Soft, wet bilge, but I just want to sail...

jsherm

.
Apr 15, 2018
5
Catalina 22 Westler lake
I have a 1977 c-22 with the normal leaks, about a gallon in the bilge. I have had it only a month and never in the water yet. I'm just wondering a couple things.
1. Is it normal to have some water in the bottom of the boat , if it's sitting in the water?
2. Who has experience dealing with the soft ply wood near the bilge?
3. What needs to be done to fix it or can it be ignored? Doesn't look structural...
I would like to put her in the water for the season and work on leaks while I enjoy the boat. Certainly one season in the water won't effect the general condition of a 1977 boat??
 

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May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
from my experience:
1. no
2. hull is all glass, no plywood in there that I know of, other than the battery tray in your pic, others may differ.
3. work on "leaks" b4 you put it in the water, be done with it, and sail with confidence!

cockpit drains & related fittings (chk w/garden hose on the hard) & volcano should be replaced...likely suspects...
Search some of the longer threads here like Cloud Divers's, you'll learn a lot quickly...Welcome!!
 
Jul 13, 2015
893
Catalina 22 #2552 2252 Kennewick, WA
NOT normal to have a gallon of water in the bilge unless of course you consider a boat leaking from the bottom up normal.

Fix the leak (s). You don’t want her in the water when the drip turns into a flood.
 
Apr 13, 2018
7
Catalina 22 San Diego
I'm new to the Cat 22 but have been an owner of small to medium glass boats for quite some time. Glass hulls are pretty tight and the leaks are often found to be hoses and fittings that pierce the hull especially below waterline or along the rails of sailboats. IMHO it is always best to invest in a bilge pump for any boat that stays in water. If resources permit add a solar panel to keep your bilge / house battery topped off while you're out earning a living. Resealing ALL through holes in your hull is worth the effort.
 
May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
Looks like you have a bilge pump next to the volcano in your pic....there's plenty of discussion here pro & con on pumps on a C22 since there really isn't a bilge (no single low collection point). I don't have one (other than manual), many do for piece of mind. Bottom line, resolve your leaks and employ a pump if desired...btw, those rusty gate valves are scary!!...fwiw
 

jsherm

.
Apr 15, 2018
5
Catalina 22 Westler lake
That ugly brass valve is no worry to me.lol
Better build than the new ones.
As the boat sits out side in spring time, my h20 problems are from above. On the trailer.
I'm only worried that allowing water to sit in the boat will harm the hull. I'm only able to empty her on the weekends...
But I hear so many stories about boats with a foot of water in them when they are purchased...
 

AaronD

.
Aug 10, 2014
723
Catalina 22 9874 Newberg, OR / Olympia, WA
...those rusty gate valves are scary!!...fwiw
+1. See the informative posts from @Maine Sail on brass vs. bronze hardware and on hose clamps. Replace the gate valve with a good quality ball valve, and the perforated hose clamps with good quality non-perforated ones (e.g. AWAB as sold here at SBO). The bottom end of those drain hoses is below the waterline, so use double hose clamps. That won't solve your rainwater issues, but it might keep you from sinking. And it's pretty cheap and easy to do.

Re: rainwater accumulating: I've found leaks in the cockpit lazarette lids and hinges. The cowl vents over the fuel 'locker' are an obvious suspect (although leaks there will normally accumulate in the coffin, not in the 'bilge'). My drop boards don't shed water very smoothly either, so I'll get drips there in a good rainstorm. A Sunbrella cover snapped over the boards might help.
 
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Likes: rpludwig
Jun 25, 2004
1,108
Corsair F24 Mk1 003 San Francisco Bay, CA
Get the boat dried out ASAP. Kill the mold and mildew. If you leave it like that it will smell awful and give you headaches and respiratory problems. Wear a respirator if you use chlorine bleach or vinegar inside the boat.

And something that is obvious: Put a tarp over the boat to keep it dry while you figure out where the rain is coming in, or else you are fighting a losing battle. :doh:
 

DaveJ

.
Apr 2, 2013
449
Catalina 310 Niagara-on-the-Lake
Does this boat have scuppers? My first boat had scuppers that drained the cockpit, but the scupper hoses were rotted and the rainwater would go straight to the bilge. Found this out by using a bucket to drain the bilge, pouring water into the cockpit so it would drain out the scuppers......after about 10 minutes I realized the bilge really wasn't going down...
Only made that mistake once.

Cheers
 
Mar 20, 2015
3,094
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
Really??
There was some discussion of it last year, but i don't remember the specifics.
It may have been @CaptDon01 who posted the info.
I seem to remember it was early boats of the original design ? Maybe someone else will remember better.

I thought the C22 reviews created by the NSA mentioned it but I just checked and can't find it there.

Does this boat have scuppers? My first boat had scuppers that drained the cockpit, but the scupper hoses were rotted and the rainwater would go straight to the bilge.
The original design boats have a cockpit that drains foreward, into 2 hoses that go into a "t" that then drains into the keel pocket near the lift cable.
Known to clog and leak if not maintained. "New design" models drain aft, through the transom.
 
