Should there be water in here?
- Thread starter EnamrdSalr21
- Start date
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,741
I'd say no.
Water is supposed to be on the outside of the hull, as per Rule #1.
That is not to say that most boats always try to break rule #1, like naughty children.
Water is supposed to be on the outside of the hull, as per Rule #1.
That is not to say that most boats always try to break rule #1, like naughty children.
It looks like the lowest spot in the boat, so any water from anywhere is going to find itself there. Also looks like a centerboard mechanism? Make sure the hose is good and the clamps are tight. Don't let the water freeze there.
Mark
Mark
I saw a tee shirt once that said: "I would rather be on a boat with a drink on the rocks, then in the drink with a boat on the rocks'".
Seriously, though, Ya need to figure out if that is rainwater or water from outside the boat. I agree with Mark, any hose connections and/or suspect fiberglass work.. would be a good start but most folks would agree that rainwater is the most difficult thing to keep out of a boat.
This is a great thread for sheer entertainment value. I’ve pumped all the water out and am beginning to search the boat for water smugglers. It’s also been sitting for a long time so I’m hoping it was a culmination of little drops over a long time and not a lot of drops all at once. We’ll find out soon!
Thanks all!
Thanks all!
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,741
Being on a lake in Indiana, finding the source will be more challenging than if you were on a coastal bay, where it would be easier to find the leak.
It is more likely to be above the waterline. Look for cracks and loose hardware. Examine the area around the mast. Stanchions or chain plates are usual suspects.
I would explore the centerboard trunk at and below the water line on a centerboard boat.
It is more likely to be above the waterline. Look for cracks and loose hardware. Examine the area around the mast. Stanchions or chain plates are usual suspects.
I would explore the centerboard trunk at and below the water line on a centerboard boat.
I'll go with "OK." Condensation alone over a period of time could accumulate that much water.
The only way I can think of to tell the difference is to pull the boat and monitor it frequently especially after rain. Or to speed the process you could spray a hose at the boat with a volunteer aboard to watch for ingress. You could also inspect the centeroboard housing.
The only way I can think of to tell the difference is to pull the boat and monitor it frequently especially after rain. Or to speed the process you could spray a hose at the boat with a volunteer aboard to watch for ingress. You could also inspect the centeroboard housing.
Is the boat in the water? If so, then NO. If on the hard, then still no, but not as emphatic 
.
My O’Day 322 sits out all winter, with a canvas cover, and for weeks after I launch, the bilge always gets water in it, by summer, the bilge is dry as can be. Drives me crazy…I am sure I have some deck leaks somewhere.
Greg
.My O’Day 322 sits out all winter, with a canvas cover, and for weeks after I launch, the bilge always gets water in it, by summer, the bilge is dry as can be. Drives me crazy…I am sure I have some deck leaks somewhere.
Greg
Boats get rained on, get washed, are subject to sea spray, spilled drinks and wet bathing suits. They also sometimes develop under the waterline leaks. Mots boats have retained water in their low point bilge inside the hull. The rule is that the collective intake and retention of water should not exceed the capacity to expel it in a timely manner before it swamps the boat. The traditional way of expelling the water is to scoop it up in a can or pail and dump it overboard. The modern method is too install an electric bilge pump with a discharge line and port with an automatic switch which would expel the water after it reaches a certain level. I sailed a San Juan 21 for years with a leak, when underway, from the swing keel trunk having to scoop a couple of inches out from the sole after every sail. Devised an underside gasket for the swing keel and did various sealer and fiberglass repairs to no avail. To answer your question No, but it is very likely that there will always be retained water. Perhaps a manual pump could help you to get rid of it before and after every sail.
The boat does have a small bilge pump, which I will test to see if it's in working condition. Just like you mentioned, I plan to search for any leaks with full knowledge that sometimes a little water is just unavoidable. I guess I was wondering if maybe it had something to do with a water ballast like a macgregor or something like that? My last boat (a cal 21) used to take on a very minimal amount of water which I was able to easily dispel after each sail. Thanks for the input!
Where are you in Indiana? I am at Lake Monroe, owned an ODay for 10 years and may be able to help sort this out if you're in the neighborhood.
A common source of leaks in O'DAYs (and some other brands too) is the cockpit scupper (drain) at the aft end of the cockpit, there is a rhru-hull fitting in the little well at the aft end of the cockpit that connects by a short hose to another thru-hull located just above the waterline on the transom. Those thru-hulls were plastic and could develop cracks or the hose can rot out. That can create a freshwater leak every time it rains, or a "raw" water (what the boat is floating in) if that drain ends up below the waterline due to people in the cockpit. A bit of a squeeze to access that drain to check/repair, nimble folks may be able to crawl into the cockpit locker to reach, others have installed an 8" inspection port in the aft bulkhead of the cockpit.
If this boat has been sitting outside for a while, it could be condensation or just a lot of very little leaks when it rains. The "good" news is that since it is collecting, there do not seem to be any leaks below the waterline! Otherwise it would have seeped out.
Here is one advantage of sailing on saltwater like I do! Taste the water and you know if it is rain or a hull leak. I had a leak in the hull-deck joint of my DSII once, a little sealant there fixed it. BTW, I grew up sailing on a CAL 21. GREAT boat, but not really setup for daysailing off a trailer. We had ours on a mooring all Summer and stored on a cradle for Winter as a boatyard. The Keel design worked great for us (with a few wrinkles), but that was the boats best and worst feature at the same time! At least cockpit drains were not complicated, water could just drain around edges of the cover for the keel well, and through drain holes in that cover.
If this boat has been sitting outside for a while, it could be condensation or just a lot of very little leaks when it rains. The "good" news is that since it is collecting, there do not seem to be any leaks below the waterline! Otherwise it would have seeped out.
Here is one advantage of sailing on saltwater like I do! Taste the water and you know if it is rain or a hull leak. I had a leak in the hull-deck joint of my DSII once, a little sealant there fixed it. BTW, I grew up sailing on a CAL 21. GREAT boat, but not really setup for daysailing off a trailer. We had ours on a mooring all Summer and stored on a cradle for Winter as a boatyard. The Keel design worked great for us (with a few wrinkles), but that was the boats best and worst feature at the same time! At least cockpit drains were not complicated, water could just drain around edges of the cover for the keel well, and through drain holes in that cover.
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I’m in brownsburg. Slight haul from lake Monroe. Always open to help from a fellow sailor though!
Good point! Thanks! Yes I loved my cal simply because it was my first ever boat. To me, it was perfect in every way! I’m very happy with my oday as well and just happy to be back in the wind.