I am completely new to this so please forgive me if this is a dumb question: I just pumped 10 gallons of rainwater out of my bilge. Is it normal for this much water to be accumulating? My boat is sitting on a trailer in my driveway, so I know this to be rainwater and not a leak. I'm also concerned, if this was a regular occurrence prior to my owning it and pumping it regularly could this water accumulation have done any damage to the boat?
O'Day 22 Bilge Water
- Thread starter PATBUZZARD
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Don't own a 22 but do have a 25.
Is it normal? No
Can it do damage? Yes
If the water reaches the bottom of the bulkheads, they could rot.
If the water just sits, not reaching wood to damage, the moisture could increase mold.
I would plan to crawl around inside the next rain storm and look for leaks.
Is it normal? No
Can it do damage? Yes
If the water reaches the bottom of the bulkheads, they could rot.
If the water just sits, not reaching wood to damage, the moisture could increase mold.
I would plan to crawl around inside the next rain storm and look for leaks.
There shouldn't be any rain water in the boat. How long did it take to accumulate? My first guess would be chainplates.That much water means that it probably drained off of the deck. Hose it down and see where it's coming in. Any through deck fitting is fair game. Check the rub rail. Check the cockpit drain. Is there a bilge pump letting water in? Depending on past maintenance there's most likely several leaks. Been there. I spent a year and a half redoing my boat. It had a 1/2" of standing water in the cabin when I bought it.
Rich
Rich
I would go inside the cabin with the hatches closed and have someone run a garden hose over the deck. Check one section of the boat at a time and see if you can trace where the water is coming in. Do the feel test.
Then open the lazarette cover and check for water coming in from the cockpit. You boat has a self bailing hose system that is different than what is on my O'Day 222 so you're going to have to trace it out the best way you can.
As Rich pointed out, chainplates, the rub rail, and the self bailing hose or hoses are always suspect. Toe rails are also suspect. It's a matter of visually checking it and feeling for wet spots. Look for water marks on the fiberglas in the vicinity of bolted hardware.
When cleaning your boat, try to stay away from cleansers that contain Oxalic Acid or hull cleaners. This stuff will eat out caulking. You can get away with it on the hull, but don't use it on the deck.
I used this household cleaner years ago that really cleaned the dirt out of Fiberglas Gelcoat. I got the idea of using this stuff out of one of my boat books under "Helpful Hints" After the first rain I had leaks in my cabin up the ying yang. That stuff ate the caulking out of my rub rail. I removed the rail and cleaned and caulked the areal under it and the leaks disappeared. So much for "Helpful Hints"!
On my boat, the rub rail and toe rails have always been the cause of leaks. Sometimes the tabernacle bolts will leak water a tiny drop of water.
These boats shouldn't leak a drop. Stay on untill you find it. It will save in costly Fiberglas repair work down the road.
Joe
Then open the lazarette cover and check for water coming in from the cockpit. You boat has a self bailing hose system that is different than what is on my O'Day 222 so you're going to have to trace it out the best way you can.
As Rich pointed out, chainplates, the rub rail, and the self bailing hose or hoses are always suspect. Toe rails are also suspect. It's a matter of visually checking it and feeling for wet spots. Look for water marks on the fiberglas in the vicinity of bolted hardware.
When cleaning your boat, try to stay away from cleansers that contain Oxalic Acid or hull cleaners. This stuff will eat out caulking. You can get away with it on the hull, but don't use it on the deck.
I used this household cleaner years ago that really cleaned the dirt out of Fiberglas Gelcoat. I got the idea of using this stuff out of one of my boat books under "Helpful Hints" After the first rain I had leaks in my cabin up the ying yang. That stuff ate the caulking out of my rub rail. I removed the rail and cleaned and caulked the areal under it and the leaks disappeared. So much for "Helpful Hints"!
On my boat, the rub rail and toe rails have always been the cause of leaks. Sometimes the tabernacle bolts will leak water a tiny drop of water.