Mar 20, 2015
3,094
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
Found an old post by @CaptDon01

Quote:
"I had a similar problem with my original C-22,(1980 version). Water can get into that area if the calking under the rub-rail is bad. When healed over it will allow water to get into the bildge. Years ago, at least on my old boat, Catalina ran a couple strips of plywood along the keel line. It was only covered with a thin layer of fiberglass, and easily assorbed water into the plywood,(thank goodness they stopped placing any wood below the waterline, I believe it was with the 2nd generation boats). You can see this plywood along the sides of the keel under the step and it continues under the dinette area on the port side, and under the walkway on the starboard side."

https://forums.sailboatowners.com/i...-spot-under-dinette-table.123832/#post-760699

So not true hull coring as I would think of it.
But, that fiberglass encapsulated wood below the water line would explain a soft bilge.
 
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Likes: Will Gilmore
May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
LR...good find, newz to me! Learn something new here daily!

back to the OP and stating the obvious, the boat is taking on water on the hard (unless it had water there when hauled out), so I'm betting his forward scupper drains plumbing as the prime suspect, mine were very problematic till fixed...





 
Sep 30, 2013
3,538
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
Some early boats had wood coring below the water line. Not sure when stopped that, or where the coring was used.
Yes, I remember CaptDon's situation with rotten stringers in a C22. Had ants living in them. It was the first thing I thought of when I saw @jsherm 's pics.
 
Apr 17, 2011
5
Catalina 22 #7230 Iowa City, Iowa
I am always interested when I hear talk of wood below the waterline in my hull. I've had too many rotten power boats over the years. Also I have this rather macabre infatuation with seeing how things are put together so love to show these pics I took of a 1974 hull cut up. No cross section right at the volcano but shows a lot of under the water line area.
For your viewing pleasure:
https://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/cut-up-hull-pictures-for-reference.186698/

Scot
 
Jun 25, 2004
1,108
Corsair F24 Mk1 003 San Francisco Bay, CA
Yes, I remember CaptDon's situation with rotten stringers in a C22. Had ants living in them. It was the first thing I thought of when I saw @jsherm 's pics.
The early Catalina 25s had wood stringers too for years. The 25s were produced starting in 1978. That would suggest that the jsherm’s 1977 C22 has wooden stringers too.

Catalina was using plywood wood coring in keels stubs in the C27 until 1988, according to my collection of C27 factory drawings.

I’ve seen videos of a C25 owner removing rotten stringers and some adjacent rotted plywood.

Judy
 
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ancbob

.
Jan 2, 2013
66
Catalina 22
I have a 1977 c-22 with the normal leaks, about a gallon in the bilge. I have had it only a month and never in the water yet. I'm just wondering a couple things.
1. Is it normal to have some water in the bottom of the boat , if it's sitting in the water?
2. Who has experience dealing with the soft ply wood near the bilge?
3. What needs to be done to fix it or can it be ignored? Doesn't look structural...
I would like to put her in the water for the season and work on leaks while I enjoy the boat. Certainly one season in the water won't effect the general condition of a 1977 boat??
I just spent a good part of the evening removing rotted wood coring in the bilge area of my 77 Catalina 22. I started on the port side next to the volcano.
underneath the fiberglass was about 1/8 to 1/4 inch of black rotted wet plywood. I then removed a section underneath the table. Under the fiberglass there I found 1/8 thick particle board, under that was the same black rotten wet plywood. The last area was in the compartment that accesses the keel lock down bolt. Same crappy plywood underneath the fiberglass. I just need to decide on that to replace the wood with. Probably use some type of composite material that won' t be affected by water.
I will post pics in the next couple of days. Also, this boat has not been in the water for 2 years, which shows how deck rot stays wet forever.
 
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Apr 5, 2018
95
Catalina Capri 25 Jackson
One day on the water in a boat from 1977 can sink it if any of the structural or watertight fittings are compromised...
 
Jul 14, 2018
1
Catalina 22 Marquette
I just spent a good part of the evening removing rotted wood coring in the bilge area of my 77 Catalina 22. I started on the port side next to the volcano.
underneath the fiberglass was about 1/8 to 1/4 inch of black rotted wet plywood. I then removed a section underneath the table. Under the fiberglass there I found 1/8 thick particle board, under that was the same black rotten wet plywood. The last area was in the compartment that accesses the keel lock down bolt. Same crappy plywood underneath the fiberglass. I just need to decide on that to replace the wood with. Probably use some type of composite material that won' t be affected by water.
I will post pics in the next couple of days. Also, this boat has not been in the water for 2 years, which shows how deck rot stays wet forever.
I think I might have the same problem - any updates on your fix? I bought my boat and it hadn’t been in the water at all but had some standing water in the bilge battery area.

No leaks from scupper or any hardware fasteners when spraying water from above