Catalina 14.2 Expo Water in the Hold

[Ken Afloat]

Hi. I got a nice used Catalina 14.2 Expo this season. After a sail yesterday I noticed that there was about a gallon and a half of water in the hold (I shop vac’ed it out). Enough water to fill the little recess in the centre. Same thing today — dry before my sail, wet after.

The drain hose on the mast step is attached (at both ends). The hatch seal is not great, but I only had a wave or two come over the deck.
Any ideas?

Ken

 

[Joe]

It's a 14 foot dinghy.... it's gonna get wet. As long as the water's coming in from above the waterline and not below... no problem. Why don't you acquire a small, hand held bilge pump to keep in the hold if it gets too wet. Not much you can do about water coming over the top... a single wave has a surprising amount of water. I've owned a number of small boats... they all get wet inside. That's why they have drain plugs. In fact, if you're not getting a little water in the boat you're not sailing hard enough.

 

[Ken Afloat]

Thanks Joe. The pump is a good suggestion.

I’m not overly concerned, but wanted to ask around. I’m pretty sure there is no drain out of the area I’m asking about, and mostly it is a pain to have to keep pulling my anchor out of the hold to dry out the rode. Otherwise I’m just going to get a mildewed mess.

 

[Joe]

You might look for a good location to insert a drain in the locker to the bottom of the cockpit then out the transom drain plug. Also, check the hatch's gasket.. if there is one... Another source could be seepage through the hull/deck joint. Look under the rub rail between it and the hull and see if it's possible to inject a bead of sealant...so it can't be seen. I know a couple people who have had success with that method on boats my size (27')

I'd also check the mast base pocket and the j-bar pocket. You should be able to access them through the foredeck locker. Maybe sprinkle some powder in suspect areas to look for leak trails.

The pump is the easiest fix.

And, of course, you could always make a call to the dealer, or to the factory if you bought the boat from a private party. contact customer service to see what feedback they have had and if there's a "fix" they are aware of. Catalina supports all their boat owners no matter when they acquired their boats.

 

[Ken Afloat]

Thanks Joe. Those are all good suggestions (though I don’t know what a j bar pocket is).

I’m leaning toward suspecting the deck-hull joint. I’ve poured water over the mast and boom steps, and that water runs out the proper drain. But both times I’ve had significant water have been after bashing through some pretty good swells.

I’ll try calling Catalina customer service and see if they have ideas or advice. And in the meantime, I’ll get a small pump, because it’s better than a bailing bucket anyway.

Many thanks.
Ken