is this normal

[hummingbirdbassist]

My cherubini is now in the water but my question is she has been in water last two months and its about a 1.5 hr drive, when j got to her, the bilge was full of water,float up and bilge not pumping of particular concern was the bilge water had plenty of silt in it. Recently had a water heater(bubbler) put down near boat( maybe thats doing the stirring of silt, but where would all that water be coming in from?
Will

 

[stollo770]

If the float in your bilge is up and the pump is not operating then you need to correct that immediately. You probably have a disconnect in the wiring between the float switch and the pump itself, probably because of corrosion. Check all the contacts, connections, and splices if you have any between your float and your pump, then check all the connections back to the battery. If those all are fine, then replace your pump. Corrosion ate through the connections on my float and my pump stopped working. I almost lost my floor, but luckily my high water alarm went off and I was around to hear it (this was after what I can only assume is weeks of the bilge slowly filling). When I went to inspect the connections on the float, the wires disintegrated to dust in my hands. No joke, they became powder, rubber and all, the corrosion was that bad. I fixed it by removing and replacing the corroded elements and everything worked fine again.

As to where the water could be coming from there are two possibilities. Unfortunately, if your seriously concerned about the water, your going to have to taste it to figure out which (just dip your finger and taste a drop or so). If the water is sweet then the water is coming from the rain, and it is fresh water. This is normal, as boats usually take in some water when it rains. If you get excessive water, then check various seals and deck fittings for leaks. Fresh water is generally not a problem though, so as long as your bilge can pump it out then whatever. If the water tastes salty then it is obviously from the sea and that could mean that your keel bolts are leaking. That would be the least desirable because that would mean a huge job of taking the keel off to re-bed it immediately. Other salt water possibilities could be from your stuffing box, if your engine bay drains into the bilge, and/or your rudder packing. Both of those can be fixed with a crescent wrench and a screw driver.

Your always going to have some water in your bilge, I always have a quarter of an inch or so, because I can't find a pump that can remove the water when it gets shallower then that. So don't fret about a small amount of water. However, if your bilge is always full, even when your pump is working, then check some of the things I listed above and fix it. Its annoying to hear water sloshing around in the bilge when sailing.

 

[kloudie1]

Most likely rain water with stuff in it from the deck core; looks brownish and leaves stains.. ya really want to identify where it is coming from and if the water ya floating in is salty, then the taste test is OK... but rain leaching thru the core of the deck/cabin sides can be quite salty too.. Look for drooling places under the ports and lifeline stanchions, the most frequent suspects, but any thru-deck mounted fitting can be a leaker..Rain is tougher to keep out than seawater .. Also put eyes and fingers on all the through-hulls to make sure they aren't dripping..
Easiest way I've found to spot rain leaks is to be there when it is raining and meticulously look all around the inside walls of the cabin and lockers, looking for wet and drooling places..It is amazing how much water can wick into the cabin from a small fitting that is not sealed. I understand it might be a bit cool for that for the next few days (weeks?) .. Good luck finding the leak, Will

 

[Benny17441]

If the water in the bilge did not reach the floor boards in two months time I would say we are not talking about an emergency. Like Kloudie indicates the taste test might not be all conclusive but if your leak is fresh water from rain, the water tank or plumbing system the water will likely taste less salty than the water surrounding the boat. Salt water gets into the boat usually by the drip on the packing gland, sea water spray when sailing and any leaks on the through hulls below the waterline. This salt water intrusion is considered incidental and can be removed by an electric or manual pump. Water entry through the keel bolts would be of serious concern not for the water but for the structural fault that could cause the keel to fall off and the boat to flounder. Any fresh water leaks from the tank, portholes or deck fixtures should be traced and corrected to try and maintain a dry boat. The water you see in the bilge is just a portion of the water that is trapped in the stringers below the cabin sole. You may notice that you dry the bilge and within an hour it may be full again, that is just excess water that is not really trapped flowing down to the bilge. To further remove some of the trapped water you may need to get the boat in motion so that some of the water can be freed up so that it can flow to the bilge. That trapped water may be stinky and nasty. If the float switch was up and the pump was not running then you either have dead batteries, a faulty pump or bad wiring and connectors. I would take the pump out and test it by directly placing the wires to a good and charged battery terminals. If it runs I would then check the float switch; if both are working then the problem is in the wiring and connectors.

