hard-to-find water leak

[Paolo Angelini]

I have a question. My boat leaks when under sail and with relatively rough weather (wind of 15 knots or more, sea to match). It is bone-dry when moored. I find water in the bilge and in the space/chamber between the hull and the bilge - the bilge is a structural pre-molded piece, glued to the hull from the inside with epoxy. Since some parts of the bilge sounded hollow, I drilled a hole in the bilge until I hit this chamber, and found that salt water was coming out of it. My guess is that the sealant between the iron keel and the fiberglass hull is somewhat loose and lets water in when the boat is under strain, but not when it is at rest. However, several experts I spoke to ruled out this possibility, stating that if a keel sealant leaks it leaks all the time, until the boat sinks.Here is the question: is anybody aware of a case of a keel sealant leaking under strain but not when at rest?

 

[LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners.com]

Thru hull?

Could it be a thru hull or the head back filling? This can be common but I'm not familiar with your boat. My galley sink & icebox were connected to one thru hull. If I left it open undersail, I'd get back with an icebox full of water. Took a couple times before I figured it out - doh!LaDonna

 

[MArk]

Hull-deck joint?

Paolo,Just a thought. I'm not sure how your hull-to-deck joint is made but many that have overlap joints only leak when water hits them from below.Happy (fusion powered) sails *_/),MArk

 

[Gerry]

I know your pains

I have had this problem with two of the boats I have had. The Catalina 22 I had previously and the Oday 272LE I have now. To fix it I rebedded the Keel on my current boat and removed and resealed the keel locking plate on the C22. What I think happens is when the boat is under strain it flexes the hull just slightly allowing water to wick its way through the tinest of crevases leaving you with water in the bilge. On both boats there was no water in the bilge when sitting at dockside or while sailing in light winds. When I replaced the seals or bedding compound it was found to be hard and un-flexible. Once replaced I had no further leaks under any conditions. So to answer your question YES it can leak under strain and not at the dock due to hul flexure.