I purchased a Hunter 216 this past spring, and have found I am getting a large amount of water inside. I had not been to the boat for about three weeks and found approximately 15 gallons inside. I had the bottom inspected and painted before I launched and I keep it in the water. I can't believe that this much water is getting around the hatch and/or down the mast. I have seen some drips on the stanchion bolts, but this is minor. Anyone with a 216 have any specific places I should look? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Hunter 216
- Thread starter CharlieTodd
- Start date
15 gallons seems excessive.
If you are slipped in salt water, I'd "taste" the water to see if it is salty. If it is not, then it is rain and you have a problem someplace on deck. If it is salty then you have a slow leak someplace in the hull.
I'm not very familiar with the 216 but if it has an anchor locker, then a place to check is the make sure the anchor locker drain hose is not broken or disconnected.
You have a more traditional companionway hatch on the 216 compared to my H26 so a big leak of the hatch seems unlikely but on mine, I used to get a lot of water leaking around the hatch. I ordered one of these from the SBO site and it took care of the problem...
If you think it is coming from the deck someplace, you could get inside and have someone with a hose direct water to different places on the boat and watch for where it is coming in.
If you are slipped in salt water, I'd "taste" the water to see if it is salty. If it is not, then it is rain and you have a problem someplace on deck. If it is salty then you have a slow leak someplace in the hull.
I'm not very familiar with the 216 but if it has an anchor locker, then a place to check is the make sure the anchor locker drain hose is not broken or disconnected.
You have a more traditional companionway hatch on the 216 compared to my H26 so a big leak of the hatch seems unlikely but on mine, I used to get a lot of water leaking around the hatch. I ordered one of these from the SBO site and it took care of the problem...
If you think it is coming from the deck someplace, you could get inside and have someone with a hose direct water to different places on the boat and watch for where it is coming in.
If you had the bottom painted I doubt it is a hull leak if it just sat there, only two exposures centreboard trunk and the cassette the rudder fits in. If the boat is just sitting I doubt they would leak but you never know. Are there any cracks in the Luran?
My guess it’s rainwater. Did it rain much in the three weeks it sat?
I’ve tried just about everything to keep the cuddy dry and have concluded it’s near impossible.
SBO store sells a canvas cover that wraps around the mast that stops a lot of rain, I also put silicone in the track in the mast just where this cover goes ( in hindsight I wish I had used some easy to remove caulking). The hatch boards are kind of “sneaky”. I’ve learned to make sure there is no offset from one board to the next, the water uses any overlap as an entry point. When the mast is stepped it appears the hull beam compresses a little so the boards don’t come completely together. I put a terry cloth rag in the gap.
Running the hose while looking is a good idea. Swamping 15 gallons out must have been a chore!
Make sure any cockpit drains are not plugged, as that amount of water can be easily be collected from rain in the cockpit.
While your correct that it’s an open transom that would let a large volume of water out quickly the centreboard slot also acts as the “floor drain”. There is a small lip at the stern so not all water drains there. If the boat is sitting level and idle any water on the cockpit floor would drain out the slot. If however there are cracks etc in the floor itself water could enter the inner hull.
