It's not often I get perplexed

[petersea]

You need to find the source then determine what is leaking. Try using baby powder and make a field around the leaked liquid and progressively move out from the puddle. Eventually any leaking fluid will leave a tell tale trail from the source. Is this a continuous leak ? intermittent ?? noticed only after running engine ?? only after charging batteries ?? could it simply be condensation that puddled ?? notice after a rain storm or washing the boat ?? Lots of good advise given and we are all curious to know what you discover. For what it is worth my guess is water that has been colored buy wicking thru some wood but let us know ! !

 

[Mike B]

I'd go with the out gassing theory. You said you were over charging your batteries, going through a lot of water. Add the heat of this summer on the bay and you'd get some pretty high temps. Enough to outgas the battery boxes I suspect.

 

[Witzend]

I have cleaned it up and we will see if it returns. I like the baby powder trick to help locate which way it has traveled from. Most of what I have is soaked up in a paper towel, so my testing sample is rather limited. I could freeze the paper towel and see it it gets hard.
I would be surprised to find the substance is from glue used in marine plywood. I would think Catalina would have used a good marine plywood that would not have water soluble glue. Again, my bilge has been dry, this boat does not take on water when it rains, I was just in it when we had a recent extended downpour.

 

[zeehag]

i mentioned water from above, as i have found similar in my ericson when i discovered the topside leaks i fixed---the leaching water was golden to maple in color from seeping thru the headliner and core. good luck and may the evil leaking source be found easily.

 

[lonestar53]

Compass fluid??

 

[wonkodsane]

I don't think they put anything in compasses that wouldn't completely evaporate within a few hours. Isopar, Mineral Spirits, and alcohol are most common, but there may be something else weird out there.

 

[njsail]

I had the same experience and after being perplexed I tracked it down to a small crack in the Cal Air Conditioning water pump. The Cal water pump is oil filled with a non-toxic amber very viscous oil. A small crack in the edge of the pump wasn't visible where it was mounted...but the oil dripped down and rolled away from the pump. There was no odor to the amber oil.

good luck in your quest for an answer.

 

[SailingCal21]

I've got the same substance from your description. In my case it's coming from a deck leak through the core. When it dries, its a flaky dark brown varnish like substance.

 

[Witzend]

This stuff probably would never really dry, it like syrup.

 

[Witzend]

OK, I may have found the problem
The refrigerator condensate drain has no nut with sealant on the nipple where it enters the bottom on the inside. As a result any fluids that collect never actually rise to the level of the nipple protrusion and enter the drain, it just leeks into the bilge. The hose that is connected to the nipple under is also dry rotted. This may have been the cause of the strange material I have been finding in my bilge. This week we had a milk container leak in the fridge and I was seeing this white substance in the bilge.