O'day 20 Leak Around Centerboard Pin

[sbranin]

I purchased a 1975 O'day 20 last fall. I found when taking it out for the first time that it takes on water through the hull someplace. Further investigation out of the water found that the leak is around the nylon pin that the centerboard pivots on. This is one of the older centerboard setups that does not use wedges or brackets. Just a 1 inch diameter pin that goes all the way through the keel.

Today, I removed the centerboard by driving the pin out. I first sanded the paint off both ends of the pin and then I used a piece of 1/2 inch PVC pipe and a hammer to drive the pin out. With the centerboard out I can look up into the centerboard trunk. it appears that the leak is around the pin based on the corosion (rust) stains caused by water leaking from the inside out when parked on land.

What kind of sealant should I use when I put the pin back in to stop the leak? Any other tips? I plan on painting the inside of the centerboard trunk and the centerboard while I have it removed. If I didn't plan on keeping the boat in the water all summer, the leak wouldn't be as big of an issue.

Any advice would be appreciated.

-Steve

 

[Joe11688]

I purchased a 1975 O'day 20 last fall. I found when taking it out for the first time that it takes on water through the hull someplace. Further investigation out of the water found that the leak is around the nylon pin that the centerboard pivots on. This is one of the older centerboard setups that does not use wedges or brackets. Just a 1 inch diameter pin that goes all the way through the keel.

Today, I removed the centerboard by driving the pin out. I first sanded the paint off both ends of the pin and then I used a piece of 1/2 inch PVC pipe and a hammer to drive the pin out. With the centerboard out I can look up into the centerboard trunk. it appears that the leak is around the pin based on the corosion (rust) stains caused by water leaking from the inside out when parked on land.

What kind of sealant should I use when I put the pin back in to stop the leak? Any other tips? I plan on painting the inside of the centerboard trunk and the centerboard while I have it removed. If I didn't plan on keeping the boat in the water all summer, the leak wouldn't be as big of an issue.

Any advice would be appreciated.

-Steve

Where the pin is Nylon, I'm not sure if 3-M 4000 Adhesive Sealant UV would have an adverse effect on it. It might be worth your while to call Rudy Nickerson of D & R Marine and ask him. He would definitely know.
http://www.drmarine.com/

 

[sbranin]

Rudy at DR Marine says to use 3M 5200. I have tried it but won't know how well it worked until the boat goes back in the water.

 

[Danny Correll]

74' Oday Leak

Hello, I have an O'day 20 for 1974, which I recently purchased. I have some water coming in from perhaps an under waterline fitting and/or somewhere. I'm new to his sport. We have had the boat out three times for a few hours only, each time we drain out all the water, sponging areas where water was left behind and for each time out we end up with over a five gallon bucket, whic eventually makes it to the cabin area. I have posted on the O'days owner group w/no responses in wk's. Please forward me to someone who knows what there about/can help me w/this dream boat.

God Bless,

Dan Correll
3126 Baxter Ave.
Superior, WI 54880
dan@mountain-trail.net
(218) 260-7035

 

[sbranin]

With the boat in the water I would check the obvious places for water coming in which I think are the drain hose for the sink and the drain hose for the cock-pit. If neither of those seem to be the culprit then I would look closer at the pin that holds the centerboard. On mine, while the boat was on the trailer, I would pour about a gallon of water in side the cabin under the floor. Then I raised and lowered the front of the boat slowly until I saw water running out and I could see pretty clearly that it was coming from that centerboard fitting. The best resource I have found for parts and advise is D & R Marine. http://www.drmarine.com

For what its worth, my boat still leaks but I leave it on the water and have to remove about a gallon of water each month. We have had a very rainy summer so I don't know how much of the water is coming from below and how much is coming from above.

Good luck.

-Steve

Hello, I have an O'day 20 for 1974, which I recently purchased. I have some water coming in from perhaps an under waterline fitting and/or somewhere. I'm new to his sport. We have had the boat out three times for a few hours only, each time we drain out all the water, sponging areas where water was left behind and for each time out we end up with over a five gallon bucket, whic eventually makes it to the cabin area. I have posted on the O'days owner group w/no responses in wk's. Please forward me to someone who knows what there about/can help me w/this dream boat.

