A Catalina 310 I’m looking at has water in the what I call the main bilge, just above the keel. The boat has had a previous Catalina Smile/Keel damage due to a hurricane when the boat was pushed into/onto a shallow flat. The boat was on its keel and side so caused a Catalina Smile/Keel damage. It was repaired and supposedly is good to go. That was about 4 years ago. I've read and been told that the Catalina is a "web bilge" boat... The water level is 1-2 inches, just in the very bottom, and is stagnant like it’s been there awhile. Water color is a very dark brown. I failed to get pictures so I can’t share. The keel bolts were not corroded and just looked a dark gray. There were three bilge pumps in the bilge area. Stains on the side of the bilge seemed to indicated the water level was consistent and had been there awhile The overall condition of the boat is immaculate so I was thinking it’s most likely water that has just draining into the bilge over time and just sat there as it’s below the level to trigger the bilge pumps. Other areas under the floor looked really clean. I’d eat off the floor under the engine. Thoughts? Any way to tell if this is a problem or if it’s just a small pool from whatever?
Is a little water in the bilge okay?
- Thread starter rcoleman67
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- bilge water leak
I do not believe the Catalina smile is caused by a hurricane and grounding. The smile is due to water in the bilge that softens the plywood that the keel hangs from using the keel bolts. In later years,1988 onwards, catalina did not use plywood in that location. What year is your c310? The stagnant water is not a problem. Clean it and go for a sea trial. Is it kept in water? Come back and check for water in the bilge a week later. You will have your answer.
Per: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Catalina 310 is an American sailboat, that was designed by Gerry Douglas and first built in 1999.
It may not have wood in the keel stub.
I believe you stated the keel was repaired and supposedly is good to go?
It could be keel bolts leaking but I would guess that there would be more water in the bilge unless the bilge pumps keep pumping it out.
I would follow Sail Le Vie's advice, Clean it and go for a sea trial and come back and check for water in the bilge later.
You may only have a leaking packing gland or rain/washdown water draining down.
Good luck.
The Catalina 310 is an American sailboat, that was designed by Gerry Douglas and first built in 1999.
It may not have wood in the keel stub.
I believe you stated the keel was repaired and supposedly is good to go?
It could be keel bolts leaking but I would guess that there would be more water in the bilge unless the bilge pumps keep pumping it out.
I would follow Sail Le Vie's advice, Clean it and go for a sea trial and come back and check for water in the bilge later.
You may only have a leaking packing gland or rain/washdown water draining down.
Good luck.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,906
Or...
You could climb into the boat with the broker. Look in the bilge. Gag a little.
Comment at how the boat must have been sunk and is likely seriously damaged.
Offer a ridiculously low ball price to just to get this mess of a boat out of his marina.
See if he goes for it.
You could climb into the boat with the broker. Look in the bilge. Gag a little.
Comment at how the boat must have been sunk and is likely seriously damaged. Offer a ridiculously low ball price to just to get this mess of a boat out of his marina.
See if he goes for it.
Straycat, it is Sail La Vie.
I am flattered with your interest in my website
Sail La Vie | 1999 Catalina 36 MK II
I whish more catalina owners would.
I am flattered with your interest in my website
Sail La Vie | 1999 Catalina 36 MK II
I whish more catalina owners would.
You don't indicate if the boat is in the water or on the hard which makes it difficult to diagnose
A "wet bilge" is not normal unless there is a reason for it. Ask for explanation and then do whatever verification makes you comfortable. I never know for sure when I will return to the boat and find a dry bilge. There are just too many variables. A few days ago I found half-inch of water in the bilge because we didn't tighten down the starboard side ports and the drenching rain came in. At least I knew the reason because the cushions were wet under the port lights. Condensate from the reverse cycle drains to my bilge. I have a troublesome water line leak from the bow water tank lines. The refrigerator drains to the bilge. So far, I've never seen a sign that the PSS gland leaks - so that's comforting. In the winter, it seems that condensation often leaves water in the bilge. I had a boat in the past that leaked around the exhaust port when it was squatted underwater. I could not resolve it completely but at least I knew about it.
But, I would never accept a <simple> explanation that a "wet bilge" is normal. If there is water in the bilge, the owner did a poor job of cleaning his boat after an infrequent occurence OR there is an explanation that he isn't telling you. If he doesn't know the source (and says so), at least I would be sympathetic to the difficulty in correcting the issue and possibly give him at least a pass for being honest.
What you accept, though, is up to you. No used, 20-year old boat is going to be perfect.
But, I would never accept a <simple> explanation that a "wet bilge" is normal. If there is water in the bilge, the owner did a poor job of cleaning his boat after an infrequent occurence OR there is an explanation that he isn't telling you. If he doesn't know the source (and says so), at least I would be sympathetic to the difficulty in correcting the issue and possibly give him at least a pass for being honest.
