I OWN A 1984 C27 TALL RIG, AND LOVE THE BOAT. AFTER A HAULOUT IN JUNE SHE SEEMED TO BE FAIRLY WATERTIGHT UPON LAUNCH. I AM EXPERIENCING A LEAKING PROBLEM THAT WILL FILL UP THE BILDGE IN ABOUT 4 TO 5 HOURS.. THIS MAY SOUND CRAZY BUT I CANNOT SEEM TO ISOLATE THE LEAK. IF I PUMP THE BILDGE DRY AND WATCH IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO TRACK THE INCOMING WATER. I AM SURE THAT THE WATER IS COMING FROM BELOW THE WATERLINE AND NOT FROM DECK FITTINGS ETC.. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEAS AND WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON AREAS TO SUSPECT ON C-27. LOOKING FOR HELP THANKS DAVE
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LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners
Where to check
Sorry to be obvious but check every hole below the waterline. All thru-hulls, transducers, etc. You probably have 2-3 thru-hulls depending on if you have an inboard. Check those first. Then check the transducer for the depthsounder & then the unit for the knotmeter. You should also check the keel bolts. Do this ASAP! You don't want to leave your boat unattended when it's filling up so fast. Also, do you leave your thru-hulls open? Closing them may help till you can figure out where the leak is coming from. LaDonna
Sorry to be obvious but check every hole below the waterline. All thru-hulls, transducers, etc. You probably have 2-3 thru-hulls depending on if you have an inboard. Check those first. Then check the transducer for the depthsounder & then the unit for the knotmeter. You should also check the keel bolts. Do this ASAP! You don't want to leave your boat unattended when it's filling up so fast. Also, do you leave your thru-hulls open? Closing them may help till you can figure out where the leak is coming from. LaDonna
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gary jensen
Finding that leak
The previous reply was accurate...Every thru hull should be checked and operated. The next thing I would try is to actively dry the boat by pumping it dry and using a sponge and towels. Get it as dry as you possibly can. Then lay toilet tissue out to see where the water is entering. The tissue paper should lead you back to the point of entry fairly easily. La Donna is correct in stressing that it should be done AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!! good luck
The previous reply was accurate...Every thru hull should be checked and operated. The next thing I would try is to actively dry the boat by pumping it dry and using a sponge and towels. Get it as dry as you possibly can. Then lay toilet tissue out to see where the water is entering. The tissue paper should lead you back to the point of entry fairly easily. La Donna is correct in stressing that it should be done AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!! good luck
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Peter Hine
Keel Bolts? Hull/deck joint or windows?
One of the less obvious (and more difficult to fix) possibilities are leaking keelbolts. Do you have the "Catalina Smile"?. (This is a narrow separation of the front of the keel from the stub it is bolted to.) If your bolts are loose or worn, it can allow the keel to also be alittle loose, The "Smile" can let water into the gap between the keel and stub, and thereby into the bilge. If the bilge fills in a few hours, though, your keel separation would have to be pretty large. Something to think about though. Also see if you are getting dripping from the hull/deck joint or windows. Leaking windows occur a lot. Of course this would only allow H2O in during the rain or if you're washing the boat. Maybe dripping shaft packing on the engine (if you're an inboard)? Good luck! Peter
One of the less obvious (and more difficult to fix) possibilities are leaking keelbolts. Do you have the "Catalina Smile"?. (This is a narrow separation of the front of the keel from the stub it is bolted to.) If your bolts are loose or worn, it can allow the keel to also be alittle loose, The "Smile" can let water into the gap between the keel and stub, and thereby into the bilge. If the bilge fills in a few hours, though, your keel separation would have to be pretty large. Something to think about though. Also see if you are getting dripping from the hull/deck joint or windows. Leaking windows occur a lot. Of course this would only allow H2O in during the rain or if you're washing the boat. Maybe dripping shaft packing on the engine (if you're an inboard)? Good luck! Peter
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Rob Rich
Inboard?
