Bilge Water

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Sean Coerse

Last night had a race in steady 15 knots. I was running late and got to the line 5 minutes before the gun. I didn't realize the wind strength as it was a run to the line from my dock. When we hardened up I realized I was over canvassed or under crewed. Anyway the course was two windward and leward legs. After getting back in I found about 3 gallons of water in the bilge. My bilge is always dry and I'm not sure where this came from. I assume it was because we were healed very hard. The only source I can think of is where the bilge pump exits the haul but this has a high loop in it that I would think keep this from happening. Any thoughts?
 
S

Steven de Filippis

maybe the sink?

i have a drain hole on my starboard side that i know water has got in from in the past.
 
T

Tom

Fish in the window.

I would suspect leadage at the deck / hull seam but hard to say. Check archives for similar problem. Does anyone have a current race rating for the 240?
 
S

Sean Coerse

Rating

Rating 240-258 depending on how rigged and where race.
 
A

Alan

In a 26 this could be via the bilge pump if the...

loop is not high enough. Is there Water anywhere else? Water on top of the ballast tank will flow to the low side when heeled hard. In my boat water has gotten on top of the tank by not having the vent plug tight enough (control valve must also be tight) and by a water container leaking under the galley. The galley leak was lower then the ballast tank until heeled. The hull deck joint is a very good place to look. As also mentioned check the drain fittings and through-hulls on the sink as if loose or leaking could be a source of water when heeling or using. Then, consider the nightmare of finding a remote leak such as cleats, stern rails, stern seats and so on. Alan
 
M

Mark Cooper

One other thought

Had a very similar problem with my 240 about 2 years ago and I tried all the other suggestions without finding the problem. I spoke with Greg Emerson at Hunter and he suggested that it might be the keel bolts. These are accessed by unscrewing the two small pieces of teak that surround the mastpost?inside the cabin. There are 4 of them, I think, all covered with RTV or some sort of waterproofing. The bolts are pretty good size - maybe 1 inch or bigger. Anyway, I tightened all four and got as much as 3/4 turn on all of them. Then I gooped them up again and have been dry ever since. Apparently this is a joint that seals the inner cabin sole to the outer hull and when you heel over, it allows water to leak in unless they're real tight. You don't have to pull the boat out of the water as long as you remember lefty loosey righty tighty when tightening them :D I'd be willing to bet ya a sailing trip on it!
 
S

Sean Coerse

Mark

I'm haven't looked in a while but I thought there was only one very large bolt on the H240 at the base of the compression post that holds the centerboard. I will check this area when I go to the boat on Monday. I know the water is not coming from the sink. No leaks and water is salt water. The bilge pump is a possibility but the loop is as high as it can be placed. Not from any hardware as it never leaks in the rain only when sailed winward real hard with toooo much sail.
 
R

Rick Webb

Check The Vent Plug

If you get enough of a heel it will leek if not tight.
 
A

Alan

Mark is correct in that water can leak from where.

...the compression post sits on the keel plate or whatever it is called. Wrap the area in paper towels then heel hard or get alot of beef on deck when motoring hard. You may have to go fast, heel hard or both to get a leak. Lots of 4200 should help. A leak from the sink fittings can be salt water. Again when heeling hard towards windward (some leeway), salt water can be rammed up into the sink and then leak if the clamps are not tight or the drain or through-hulls need rebedding. I would still consider the bilge pump. Have someone check for back flow under the same conditions. We will all pray it's not a ballast tank problem. Did you or anyone else drill or screw anything into the floor? Food coloring in the ballast tank to detect this. alan
 
S

Sean Coerse

Alan

Nothing drilled in the floor to cause leak. Eliminated sink everything stored in that area bone dry and no water streaks. I had a total of 3 gallons of water. Checked ballast tank and appeared to be topped off. I think most likely source is area of compression post. I race Wednesday and will remove the cover and place paper towels. I also will have crew go below check bilge. I'm sure not sailing over canvassed will eliminate the problem, however sometimes when racing in a building wind you have to suffer through it until your at a point a reef can be thrown in with minimal loss of time. I've makred my halyard and reef line to make this quicker because when racing if i'm reefed on a beat we almost always unreef on the run.
 
M

Mike Daus

Found some water...

collecting under the sink in the head of our 82 H36. It appeared sporatically. Was not coming from freshwater supply, holding tank (phew), flush supply, deck thru hulls, or deck/hull joint. Finally figured it out. When sailing healed to stbd, the head sink drain thru-hull that is normally just above the water line becomes submerged. The seal between the hull and the thru-hull failed. Water trickled in and flowed to the low spot under the sink. Mike
 
B

Bill Marshall

Hull Leaks in Hunter 23.5 and Hunter 26

I am new to this forum and came to look for answers to a hull leak on the edge of the transoms in Hunter 23.5s and 26s. I have owned both these boats and recently traded up to the larger model. While the 26 was being bottom painted, the dealer mentioned that I had the "Hunter crack." Evidently this is a design defect in these original models. There is a rim around the edge of the transom which has a tendency to delaminate over time and allows water in between. The dealer advised me that it becomes worse as the water freezes during the off season while the boat is in storage. The only cure is to have the entire area reglassed. A stop gap measure would be to sand down the area and fill the area with expoxy or a marine sealant. Anyone who has had experience with this crack and its repair I would appreciate hearing from. Hull integrity is something all of us need to be concerned about. After all, isn't the lack of this concern what sunk the Titanac?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.