Boat funk

[john6206]

Hello All,

I have a 1995 320 that I purchased 2 seasons ago, and I’ve been trying to find the source of the water in the bilge and the related boat funk since i bought it.

I ruled out the engine as being the source of the water because there is nothing damp under the bed or in the engine compartment. The pad under the engine is always dry. Not sure if I missed something, but that was my thinking.

When the boatyard winterized it after haul out, the water in the bilge was pink with antifreeze.
That seems to mean either engine or freshwater system.

I removed the floorboards in the main saloon expecting to find water
, but there wasn’t any. I expect the water is under the structural grid, or subfloor, or whatever you would call that. My reason for thinking that is that under the gallley sink there is a small hole, just about big enough to stick my hand in, and it seems to be damp and dirty under there.

any ideas on how to proceed?

 

[shemandr]

With regard to the pink bilge water it is common practice to dump some non-tox in there to prevent freezing damage.
Otherwise I don't know enough about that boat to comment on structural grid or false bilge (?).

 

[john6206]

@shemandr
I wondered about that. Almost looked like they pumped it out and then dumped straight antifreeze in.

It seems to mean that the first week after launch it’s pink as well.
I‘ll have to wait until May to confirm.

 

[Tally Ho]

As @shemandr said, it is common to dump some pink stuff in the bilge when winterizing. If any water ends up there over the winter, it stays slushy instead of potentially cracking something.

As far as water leaks, a few thoughts come to mind (maybe you have checked all of these already…..)

- Do you notice any water in the bilge BEFORE you fill the water tanks for the summer?
- Do you notice the potable tank levels going down over time even if you are not using potable water?

- Do you notice the water in the bilge after it has rained? I think that this is when I get a wet bilge…but I am still chasing cabin top/deck leaks.

- Any correlation to the water level in the bilge and motoring?

- Do you have a dripless shaft seal?


You are in fresh water, so you cannot use the salt test to see if you are leaking above or below the waterline…

I was on my boat during a HARD thunderstorm this summer, and found water POURING in around the companionway hatch. Not a place I was expecting it… ext summer, we will see if I solved that one

Greg

 

[john6206]

Thanks for the replies.
I’m trying to come up with a reasonable trouble shooting system, and some of your thoughts are helping.

I’ve ruled out rain, the total lack of rainfall for most of the summer helped with that .
So potable water and engine are the likely sources.

I’ll don my deerstalker and get out my magnifying glass in the spring.
The games afoot!

 

[east coaster]

On my catalina 310 I have inmast furling with deck stepped mast. After any rain or deck washing I get water in the bilge from the mast deck fitting. I have provided cutouts in the mast bottom to help the water drain however despite their size I still get water in the bilge. The compression post houses wires, antenna cables and instrument cabling leading to the bilge. Along with any water from the mast. The compression post has a small lip but given the volume and duration of the rain it doesn't prevent the water from pooling in the bilge. You may not have this situation on your boat, so this is just an issue to be aware of if it applies.