God Bless,

Dan Correll
3126 Baxter Ave.
Superior, WI 54880
dan@mountain-trail.net
(218) 260-7035

 

[Danny Correll]

Steve, thank you so much for your response. What year is your O'day 20?

The day I bought my O'day from the sellers, they shared that these boats are know for leaking around the centerboard pins/thus I went home and removed the caulking on the two outside ends of the pin and put some marine caulking there. In the two times out since I noticed it softening, but did not appear to allow water to come in. I then looked on this site and found that 3M makes an adhesive for this purpose so I ordered some "3M 5200 White Marine Adhesive Sealant", which should be here soon. Did I put the adhesive in the right spots ie. on the outside ends of the plastic pin, or do I need to take the pin out and put in adhesive? Where does it leak inward from the pin? The only. I placed water in both the sink area and cockpit areas, I noticed the water leave the vessle w/out leaking inward from the hoses - did I test this correctly? The only place my bride noticed water coming from the boat once on land was from the drain, but is was only drip, drip, drip.... Is there a way to inspect the area where the board comes up inside that the water could be coming from? Your assistance in this matter is valuable to me.

God bless, Dan

 

[sbranin]

My O'day 20 is a 1975 so it must be very similar to yours.

When I put water inside mine, it came out from the inside of the centerboard trunk. Basically, a place that is impossible to inspect because the centerboard fills almost the entire space inside the trunk. I never saw any leaking at the ends of the pin where you described putting sealant. I removed the pin and dropped the centerboard out so I could inspect up inside the centerboard trunk. There was staining evident so I could see exactly where the water came from. I should add that before I bought my boat it sat ouside in the weather for a few years and has lots of water sit inside it so the staining caused by the water may have taken a long time.

I coated the inside of the hole and the pin itself with marine sealant and then replaced the pin. As I said, my boat still takes on a little water so I don't know if I was completely successful.

It sounds like you tested the cock-pit and sink drain by pouring water through them. It is possible that this is not sufficient since the water could easily travel out through the hull as it is supposed to. I suggest that you plug those drains where they come throught he hull with a stopper and then fill the sink and cock pit with water and see where the water goes. Adding some food coloring to the water might help you see what is happening.

-Steve

Steve, thank you so much for your response. What year is your O'day 20?

The day I bought my O'day from the sellers, they shared that these boats are know for leaking around the centerboard pins/thus I went home and removed the caulking on the two outside ends of the pin and put some marine caulking there. In the two times out since I noticed it softening, but did not appear to allow water to come in. I then looked on this site and found that 3M makes an adhesive for this purpose so I ordered some "3M 5200 White Marine Adhesive Sealant", which should be here soon. Did I put the adhesive in the right spots ie. on the outside ends of the plastic pin, or do I need to take the pin out and put in adhesive? Where does it leak inward from the pin? The only. I placed water in both the sink area and cockpit areas, I noticed the water leave the vessle w/out leaking inward from the hoses - did I test this correctly? The only place my bride noticed water coming from the boat once on land was from the drain, but is was only drip, drip, drip.... Is there a way to inspect the area where the board comes up inside that the water could be coming from? Your assistance in this matter is valuable to me.

God bless, Dan

 

[Danny Correll]

Steve, my trailer won't allow for the center board to swing out, as there is a roller under it. What kind of set up do I need to inspect up inside the centerboard trunk - how do I safely lift the boat? Is there a pic that shows how you set your boat up to inspect it? Was the leak in the pin area on your boat, or was there a hole you patched.

Your suggestion of plugging the hull outlets and filling the basins with colored water is awesome, can't wait to try it!

Did you put your sealant all around the pin before placing it in the hole? Will this make is hard to take out again?

