O'Day 22 Leak

Joe11688 · Jul 1, 2011

AndyS22 said:
Hi,
I have a 79 O'Day 22 which leaks when in the water. In good drive weather low wind sailing from completely dry it has roughly 1" of water in the bilge after day sailing and at the dock. At first I though there was a leak around the swing keel line but I've sealed around there with a brush able penetrating epoxy and sealed with silicone any thing which looked likely.
The other thing of note is the water does not leak out when the boat is on the trailer making me think that either there isn't sufficient pressure or the leak is above the bilge
My next thing to look at is the sink drain (the sink wasn't used) it seems a good solid fit.
Any other ideas or direction would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Andy

The only thing I can think of is the cockpit self bailing hose or the lower gudgion on the transom.

rb437 · Jul 1, 2011

I would check the cockpit drain as well. I discovered that mine was leaking last year. I had a few people sitting in the cockpit while the boat was tied up in the slip. The combination of the weight and the wind blowing the water against the stern revealed that water could come in through the transom around the drain tube. Also there is a through hull on my '75 port side under the V berth. I believe it is there from the toilet that has been replaced with a port-a-potty on my boat. I've not had a leak there, but I do like to check it from time to time.

Joe11688 · Jul 2, 2011

AndyS22 said:
Thanks Trinkka,
I'll take a look at the cockpit drain.

If you need to replace the hose under there, you would be better off installing an 8" Beckson deck plate in the center of your inside transom to get at it. This opening will also gain access to your gudgions and the electric wire to your stern light. You don't want to get stuck in that hatch opening trying to get at that hose. It's scary, believe me.

Mad Dog · Jul 2, 2011

Crawling in the cockpit locker

Trinkka said:
If you need to replace the hose under there, you would be better off installing an 8" Beckson deck plate in the center of your inside transom to get at it. This opening will also gain access to your gudgions and the electric wire to your stern light. You don't want to get stuck in that hatch opening trying to get at that hose. It's scary, believe me.

Isn't this why we have kids.....to send them where we don't fit anymore?

Joe11688 · Jul 2, 2011

Mad Dog said:
Isn't this why we have kids.....to send them where we don't fit anymore?

In my case, my kids are larger than I am. I guess I waited too long to do that job.

Joe11688 · Jul 5, 2011

AndyS22 said:
Thanks again Trinkka. It was the lower gudgeon the screws were nearly loose. I did crawl into the locker, I really like the idea of fitting an inspection hatch. As it was I was able to get the nuts tight as I didn't take the gudgeon off completely without going back inside the locker. I did it quickly Saturday morning and trailered her up to charlevoix, two days in the water and no leaks just a bit of moisture which I think was water I hadn't fried from the last time.
Thanks again for the input.

I would keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn't leak. If it does leak, you're better off installing the deck plate and removing both gudgions and re-caulking them. You could do this all by yourself with a ratchet and box wrench. It's important to keep the bolt heads from turning while tightening the nuts after you have applied the caulking. I have a tiny leak coming in around one of the bolts that hold my mast tabernacle to my cabin. I'm planning on using Butyl Tape to reseal the whole thing. Good luck!
Joe

48dodge · Jul 6, 2011

I think the lower gudgeon might be too close to the water for butyl tape. Then again, it's not constantly under water even when sailing so it may be ok to use. I used butyl rubber on pretty much every fitting except the thruhulls. I love the stuff! I definitely recommend going that route.