What you accept, though, is up to you. No used, 20-year old boat is going to be perfect.
BTW, the "Catalina smile" doesn't apply to the boat you are looking at. It was only an issue with much older Catalinas. If water in the bilge is related to leakage around the keel, I would steer clear for sure. I would only be interested in the boat if I was very proficient in keel repairs. If it's not something you could handle on your own, the boat will never be worth the repair cost at retail prices.
If the water is related to various above water-line leaks, say around windows or deck fittings, that's something you should be able to manage and possibly resolve. But get a good report on the deck moisture, it that's the case. Just about any used boat will have some persistent leaks around the deck. But it takes a fair amount of water leakage to leave an inch of water in the bilge. I rarely find water in the bilge due to rain events even though I know a few spots that occasionally drip during a hard rain. It takes an open window to cause what I found recently.
If the water is related to various above water-line leaks, say around windows or deck fittings, that's something you should be able to manage and possibly resolve. But get a good report on the deck moisture, it that's the case. Just about any used boat will have some persistent leaks around the deck. But it takes a fair amount of water leakage to leave an inch of water in the bilge. I rarely find water in the bilge due to rain events even though I know a few spots that occasionally drip during a hard rain. It takes an open window to cause what I found recently.
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Also, I'm curious about 3 bilge pumps. Three electric bilge pumps or 2 electric and 1 manual? My Catalina has just one electric bilge pump and one manual bilge pump that is worked from the cockpit. Is there a better explanation for the 3? I think it may be a little unusual and I suspect not factory installed. I'm sure Catalina installed the manual pump - I'm curious if you include that in the 3 that you count.
I'll agree that a primary and secondary electric bilge pump is a very good installation. Did the owner install an auxiliary bilge pump? Did he do it for a reason other than redundancy?
I'll agree that a primary and secondary electric bilge pump is a very good installation. Did the owner install an auxiliary bilge pump? Did he do it for a reason other than redundancy?
Bilge pumps have to discharge above the waterline, which means the discharge line from the pump has to run uphill. The pump only discharges bilge water while it's running...when it quits, the water left in its discharge line runs downhill and ends up in the bilge where it sits and stagnates till the next time the bilge pump runs. This a common common problem that most new boat owners haven't figured out how to solve yet because it never seems to occur to 'em that the solution requires a bit of manual labor with either a shop vac or a dinghy bailer, big sponge and and a bucket. If even a couple of inches of water is allowed to sit in the bilge, it turns into a a""primordial soup" that can make a whole boat smell like a swamp or even a sewer. I had to do this last thing before closing up the boat at the end of every weekend aboard... It's just part of the "fun" of owning a boat.
--Peggie
p.s. Don't make the mistake of trying to prevent the bilge pump runback by installing a check valve in bilge pump discharge lines. Check valves can interfere with the bilge pump's ability to pump anything out.
--Peggie
p.s. Don't make the mistake of trying to prevent the bilge pump runback by installing a check valve in bilge pump discharge lines. Check valves can interfere with the bilge pump's ability to pump anything out.
Most bilge pumps won't dry a bilge for the reasons Peggy stated. There are dry bilge systems available. The ones I've seen use a sponge and a pump system with small tubing to suck the moisture from the sponges, usually based on a timer. I've seen web pages describing a DIY version, and have been meaning to do my own. But, the water in my bilge is typically pretty clear, not the primordial soup Peggy describes, so I'm O.K. with it for now.
That's because your boat sits in cold water....bilges and stuff in them take their temperature off the hull so your bilges are a bit chilly even in the summer. The bacteria that turns bilges into primordial soups become increasingly sluggish below 70 F and dormant below 40. If you were further south where sea waters are warmer, or decide to spend the winter in Florida or the islands, you'd definitely notice a difference in your bilge water.
--Peggie
I'd install a fan before resorting to a sponge that can fester mold/mildew. Many people use a shop vac before they leave their boat
I couldn't be bothered with a shop vac! I like the dry bilge/sponge automatic thing.
Can you isolate the main bilge where the keel bolts are? This might eliminate other sources and see if it's the bolts or not.
My Hunter has 4 'bilges' connected by limber holes.
My Hunter has 4 'bilges' connected by limber holes.
I have a Ryobi shop vac I leave on the boat. I bring down a battery once in a while and pull the few inches of water that manage to creep their way into the bilge. I have a larger boat so the refrigerator and A/C units (I know, tough life!) condensate into the bilge.
Fwiw, I re-routed the AC drain on my last boat to drain directly overboard. All it took was a new thru-hull the same size as the drain line where it would be just low enough to keep the drain line running downhill.
--Peggie
--Peggie