These boats shouldn't leak a drop. Stay on untill you find it. It will save in costly Fiberglas repair work down the road.
Joe
If the cockpit self bailing hose on the O'Day 22 is anything like the one on my O'Day 222 I highly recomment that anyone wishing to gain access to it should cut a hole in the inside center of the transom for an 8" Beckson Deck Plate.
You don't want to get stuck in that lazarett opening trying to get at it.
You don't want to get stuck in that lazarett opening trying to get at it.
Yeh, I've been down in that lazaret on my 79 O'day 22, Be sure to empty everything out of it, battery, anchors, ropes, even tape loose wires to the wall, I was moving the motor bracket down to lower my old short shaft 9.9 Evinrude and resealing around the bolts. That didn't help much as I later lost head way in wind and waves on Charlotte Harbor as the prop still came out of the water. Need to get a long shaft outboard w/ generator.
I have a leak over the port bunk, wet mattress now and have put a poly tarp over the boom and bungee cord the sides down to keep rain off the cabin top. Maine Sail had an excellent article on Bedding Deck Hardware w/ Bed-It-Butyl Tape in Musings w/ Maine Sail Menu, back on 04/05/10 and sells the ( Marine) Butyl Tape which I intend to purchase also. Read the article, there is a difference in butyl tapes.
David S
I've used Butyl Tape and it's great for certain applications like bolted deck hardware, and the mast tabernacle. For an Aluminum rub rail, hand rails, and toe rails, I use 3-M 4000 or 4200 because it not only seals out water it adheres the hardware to the deck. I like Main Sail's idea of countersinking the bolt holes. It makes perfect sense to me.
Hi Ward,
If your rub rail is vinyl you don't want to use 4200 or any polysulfide caulking. The chemical reaction can be harmful the vinyl or plastics.
I would use Dap Silicone Rubber adhesive caulking. Some guys use Dow Corning 795 or Sikaflex Caulking but these caulkings are too messy to work with. All you need to do is caulk the screw holes after you have cleaned the area good. Unless your deck/hull joint under the gunwale has a seam in which water can enter. In which case, you would add caulking to that too.
I moored my 79 O'day 22 to the marina dock near the garden water hose and my son Ted ran a large amounts of water on the deck and cabin top while I slowly checked by sight and feel for leakage inside the boat, NO leaks. But when water was sprayed on the front of the closed cabin top sliding hatch some water came in between it and the cabin top and was wetting the mattress as before. This must be what happened when we had some heavy rain and wind a few weeks back when the boat was on trailer in my open spaced back yard where wind and rain had full access to it.
Has anyone tried weather proofing the front and even the back over the door slides??? There is quite a gap front and back of the hatch.
David S
My interior cabin area is dry, Somehow the bilge keeps filling up. I'm starting to suspect the cockpit drain is allowing water to infiiltrate into the hull. I'm going to caulk around it and see if that helps.
Pat,
If it turns out to be the hose, you can buy clear vinyl reinforced hose at any hardware store, Lowe's or Home Depot. My original hose was a single bent rubber hose. I couldn't get away with bending the vinyl without kinking it so I bought a nylon 90 degree connector and used two hoses and four stainless steel clamps. If you can get away with one hose, it would be better. Raw gasoline ate out my other hose. What a mess it made not to mention the stink in my bilge. I'm glad that I was able to be of some help to you. Good luck with that.
Joe
Good chance it is the drain from the cockpit
I was cleaning my newly purchased 78' O'day 22...spraying cleansers and hosing it down...my son noticed the cockpit drain was clogged so decided to clear it with a stick. The cockpit started draining fine so we continued cleaning. Several minutes passed before I noticed it was draining into the boat not out. The through hull fixture was plastic...old and cracked plastic. When my son cleared it out with the stick he pushed the hose off of the broken fixture. I think we filled the bilge area with 10 or more gallons. I'm very thankful I found this while on the trailer and not the water. I think the previous owner sold the boat because of this unknown leak which was small before the stick finished it off. This hose and thruhull fixture is a common problem with O'days. I bought a new stainless fixture, reconnected and inspected the hose...all is fine now. You wiill have to remove the stacked styrofoam from the bilge area to access this hose for inspection, the more you remove the better...it's a tight fit but doable. If this is not the problem for you now, just keep it in mind and inspect it on occasion.
