New owner needs advice

[jGo]

Hi all,

I recently purchased a 1973 C27 and as part of the deal I negotiated to have new lags sistered to the existing keel bolts as they were fairly corroded. The ship right was a champ and went the extra mile to window in the forward most bolt.

She went back in the water on Tuesday evening and we had a great inaugural sail on the 4th. It was great and she performed wonderfully!

We sailed for 6 hours or so and when we got back to the slip, I noticed about 2 ounces of salt water in the bilge. I was devastated.

I checked around all through hulls and they were all bone dry. Furthermore, I ran a dry paper towel around the rim of the floor as it turns down to the keel stub. No moisture there either.

This leads me to believe it is weeping/wicking up through the keel/hull joint OR where the new bolt was windowed in.

And just to provide the full background, the previous owner claims there was no water coming in and the bilge was dry. There was a crack at the keel/hill joint which I filled with 5200, then covered/faired with 3M premium filler.
After spending the night in the water, the bilge was bone dry before setting out to sail. The water accumulated while under way.


So the questions:

Is this a big deal? Should I be as concerned as I am? (i'm at an 8.5 out of 10)
What can I do to pinpoint where the water is coming from?
Some things I have thought of:
Wrap all through hulls with paper towel to see it there are any signs of moisture.
Sprinkle talcum powder around the floor in the bilge
Making a coffer dam about 3" around each keel bolt with silicone sealant to see which one may be letting the water in.

Bottom line, I'm losing sleep over this and I want to get a handle on how serious a problem this is.

 

[Joe]

It's probably coming back down the bilge pump hose..... even though there is a check valve the water in the long run of hose can work its way back down through the manual or electric pump ... back into the bilge. The movement of the boat can often stimulate the backwash.... if your bilge hose simply runs to the outboard motor well.... make sure there is a large loop in the hose... this to prevent water in the well from sloshing into the open end of the hose and siphoning back towards the bilge.

In any event... a couple of ounces or water is nothing to be concerned about... there are many places if could come from.. I keep a small wet/dry vac on board to dry out the bilge when it gets wet.... I don't think it's that big of a deal... you know the keel isn't going to fall off.... so go have fun.

 

[jGo]

Thanks for the comment Joe. Unfortunately, there isn't enough slack in the bilge pump hose to loop it, and I know from when I tested to make sure the pump worked that it does indeed back flow and drain anything from the high point back into the bilge. Something to keep an eye on for sure.

I went for a quick sail this evening and there was no water. Winds were light so I never made it over 3 knots or past 15 degrees.

Best regards.

 

[Joe]

Thanks for the comment Joe. Unfortunately, there isn't enough slack in the bilge pump hose to loop it,
Best regards.

By loop, I meant a large curve up then the end pointed down..... I have it tied to the spare fuel can to hold it in place.

 

[Anonymous 121765]

JGO,

Assuming you have an inboard engine, you probably have a stuffing box. This is where the shaft exits from inside the boat. you will see a metal assembly where the shaft goes in rear of the engine.

You will see what looks like two hex nut shapes with threads in between. This is the packing gland. It is designed to be unscrewed to add flax(teflon) strips and retightened. The flax presses against the shaft & that's what gives you a seal.

These are designed to allow slight water seepage in under normal conditions. But, over time without using or on the hard, the will dry somewhat and maybe that's where the water is coming in. They also wear over time and need to be replaced.

You should be able to find info on this site or send a message to Stu Jackson, he has info & links to everything pal........

CR

 

[jGo]

Thanks Joe and CR.

UPDATE:

I did add a bit of a 'hill' to the bilge pump hose (and for added forensic measure, put a bag around the pump) and after a weekend of sailing...NO water!

It's still a mystery where it came from. As I am still trouble shooting, I didn't push it this weekend and tried to keep her under 20 degrees heel, so maybe it requires greater heel to draw water.

I'll keep you posted as I continue to test.

Thanks again!

 

[jGo]

JGO,

Assuming you have an inboard engine...

CR

I am running an outboard. I only have 4 through hulls (knot meter, head in, head out, sink/icebox drain)

Thanks though! Ill check out Stu.