If you have an inboard, open the boat's rear starboard engine access panel (on the sidewall of the rear birth). Looking through the opening, you should see the back of the engine. Follow it to the shaft and shine a flashlite on it. If water is coming in that quick from the shaft area, you should see dripping from the underside of the shaft. It then passes from the engine compartment (under the sole and out of sight) into the bilge. You might just have a loose packing nut -easy fix. If you don't have an inboard - I would follow the other posts' instructions. Rob
If you have an inboard, open the boat's rear starboard engine access panel (on the sidewall of the rear birth). Looking through the opening, you should see the back of the engine. Follow it to the shaft and shine a flashlite on it. If water is coming in that quick from the shaft area, you should see dripping from the underside of the shaft. It then passes from the engine compartment (under the sole and out of sight) into the bilge. You might just have a loose packing nut -easy fix. If you don't have an inboard - I would follow the other posts' instructions. Rob
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Ray Evans
leaks probably stuffing box
To follow up on other replies, I would suspect the stuffing box on the prop shaft. It may only leak a lot when you are motoring! Have someone steer while you are motoring and inspect(with a light)this area. It may only require a tightening of the adjust nut. Do this at port with 2 2" wrenches. Good luck.
To follow up on other replies, I would suspect the stuffing box on the prop shaft. It may only leak a lot when you are motoring! Have someone steer while you are motoring and inspect(with a light)this area. It may only require a tightening of the adjust nut. Do this at port with 2 2" wrenches. Good luck.
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Dave
Leak Found?
Dave: By now I hope that you have found your leak and that your vessel is still afloat. A simple way to find a leak in the lower part of the vessel is to pull the boat and then see where the water "weeps" out. What goes in must come out. If there are no weeps from the keel area it would mean that the thru valves are weeping or that the stuffing box is the culprit. Hope that have your problem solved.
Dave: By now I hope that you have found your leak and that your vessel is still afloat. A simple way to find a leak in the lower part of the vessel is to pull the boat and then see where the water "weeps" out. What goes in must come out. If there are no weeps from the keel area it would mean that the thru valves are weeping or that the stuffing box is the culprit. Hope that have your problem solved.
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Echo Gulf
Deck Hull Joint?
We had a similar experience last year, after a haul out we acquired a serious leak that was most diffacult to trace. In the end it turned out to be the deck/hull joint. The rub rail did a great job of funneling the water into the affected area whenever we were heeled over (since we race weekly, this was a lot). It appears as though the hauling of the boat put abnormal stress on the deck/hull joint leading the the leaks. If you have no luck with the through hulls, I reccomend looking here.
We had a similar experience last year, after a haul out we acquired a serious leak that was most diffacult to trace. In the end it turned out to be the deck/hull joint. The rub rail did a great job of funneling the water into the affected area whenever we were heeled over (since we race weekly, this was a lot). It appears as though the hauling of the boat put abnormal stress on the deck/hull joint leading the the leaks. If you have no luck with the through hulls, I reccomend looking here.
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Dave
Fresh or salt water
Check to see if it's fresh water. When I sail after I top off my water tank the vent in the cap leaks on a heel. If you suspect something but are not sure, dry the area and spray with an foot powder (Desenex Athlete's foot powder). Then go sailing. Afterward check the powder for water trails
Check to see if it's fresh water. When I sail after I top off my water tank the vent in the cap leaks on a heel. If you suspect something but are not sure, dry the area and spray with an foot powder (Desenex Athlete's foot powder). Then go sailing. Afterward check the powder for water trails
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Clarity
My 85 Catalina 27 has thru hulls not mentioned
The source of the problem could be the hoses for the cock pit drains. This would indeed cause a leak if not replaced since the boat was built Hoses rot over time.
The source of the problem could be the hoses for the cock pit drains. This would indeed cause a leak if not replaced since the boat was built Hoses rot over time.