 

[seadaddler]

Bilage

My bilge pump was not working about a year ago and first check to
make sure your getting 12 volts and next take the float up and check manually
and see if it works,mine had dirt or sludge or some thing gumped up the float
and so replaced the float and next noticed the pump had a crack where the hose connected and replaced it also all new and working great and was not
big $$$$$ but I sleep real good and yes always about 1'' of water still in bilge
from AC and use the shop vac once a week and add some tide soap.
Nick

 

[braol]

The cockpit scuppers on my boat leaked at the 90* joint just below the cockpit floor...ever so slightly...but enough to keep the bilge wet when it rained.

 

[kito]

Maybe tighten up all your toe rail nuts......there's like a 120 of them. I was still getting a little leakage so I ran a tiny bead of 795 sealant where the toe rail flange meets the deck. My boat is on stands and rain water puddles in 2 places along the toe rail and finds the tiny leak passages.

 

[Don Lucas]

The water could just e coming down the mast. Unless you have a real clean bilge the color means nothing. Did you check the shaft for leakage?

But the bilge not running, that's a BIG problem.

Far as tasting the bilge water, unless you started with a perfectly clean bilge that is a water of time (IMO)

 

[tomgrigsby]

I recently found the same thing and it turned out to be the battery connection. Just wiggled the cable and tightened the wingnuts at the battery and all was well. As for water, my 30 leaks around the mast base and runs down the forward side of the bulkhead between the cabin and the shower. Also get some around the daggerboards, so I occasionally find water in the engine pan. That weirded me out the first time I found that.

 

[captrick2013]

one of the things you want to check closely is the thru hull valves. When I acquired 1975 Cherubini 30 all the gate valves were badly corroded and when I tried them the handles@ valves broke off.I plugged then until I could get pvc caps @ seal them off. when I haul the boat I will replace them with proper seacocks. I also found that all the hand rails were leaking,[they were screwed on]also all the ports had to be rebeaded WINDOWS SEALED. THE STANTIONS HAD TO HAVE BACKING PLATES MADE @ BE RE BEADED I WOULD ALSO RECOMEND THAT YOU INSTAL TWO BILDGE PUMPS A SMALL ONE TO DEWATER AS LOW AS POSSOBLE @ AND A SECOND LARGER ONE FOR SAFTY I HAVE A 1000 GAL/ 2000 GAL/ 3500/ BACK UP PLUS HAND PUMP. I HAVE WORKED AS A CAPTAIN IN THE OIL INDUSTRY FOR 15 YEARS@ DELEVERY SKIPPER FOR10 YEARES@ NOW RUN @ FUEL DOCK AT A DOAT YARD. I HAVE SEEN A FEW BOATS SINK FOR NOT HAVEING PROPER PUMPS AND IT ALWAYS SEEMS SO TERRIBLE. HOPE YOU FIND THE LEAK IT DOES'N SOUND LIKE A BAD ONE,BUT IT NEVER HURTS TO BE SAFE.

 

[Capt jgw]

Having two pumps of a great idea. When I first got my present boat it had a single large pump with 20 feet of 1 1/2" hose. When the pump turned off, the two gallons of water in the hose would run back into the bilge and turn the pump back on again. It just cycled on and off 24/7 pumping the same two gallons back and forth. I just wonder how long the PO let it do that. (Did I mention that the PO was a moron?) I didn't want to put a check valve in the line so instead I put on a small pump with the smallest and shortest discharge line possible, mounted lower than the now "emergency" pump. Now only about a pint of water flows back in which is not enough to trigger the float switch.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Nick's right, check the float switch first, then the pump then the connections. If you (or the PO) did a proper job on the wiring, then it's usually the float that dies first. I get a ratio of three or four float switches to one pump, and the pumps usually last eight years (Rule 1500). I bought the 12 year old boat in 1998, and replaced the pump in 2006, it's still working. I've replaced the switches in 04, 08, 11 and just yesterday!

There are other switches and pumps available these days, I just find it easier to keep replacing what fits where I currently have it.

With all this good advice, you just need to be methodical.

Good luck.

 

[fifedog]

Pump - check that 5 amp fuse.
Water - check the cockpit drains.