On our recent trip to the San Juans we had a bit of a leak forward. It wasn't enough to end the trip early, but it was enough to cause me some new gray hairs.
Turns out that whatever was used to bed the paddlewheel through hull is failing. First clue we had water coming in was on the first day of the trip. We'd been in the water for about 36 hours when the Admiral said there was water in the v-berth footwell. I wrote it off as condensation from the cooler, wiped it up and put it from my mind.
Second day, when we got to Deer Harbor, it became obvious that something was wrong. There was a LOT of water in the footwell and a quick taste let me know it was salt, not fresh water. Pretty sure it was getting into the cabin via the hole I'd drilled through the starboard bulkhead for the battery wires. Mixed blessing I suppose, as I'd not have had a clue until the water came up around the keel bolt cover in the main cabin.
I dug everything out of the v-berth and found about a gallon of water in the locker. I cleaned it up but more was coming in. It took me a while, but I finally figured out it was coming in around the outside of the the through hull. Luckily one of the guys we were cruising with had some Marine-tex along so I was able to patch things up and slow the leak to about a cup a day.
Still trying to decide what I want to do. I'm leaning toward ripping both through hulls out and glassing things in up there. That's a lot of work, though, so I'm not positive.
Turns out that whatever was used to bed the paddlewheel through hull is failing. First clue we had water coming in was on the first day of the trip. We'd been in the water for about 36 hours when the Admiral said there was water in the v-berth footwell. I wrote it off as condensation from the cooler, wiped it up and put it from my mind.
Second day, when we got to Deer Harbor, it became obvious that something was wrong. There was a LOT of water in the footwell and a quick taste let me know it was salt, not fresh water. Pretty sure it was getting into the cabin via the hole I'd drilled through the starboard bulkhead for the battery wires. Mixed blessing I suppose, as I'd not have had a clue until the water came up around the keel bolt cover in the main cabin.
I dug everything out of the v-berth and found about a gallon of water in the locker. I cleaned it up but more was coming in. It took me a while, but I finally figured out it was coming in around the outside of the the through hull. Luckily one of the guys we were cruising with had some Marine-tex along so I was able to patch things up and slow the leak to about a cup a day.
Still trying to decide what I want to do. I'm leaning toward ripping both through hulls out and glassing things in up there. That's a lot of work, though, so I'm not positive.