I have a Sea Sprite 27/28 with a delaminated and wet lower main bulkhead. I can't for the life of me figure out how it's getting wet.
It's a rainwater leak while the boat is on the hard. This peculiar leak has me really scratching my head. I have come to the conclusion that while a boat is blocked, water pools in places that it wouldn't normally pool while on the mooring- but that still doesn't come close to me finding the source. There are no water trails down the bulkhead, and nothing is wet above the pooling water anywhere.
The main cabin bulkhead this winter has been wet on the bottom, along with the cabin sole at the bottom of the bulkhead. The bilge has three levels that all connect. Forward of the bulkhead in the head/shower is a grate with a drain that leads aft. That area is dry. Aft of the bulkhead is an opening to the forward portion the bilge, as seen in the photos. This is damp but doesn't look like water has been streaming through it. The furthest aft portion of the bilge has an inch of rainwater in it.
The deck hatch slightly forward of the bulkhead does not leak, and the one aft is also sealed. The portlights do not leak, and the chainplates are dry. I laid paper towels around areas I thought the leak could be coming from, and possibly draining down to the bottom of the bulkhead. I then checked them after it rained and they were dry.
When I bought this boat, there was some staining and slight delam on the bottom of the bulkhead showing a history of water leaking, but it never leaked like this during my ownership until this year. The delamination has since gotten much worse, and I'll need to repair it, but I've got to get it dry, and the leaked stopped first.
Here are a few photos. Any insight would be incredibly helpful.
It's a rainwater leak while the boat is on the hard. This peculiar leak has me really scratching my head. I have come to the conclusion that while a boat is blocked, water pools in places that it wouldn't normally pool while on the mooring- but that still doesn't come close to me finding the source. There are no water trails down the bulkhead, and nothing is wet above the pooling water anywhere.
The main cabin bulkhead this winter has been wet on the bottom, along with the cabin sole at the bottom of the bulkhead. The bilge has three levels that all connect. Forward of the bulkhead in the head/shower is a grate with a drain that leads aft. That area is dry. Aft of the bulkhead is an opening to the forward portion the bilge, as seen in the photos. This is damp but doesn't look like water has been streaming through it. The furthest aft portion of the bilge has an inch of rainwater in it.
The deck hatch slightly forward of the bulkhead does not leak, and the one aft is also sealed. The portlights do not leak, and the chainplates are dry. I laid paper towels around areas I thought the leak could be coming from, and possibly draining down to the bottom of the bulkhead. I then checked them after it rained and they were dry.
When I bought this boat, there was some staining and slight delam on the bottom of the bulkhead showing a history of water leaking, but it never leaked like this during my ownership until this year. The delamination has since gotten much worse, and I'll need to repair it, but I've got to get it dry, and the leaked stopped first.
Here are a few photos. Any insight would be incredibly helpful.
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