, but also your gudgions, engine bracket bolts, stern light wire, and swim ladder. I use this deck plate to help me get my outboard charging wire into an electric terminal block near my lazarett hatch which is mounted on the rear bulkhead behind a PC mouse pad cover. Sometimes I unscrew the cover and just take a peak into my bilge to see if it's dry. If it is dry, I'm happy.
If it turns out that the water is coming in from under the gunwale molding, there is no fast easy fix to this leak. You need to remove the rubber and the gunwale, clean under it, and caulk every screw head and screw hole and reinstall it.
At any rate, you need to get in the cabin and feel around for moisture and look for water marks in the hull where bolts come through. Have someone run a garden hose over certain parts of the deck. Believe me, these boats shouldn't leak a drop.

One of our club members owns a little 15' wood lapstrake tug boat with an inboard diesel engine made back in the 1950s. He backed it down the ramp last week for the first time this year and that boat started leaking gallons of water. The bilge pump was trying to pump it out and couldn't stop. Those old wood hulls need to swell up.

 

[MGoBoat]

Joe,

Thanks again for your advice. I don't believe it's coming from the gunwales. The self-bailer is suspect as there is a bit of water in the boat under the port side cockpit hatch. Good idea with the 8" port. Replacing the self-bailer through the port side hatch would have been a trick, but it is doable.
On that note, when I undertake this, (and I probably will regardless this winter), I planned on using a swept piece of pipe versus the 90* elbow. A piece of PVC pipe can be softened to make a smooth transition from vertical to horizontal. This would be easier to brush out. I tend to get a lot of leaves in the cockpit where the boat is moored, so clogs are perhaps more frequent for me.

We are probably going to pull the boat in a month or so, and we are there each weekend to monitor the water in the boat. We should be good for this season and if we find it getting too terrible we can pull the boat early.

 

[Joe11688]

Joe,

Thanks again for your advice. I don't believe it's coming from the gunwales. The self-bailer is suspect as there is a bit of water in the boat under the port side cockpit hatch. Good idea with the 8" port. Replacing the self-bailer through the port side hatch would have been a trick, but it is doable.
On that note, when I undertake this, (and I probably will regardless this winter), I planned on using a swept piece of pipe versus the 90* elbow. A piece of PVC pipe can be softened to make a smooth transition from vertical to horizontal. This would be easier to brush out. I tend to get a lot of leaves in the cockpit where the boat is moored, so clogs are perhaps more frequent for me.

We are probably going to pull the boat in a month or so, and we are there each weekend to monitor the water in the boat. We should be good for this season and if we find it getting too terrible we can pull the boat early.

That sounds like a plan to me. I tried crawling into that hatch several years ago and got stuck in it with my feet hanging out. I was lucky enough to wiggle my body free and that's when I decided to install the deck plate. After I cut in the deck plate hole, I could see water stains under the lower gudgion plate so I removed both gudgions and re caulked them. I was able to do this by myself with the access of that hole in my transom.
The problem I have with my self bailing system is that they installed a thru-hull fitting in that small well that is too long. If it was shorter, I could have gotten away with a single piece of reinforced plastic hose.
Check out the pic. Look at all the treads on that thru-hull fitting. Maybe I could remove it, cut it shorter and grind the threads off so that the hose can fit on it. Then a piece of plastic hose could be bent on to both thru-hulls without kinking it. What do you think?
A friend of my called me up yesterday and asked me if I wanted his engine bracket. He just installed a four stroke engine bracket on his Hunter 27. The bracket he's giving me is a heavy duty two stroke bracket that's only two years old. He's going to stick it in the cockpit in my boat this weekend. My bracket is a wobbling piece of junk that came with my boat. I figure that I could fix my thru-hull fitting and install the engine bracket at the same time. I'd love to tackle that job in a few of weeks from now if I can.