I was cleaning my newly purchased 78' O'day 22...spraying cleansers and hosing it down...my son noticed the cockpit drain was clogged so decided to clear it with a stick. The cockpit started draining fine so we continued cleaning. Several minutes passed before I noticed it was draining into the boat not out. The through hull fixture was plastic...old and cracked plastic. When my son cleared it out with the stick he pushed the hose off of the broken fixture. I think we filled the bilge area with 10 or more gallons. I'm very thankful I found this while on the trailer and not the water. I think the previous owner sold the boat because of this unknown leak which was small before the stick finished it off. This hose and thruhull fixture is a common problem with O'days. I bought a new stainless fixture, reconnected and inspected the hose...all is fine now. You wiill have to remove the stacked styrofoam from the bilge area to access this hose for inspection, the more you remove the better...it's a tight fit but doable. If this is not the problem for you now, just keep it in mind and inspect it on occasion.
Pat,
I bought a 1983, 22’ O'Day last year and there was water in the bilge. It had been stored outside with no cover. Between last fall and this spring, I removed every topside deck fitting, bow rail and stanchion and sealed them with 4200. Also where the aft stay attaches to the transom, I fiber glassed around the attachment point as it appeared to be a possible source of water intrusion. I suspect the water holding tank may have also been a source of water in the bilge. It was likely stored partially filled, froze over winter and cracked. I haven't used the storage tank at all and plan on replacing after this season. I have had my O'Day on a mooring for a month now and the bilges are dry as a bone and we've had substantial rain. I installed a bilge pump and haven't needed it yet.
Good Luck!
John
I bought a 1983, 22’ O'Day last year and there was water in the bilge. It had been stored outside with no cover. Between last fall and this spring, I removed every topside deck fitting, bow rail and stanchion and sealed them with 4200. Also where the aft stay attaches to the transom, I fiber glassed around the attachment point as it appeared to be a possible source of water intrusion. I suspect the water holding tank may have also been a source of water in the bilge. It was likely stored partially filled, froze over winter and cracked. I haven't used the storage tank at all and plan on replacing after this season. I have had my O'Day on a mooring for a month now and the bilges are dry as a bone and we've had substantial rain. I installed a bilge pump and haven't needed it yet.
Good Luck!
John
Yesterday when I opened my companionway hatch to my boat I discovered about 2" of water in my cabin and boy was I completely bummed out. My boat is sitting on the trailer next to my house with the mast up and a tarp over the boom.
I have some health issues this year and I've decided that having my boat next to the house with the mast up is the next best thing to having it in the water. When I feel up to it, I hang out on it and read and take naps.
At any rate, what must have happened was the thru-hull fitting got clogged with pine needles and leaves and the water from all that rain we had must have flooded the cockpit and went down into the cabin. Much to my surprise, the manual bilge pump that installed back in the 1990s worked like a champ. I've never had to use it up until now.
Lessons learned; if you keep your boat in your yard make sure to keep the cockpit is clean and check the thru-hull fitting from time to time.
I have some health issues this year and I've decided that having my boat next to the house with the mast up is the next best thing to having it in the water. When I feel up to it, I hang out on it and read and take naps.
At any rate, what must have happened was the thru-hull fitting got clogged with pine needles and leaves and the water from all that rain we had must have flooded the cockpit and went down into the cabin. Much to my surprise, the manual bilge pump that installed back in the 1990s worked like a champ. I've never had to use it up until now.
Lessons learned; if you keep your boat in your yard make sure to keep the cockpit is clean and check the thru-hull fitting from time to time.
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