Leaking keel bolts

[peterkozup]

I suspect that I have leaks around the keel bolts on my Catalina 27. I constantly have water in the bilge, and if I leave it for awhile the bilge will be full of water. The other day I pumped the bilge dry, cleaned it out, and overnight there was another 3/4" of water in the bilge (and it was a dry night, no rain). What concerns me is the base of the compression post that goes from the mast to the keel. It is bare wood at the fore section of the bilge and appears to be wet. I don't want to have to replace the compression post. I have just bought the boat and my previous boat was thoroughly dry. I don't want to pull the boat from the water at this stage of the season, nor do I want to have a bilge full of water for the whole summer. I have just installed an automatic bilge pump, so that will help, but I'd really like to stop the leaks.
I'd be grateful for any suggestions on how to dry out the bilge by stopping the leaks which I suspect are around the keel bolts. If I must do this when the boat is on the hard I'll wait till the end of the season, but if there is a way of stopping the leaks while the boat is in the water I'd be grateful to hear about it.
Thanks to all who respond.
Fair winds,
Peter K., S/V Larrikin
Catalina 27, Hull #5377

 

[jviss]

Detective work

You really have to figure out where the water is coming in. One way is to thoroughly dry the bilge, and the lay paper towels all around the bilge, so that after water accumulates you will see the trace of where it came from. If no trace, it's coming up from in as you suspect, from the bottom of the bilge. If otherwise, start becoming more specific with the paper-towel search. I have found leaks this way from places that never would have occurred to me, like water from the wet exhaust at a clamp.