Keel Tube Leak

[atwhite2]

On my trailerable 1976 O'Day 20 there is a rather steady leak coming through the tube that the swing keel line travels through the cabin to the cockpit. I thought that it was coming from the bottom of the tube, so I epoxyed the base of the tube, but come to find out that the leak is from within the 9 or so inches that are un-accessable. Please look at the pictures, hard to explain.
So that being said, 2 questions:
1. Is there a simple repair method?
2. What would cause the hose to fail, it is flexible rubber? would it be caused by the jostling of trailering?

Thank you all for your help

-Abe

 

[Hermit Scott]

I think in the center picture, that plastic piece has a barbed piece that the hose slips onto. There is probably a ring that threads onto the bottom of the plastic piece to hold it to the deck. You may be able to just twist and pull down and remove that "wet exaust" hose that the rope is going through.
Can you see up into the deck beside the hose that goes up in there? There may be a hose clamp holding it on that would probably have to be removed.

 

[Joseph Shirley]

I would suspect that the hose is the culprit and I think you should have asked before you messed with the epoxy. It could just be that the hose is old and cracked or abraded, perhaps by the nuts on the backside of the cleat. By the way it looks like a reinforced hose. the hose next to it for your cockpit drain is a flex hose.

Anyway; it looks to me as though there is a hose clamp impression on the lower end of the hose; that makes me think that originally it was installed by clamping the correct length hose to the top fitting, lowering that assembly over caulking at the upper end and over the through hull fitting at the lower end. Then clamping the lower end of the hose to the through hull fitting.

I would suggest cutting the caulking (or de-solving it) around the upper fitting and lifting the hose and fitting straight up. Replacing the hose and the fitting as originally done.

Lacking the ability to cut the calking around the flange of the upper fitting, you can cut around it with a saber saw and extract the whole thing that way. I that case you would have to make a circular transition piece or dutchman with an inside hole larger than the hose and clamp, and a larger outside diameter than your cut hole. Set that in place with caulk and let it set up. The hose would also have to be a little longer to compensate for the dutchman. The hole for the upper fitting is above the waterline so the seal there is not as critical as you might be worried about. If that weren't the case you would have water coming up through the hole in the fitting.

The Ideal way to have installed that upper fitting is to have a big nut on the inside of it as is done with a through hull, but it doesn't look like there was enough room to get up in there to tighten it so I think my first guess would be pretty close.

Any others?

Joe S

 

[Hermit Scott]

In the picture all the way to the right it looks like there was an access at one time.

 

[kendall]

Agree with both, looks as though someone didn't like the exposed hose and filled the opening. Some carefull work with a utility knife and wood chisel should allow easy access to change the hose.

Depending on it's composition, when hose gets old it either gets soft and fails/leaks from expansion, or it gets hard and splits/cracks from shrinkage.
Break out whatever they used to 'hide' the hose and replace it with a solvent resistant re-enforced hose.

Question though, is the cockpit sole really that far below the waterline on those boats?

Another possible explanation is that the fitting the line initially passes through is smaller than the hose dameter, and you simply don't have a seal at the top, so normal sailing 'pumps' water up over the top of the hose. (my portager would produce geysers through the hole at certain speeds)

Ken.

 

[atwhite2]

Thanks

Thanks for the advice, i will try to access the tube from the top, if that is not successful I will go in through the side.

-Abe

 

[peptobysmol]

My bet is that the bolts or screws that were used to secure the cleat could be the culprit. The cleat screw on the right looks relatively new. Unless it was put in before the area was sealed off I'd bet it is a screw unless whoever did it had a nut holder and some help. Either way sounds like you need to replace the tubing if you haven't already. Good luck and let us know.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Good eye about the new bolt head.