 

[MGoBoat]

We sailed her last weekend and that prompted this thread. We had nice weather today so off to the lake we went. There was a TON of water under the port seat. Luckily my lazy gene kicked in and we arrived at the marina with a brand new (and quite small) 12v bilge pump. It had the water pumped out in short order and off we went. I checked after we had been out for a while and the water was back!! Ahhhh!!

When we got back to the dock I started poking around. Looking under the stern at the area Joe posted I found the culprit. Instead of a nice, neat orderly piping setup that is in the picture, an old radiator looking piece of hose poorly installed and leaking. I managed to 'adjust' the piece of junk to put the breech on the high side of the thruhull on the stern. After another round with my new little Tsunami pump, a temporary relocation of the two batteries, and a verification of no new water entering, we left it until the fix on Saturday. So hopefully with a small chunk of 1" pipe, perhaps an elbow, and some good hose clamps, we'll be back to the dry side of sailing.

Boy this boating stuff is fun......

 

[Shoaldrafter]

MGoBoat

We sailed her last weekend and that prompted this thread. We had nice weather today so off to the lake we went. There was a TON of water under the port seat. Luckily my lazy gene kicked in and we arrived at the marina with a brand new (and quite small) 12v bilge pump. It had the water pumped out in short order and off we went. I checked after we had been out for a while and the water was back!! Ahhhh!!

When we got back to the dock I started poking around. Looking under the stern at the area Joe posted I found the culprit. Instead of a nice, neat orderly piping setup that is in the picture, an old radiator looking piece of hose poorly installed and leaking. I managed to 'adjust' the piece of junk to put the breech on the high side of the thruhull on the stern. After another round with my new little Tsunami pump, a temporary relocation of the two batteries, and a verification of no new water entering, we left it until the fix on Saturday. So hopefully with a small chunk of 1" pipe, perhaps an elbow, and some good hose clamps, we'll be back to the dry side of sailing.

He said, "Boy this boating stuff is fun......"

There are plenty of project boats looking for you ....

Ed K

 

[Joe11688]

We sailed her last weekend and that prompted this thread. We had nice weather today so off to the lake we went. There was a TON of water under the port seat. Luckily my lazy gene kicked in and we arrived at the marina with a brand new (and quite small) 12v bilge pump. It had the water pumped out in short order and off we went. I checked after we had been out for a while and the water was back!! Ahhhh!!

When we got back to the dock I started poking around. Looking under the stern at the area Joe posted I found the culprit. Instead of a nice, neat orderly piping setup that is in the picture, an old radiator looking piece of hose poorly installed and leaking. I managed to 'adjust' the piece of junk to put the breech on the high side of the thruhull on the stern. After another round with my new little Tsunami pump, a temporary relocation of the two batteries, and a verification of no new water entering, we left it until the fix on Saturday. So hopefully with a small chunk of 1" pipe, perhaps an elbow, and some good hose clamps, we'll be back to the dry side of sailing.

Boy this boating stuff is fun......

I'm happy that you've found the leak. Thank the good Lord for small favors! A leak like that would have drove me crazy. I don't even want to see dampness in my bilge. I keep about six plastic containers under my settees with can goods and other food stuff in them. The thought of having water in there is unacceptable.
My friend finally launched his 15' wooden tug at the club. Its sitting at one of the small finger docks with an electric cord running to a bilge pump in his boat and it's pumping constantly. Thank God for fiberglass boats.

 

[MGoBoat]

Pictures of the guilty party:

 

[Joe11688]

That's all it takes I guess. Then when you add the weight of a couple of people in the cockpit, the water comes in faster.

 

[odaydokay]

I just went thorugh the same thing on an Oday 28. Starboard side self bailing cockpit hose cut in 3 places. Boat was taking in a fair bit of water during rains. Trip to West Marine and 10 minutes of work and I am back in business. I may do the "good" side also to avoid future aggravation. No Oday is a spring chicken anymore.

 

[MGoBoat]

Mine wasn't cut until I couldn't get it out. There was a big hole in it prior to my intervention. This thing is in a tough place to work so making one hose two was a big time, and mostly aggravation, saver.