Dan

 

[sbranin]

Dan,
I am going to move this discussion to email so I can respond more easily.
-Steve

 

[NicholasR]

Oday 20 Leak Around Centerboard Pin

I own a 1973 Oday 20 that I have had for a few years and one of the things I have always loved about my boat is the bilge is absolutely bone dry even after 5 or more days out on the water. However after reading about oday 20 problems with leaking around the centerboard pin I am a little worried.
I have big plans for my boat out on Superior when I finish my refit. What I am wondering is do these centerboard pin leaks generally appear slowly or is this something I should look at to avoid a potentially catastrophic failure? (If so what do I look at?) Curious as I am a good swimmer but Superior is a bit on the chilly side and I dont think I could swim across it. My assumption is it appears slowly and is generally a slow leak but I like to be proactive when it comes to boat maintenance.

 

[Danny Correll]

Nick, I would surely like to talk to you via. my email. There are a couple of people I have been communicating with that are starting to shed some light on this problem. I sail lake superior from the Superior and/or Duluth entry. I look forward to talking to you.

Dan

 

[Danny Correll]

Nick, is the pin on your boat a clear plastic plug or does it look like a bolt w/rubber and metal washers?

God Bless,

Dan

 

[sbranin]

Re: Oday 20 Leak Around Centerboard Pin

Nick, I think these leaks generally come on very slowly. If your bilge is bone dry then I don't think you have anything to worry about.

 

[Danny Correll]

We went out sailing for approx. three hours, when returning to trailer we had approx. 10 gallons of water drain out the back once we took the plug out. My bride and friend shared the belief that the water came in initially/that it didn't seem to add more water over time. Sure wish I could see it coming in. Any further thoughts.

Dan

 

[sbranin]

It seems that it would be pretty easy to confirm whether the water came in slowly over the 3 hours or initially when you first put the boat in the water by checking the bilge every 30 minutes or so. I think it is very important to first answer the question of when the water comes in.

Here are some other questions to think about:

1. Does the boat take on water while sitting still or only while sailing? If only while sailing, water could be coming in where the hull meets the deck.
2. What kind of drain plug do you have? Is it possible that the drain plug is letting water in but not out?
3. There is a third hole in the hull that I forgot to mention previously and that is the hole that the centerboard pendant comes up through from the centerboard to the cockpit. I have heard of water coming in through there, especially when the boat is in motion.
4. Are there any visible cracks in the hull? Maybe ones that you don't see when the boat is on the trailer due to a bunk being in the way.
5. When you launch the boat, the water probably comes up higher on the transom than normal. Could it be leaking through the mount holes for you swim ladder or motor mount?

So, figure out if the water is coming in when launching, or when sitting still, or when sailing....that should lead you in the right direction.

10 gallons in 3 hours is a pretty big leak (or multiple leaks) so you will find it eventually.

 

[sbranin]

Do you have a fresh-water tank in your boat? Do you find that you have to keep filling it?

Are you confirming that all the water is out of the boat before you put it in the water each time?

 

[sbranin]

Have you talked to Rudy Nickerson yet? http://www.drmarine.com/support.asp
Surely he would have insight into this problem.

 

[NicholasR]

I apologize for the slow response I didnt get any email notifications that this thread had been active.
Dan in response to your question about the pin I don't know what type of pin I have I can see where the pin is located but have never looked at it closely. I plan on working on my boat a bit over the next week so I will take a closer look at it when I get the chance and let you know what I see. Based on the looks of the pin they are selling at DRMarine I am thinking it is probably a big nylon pin:
http://www.drmarine.com/products.asp?cat=147
I would take Steve's advice and give Rudy at DR Marine a call. He is very knowledgeable and will be able to answer your questions right off. My only recommendation is don't send an email as I don't think they check / respond to emails very often. A phone call is the way to go.

 

[LordNelson]

i have a 74 oday 20. i did have a problem with leaks around the trailer eye bolt. mine is a single rather than double bolt eye so will twist. i have to be careful when cranking the boat on the trailer that it doesn't turn. last year i had to rechaulked it on the mooring.

where is the drain plug mentioned by Danny? I don't have a drain plug. I do get alittle water in the hole just inside the door by this time of year, but assumed it was a little water getting by the door. now i'm wondering if it's from the keel board well. not enough to loose any sleep over.