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Harvey
Finding the leak
I have a 85 tall rig. and a few years ago experienced what might be the same problem. Water leaks into the sump area and you can't find out where it comes from.Numerous friends helped me try to find the source, but no luck. It seems that in the trailing edge of the keel, near the hull, the fiberglas portion of the keel is very thin. When the boat was built, a void was in that area. Thru flexing and possibly stress at haulouts, a very thin hairline crack developed where the trailing edge fairs into the hull. Fill the sump up with water, put the boat in the slings, so that the keel weight flexes the boat and you may see the water come out of the crack. When the fiberglas was sanded down you could see the void. So it was a construction defect and you may have the same defect.. After it was repaired, I had an inspection port installed in the cabin sole just aft of the sump so I could inspect the area. I also paint the area with a white bottompaint for inspection. So far no problem.
I have a 85 tall rig. and a few years ago experienced what might be the same problem. Water leaks into the sump area and you can't find out where it comes from.Numerous friends helped me try to find the source, but no luck. It seems that in the trailing edge of the keel, near the hull, the fiberglas portion of the keel is very thin. When the boat was built, a void was in that area. Thru flexing and possibly stress at haulouts, a very thin hairline crack developed where the trailing edge fairs into the hull. Fill the sump up with water, put the boat in the slings, so that the keel weight flexes the boat and you may see the water come out of the crack. When the fiberglas was sanded down you could see the void. So it was a construction defect and you may have the same defect.. After it was repaired, I had an inspection port installed in the cabin sole just aft of the sump so I could inspect the area. I also paint the area with a white bottompaint for inspection. So far no problem.
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Mark
EVERY C-27 - COCKPIT HOSES -- BOAT COULD SINK!
ALL C-27 OWNERS... PLEASE LOCATE AND REPLACE THE COCKPIT FLOOR DRAIN HOSES IF THEY ARE MORE THAN A FEW YEARS OLD! We had a similar problem, although at first our leak was slower than yours. After MANY times searching everything we could imagine, and my wife double checking my search...... we still had found nothing! Then, one day, we noticed that there was water building up faster when we were on a starboard tack than port tack! It turned out to be the hoses from the drain fittings in the cockpit floor, leading to the thruhulls underneath. The botttom of the hoses had rotted where water sat in them. A thin film of water was draining from there under the engine into the bilge. LUCKILY...... (think about this)...when the boat sat at the dock.... both of these hoses were above the waterline.. WHEN WE WERE ON THE BOAT, OR HEELED, EITHER ONE OR BOTH OF THE HOSE LEAKS WAS BELOW THE WATER LINE! THIS WINTER WE ALREADY HAVE HAD HEAVY SNOWS...... AND OUR BOAT WOULD SURELY HAVE SUNK AT THE DOCK.
ALL C-27 OWNERS... PLEASE LOCATE AND REPLACE THE COCKPIT FLOOR DRAIN HOSES IF THEY ARE MORE THAN A FEW YEARS OLD! We had a similar problem, although at first our leak was slower than yours. After MANY times searching everything we could imagine, and my wife double checking my search...... we still had found nothing! Then, one day, we noticed that there was water building up faster when we were on a starboard tack than port tack! It turned out to be the hoses from the drain fittings in the cockpit floor, leading to the thruhulls underneath. The botttom of the hoses had rotted where water sat in them. A thin film of water was draining from there under the engine into the bilge. LUCKILY...... (think about this)...when the boat sat at the dock.... both of these hoses were above the waterline.. WHEN WE WERE ON THE BOAT, OR HEELED, EITHER ONE OR BOTH OF THE HOSE LEAKS WAS BELOW THE WATER LINE! THIS WINTER WE ALREADY HAVE HAD HEAVY SNOWS...... AND OUR BOAT WOULD SURELY HAVE SUNK AT THE DOCK.
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