Winter on the Hard; Water in the Bilge

[Stutz63]

Hi Guys,
So last summer I bought my '76 Catalina 22 and sailed it quite a bit during the season, getting used to how she responds and sails; everything went smooth enough. When winter came, I covered her with three to four tarps and thought I did a decent job securing them all. Well we had quite a bit of snow by us (northern Wisconsin) and this last week I was finally able to get out to the shop where the boat was stored outside for the winter. The interior of the cabin was dry, with just a little bit of water in the cockpit but nothing terribly alarming; the water was just in the back and the scuppers were dry and clear in the front. But, when I went to look inside the bilge, there was about four inches of water. I have no idea where or how the water got in, other than through perhaps some leaks on the exterior and through where the tarps overlapped or something. Obviously this is something new to me, and really do not know how to address now, or for next winter. I am also concerned about the fact that, while there was no ice in the hull, there very well could have been during our colder months. I think the one positive is that the water is still standing, which means there are no cracks or leaks in the hull itself (where I would be taking on water under sail), but if that much water accumulated after six months on the hard, there has to be some leaks on the exterior. We did get a ton of snow this year, so I am guessing some of the water is just snow melt; but that does not quell any of my concerns with how the water got there in the first place. Again, my cabin itself was bone dry. My question to all of you is, where do you think the water leaked in? It was a substantial amount of water, so either my "tarping" was very insufficient or I have other, more problematic structural issues with the mast step or something. What do you guys think? Thanks!

 

[Capt Robbie]

Condensation on the interior of the hull. I have a Hunter 34 and I have the boat hauled for the winter it is completely dry and within a few months it accumulates about 2-3 inches. I usually hang four moisture bags and it seems to help.
When I winterize I dry the bilge then add nontoxic antifreeze and run it thru the bilge pump. This keeps everything from freezing.

 

[Sacto Dave]

Hi Stutz63!
Well, I don't know much about much, but the '73 I bought 1/16 had a lot of water in it after a rain. First off, she was barely covered with a tarp. Sitting fairly level, I'd find water on the deck after a storm.
The culprit for the majority of water was the sink drain hose, which I found disconnected from the sink and rotated 180°, emptying the cockpit scuppers into the bilge.
Afterwards, I began to suspect deck hardware, since the water generally looked rusty. I need to rebed all my hardware. Here are photos of the worst stanchion:

 

[njlarry]

All boats need a drain. Transome or garboard and it needs to be open when on the hard.

 

[pclarksurf]

Your boat probably has multiple top side locations that are more than capable of putting a few inches of water into the bilge-- but the easy answer is your tarp sucks. I actually "shoveled" the tarp 3 times this year (one heavy duty version is plenty) and she's always high and dry. The version pictured below was two large tarps-- and the seam always allowed some water in. I found a continuous 25' long version that is a heavier grade and it lasts a full year plus a summer before it gets replaced in the fall with new. I think of them like sacrificial zincs-- the good tarp is cheap relative to the potential damage.

 

[Stutz63]

Hi Guys, Sorry for the delay in response; things got a little busy around here. Anyway, thank you very much for all your input! Turns out, from my investigation, it was a little bit of everything. I was back out on Saturday to where I store the boat and we had some rain the night before. I was able to shimmy into the cockpit underneath the tarps without removing them completely and entered the cabin. Under the teak covers to the hull/compartments, there certainly was some condensation noted on the top of the covers (probably should not have left them in the boat - rookie mistake). I also noted some water drops underneath one of my windows. While that area was covered by two tarps, I think with the standing water on top of the tarps, it just finds a way down to the boat and then somehow seeps into whatever potential openings there would be; one of which was this window. I did not think this was the only culprit, however, as the cabin itself seemed bone dry except for that one spot. I then went forward into the bulkhead and looked at all my entry points; none seemed wet or showed signs of seepage. I then took at look at some of the stanchions I could reach and other deck hardware and saw what I suspected to be the main areas of concern. I have not yet removed any to fully investigate, but will do so this week when I take her out of storage and back to the YC whereat I will be sailing. There I can have more room to work and the tools to get her completely refit for this summer. When I bailed out the hull, I dumped the buckets of water into the cockpit to watch for draining through the scuppers and thruhulls, wondering if there was a leak in my hosing. Turns out the hosing was fine; not the source of leaks, which was a relief. What is more alarming was the fact there was about 40 gallons of water (about 3 inches) sitting in the hull from the winter. Again, we did have a lot of snowfall and rain in the 6 months from when I put her in storage to when I was able to get back out to her storage spot. This coming winter I plan on storing it at the YC where I will be able to access her more easily and can check up more frequently.

Does anyone see any problems with me keeping her moored for the summer on the water? Again, there appeared to be no leaks in the hull itself - all the water appeared to come in through external deck hardware and my leaky window. I will also be sailing at least once a week (if not more) and have a bilge pump on board to bail out any water that may get in after a heavy rain. But just thought I would see your thoughts on mooring; am I going to come back and find her on the bottom? Thanks again guys!

 

[C22-Daydreamer]

You're probably suffering from the same problem I had. Likely it's underneath your rub rail. Mine had several hundred holes drilled under the the rub rail. Many more than the number of holes for the screws that hold the rub rail on. Didn't have a tarp covering mine and I would check for leaks in the cabin after a good long heavy rain storm. The cabin would be mostly dry except for some leakage around the windows but it was not enough to account for the amount of water I collected in the bilge area. I needed to replace my rub due to some damage from an encounter with a dock that happened before I became the owner. Once I removed the aluminum track I was stunned to see all the extra holes drilled into the joint securing the deck to the hull hidden by the rub rail. So I systematically filled every hole with 5200 but I would recommend filling with epoxy for a better seal you'll need a syringe to inject it into each hole. Or use a caulking gun if you go with the 5200. A couple of days after I had filled all the holes. We had another downpour of heavy rain and when I checked the interior for water I had the usual few drips from the windows but the bilge was completely dry. No more bilge leaks none what so ever. That was the source of the bilge area water. Mine is a 76 model too btw. So if you are getting a lot of condensation under the tarp I would imagine that moisture is running down that tarp right on to your rub rail where it is then seeping behind the track right into all the extra drilled holes behind the rub rail just like mine. Fill those holes and the problem is solved.