I have a1987 Catalina 22 that has spent 4 seasons tied up to a dock when not sailing, and never had any water issues .It is currently on a trailer, and after a rain I am finding water in the bilge, sometimes so much water that it overflows the bilge andpools up[ in the stern storage locker. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions on the source of the leak. Water is somehow getting directly into the space between the hull and liner, and lots of it at times.
Leaking into bilge
- Thread starter ggdoby
- Start date
Something on your deck is probably leaking. Run a hose over the deck. Sometimes leaks only show themselves after a heavy rain so keep that in mind when looking for them. Also, did you run a bilge pump when your boat was on the water? Perhaps the issues went unnoticed because it's no longer running? Just a thought
Most boats have water trapped in the hull stringers below the sole. That water comes from various sources like sea spray, plumbing leaks, water spills, washdowns, wet bathing suits, rain leaks, Cooler discharge, etc. Some of that water gets released when the boat is set in motion. It is very common for a boat that has been pulled up a ramp and trailered to show released water in by the stern of the boat and in the bilge. The amount of water trapped below the sole over a period of time is usually significant consisting of multiple gallons. I'm not saying you do not have a rain leak that maybe contributing to the water trapped below the sole. What am saying is that the sudden appearance of a large amount of water is very likely water that has been accumulating over a period of time under the liner. You can test it by removing the water you found and drying the bilge and the stern locker and hitching up the trailer and taking it for another spin over some rough road to see if more water is released. Do not drill holes in the liner as some of this trapped water will be fouled and the awful smell can be released into the cabin. I do not have a solution to the water accumulation because as long as I don't feel any smell it does not bother me and I let the bilge pump discharge the water. I am careful when cleaning the boat not to use too much water and every once in while I will take the boat out heel it it sharply in opposite tacks to shake some of the water out. I have seen people pour a chlorine solution and then take out the boat out and induce motion to mix the waters.
All of the 22's in our storage area that are stored bow up more than 3 or 4 inch from level have hulls full of water. Some of this is caused by leaves plugging the drains and some is water that is trapped by the slide rails on the cabin and goes into the cabin. The problem is so bad that a few of us have installed a drain in the bottom of transom above the water line to drain the boat during the winter. We store on the side of a hill with trees and a lot of wind that destroys a good tarp in a month.