Water coming in 1978 Oday Mariner

[Freeblowing]

Hello Sailing people!
I am seriously thinking about buying a 1978 Oday Mariner. The hull is in really good shape.
The seller told me that he mainly dry sails this boat, so I don't know if it has been kept in the water for an extended period of time or not. He said a small amount of water comes in during his day sail. I am concerned about this because I want to keep the boat in a slip and don't want a moisture problem inside the boat.
Can someone tell me the likely places the water may be coming in, and would it be easy to fix?
THNXS

 

[Joe11688]

It's hard to speculate on where water could be coming in. You could try putting some water in it as it sits on the trailer to see where it leaks out. It could be leaking from the lower gudgeon at the rudder, or maybe the cockpit self bailing system. There could also be a crack in the centerboard case or a leak around a through hull fitting.

 

[Freeblowing]

I'm not very familiar with the Mariner, as I am still deciding whether I want to buy this boat. I did own a similar size old sloop for 18 years though, and that boat would soak in water (while it was in the slip) to an inch or two deep, and stop.

Trinkky, are any of those areas that you mentioned hard to get to from inside the boat? One that worries me is the centerboard case.
Does anybody think I can fix a problem like this without taking the boat off of the trailor?
Am I worried about something minor?

 

[Joe11688]

I'm not all that familiar with the Mariner, although we have a new club member who bought one off our club commodore. I've never really took a good look at this boat. If it turns out to be a lower rudder gudgeon, there has to be a way to get at it. If not, then you would probably have to install a deck plate in the center of the inside transom to get at it. I did this to my OD 222 and it worked out great not only for the two gudgeons, but also the access to the cockpit self bailing hose under the sole plate. If it turns out to be the centerboard trunk, and it may not, but if it does, then you would have to take the boat off the trailer and tip it upside down. This wouldn't be much of a hard task. You could rope off the stern of the boat to something solid like a tree, unhook the winch cable, and pull the trailer out from under the boat with a towing vehicle. Some old tires or anything soft could serve as a place to drop it on. You would need to lighten the boat up prior to this and get a few guys to help you tip it over. To get the boat back on the trailer again, flip it back over and connect the winch to the bow eye without the towing vehicle, and winch the trailer under the hull of the boat. The trailer tongue will at some point go up in the air but it will come down as more of the trailer is winched under the boat. I've done this with my O'Day 222 and Load-Rite roller trailer. It's easier with a roller trailer but I think that the same thing can be done with a bunk trailer and the Mariner. Wet the bunks down a little or lubricate them with lard. The Mariner has wooden braces that attach to the centerboard trunk inside the cockpit. If those braces are solid, chances are that the trunk is not cracked at all. If you don't feel right about buying this boat, you need to go with your instincts and pass it up. Hopefully, someone who owns a Mariner can have the answers to your questions. You could also call Rudy at D&R Marine and ask him. He would know. (508) 644-3001 Assonet Ma. http://www.drmarine.com/
Joe

 

[Sunbird22358]

Joe, me thinks you are thinking of a Day Sailer? The older DS I did have wooden braces from the seats to the CB trunk, but I'm not aware of those being on the MARINER. Rolling a Day Sailer over after taking her off the trailer is very possible (I'd rather not do it on my boat...but it is doable! That is how the previous owner of my boat painted the bottom. I don't think it would be so easy to roll a MARINER over after taking her off the trailer, not impossible, but with 200# of lead glassed into the bilge plus 165# of cast-iron centerboard.....I think it might take a bit of effort to roll her over <grin>.
Anyway, the cockpit drains on the MARINER are at the forward end of the cockpit and should be totally accessible from the cabin. The CB trunk should not be hard to inspect for cracks, since I believe it is all visable from the cabin. I might first check the pivot bolt, is it dripping? Unfortunately, that is only going to leak when the boat is afloat. Perhaps the bow-eye is leaking? (I don't know how accessible that is from inside on a Mariner, the one on my DS II is hard to get to, I had to add a access hatch to the forward bulkhead). There may be a drainplug for the bilge, could be leaking, if so either reseal or replace, not hard or expensive. Finally, the lower rudder gudgeon may be leaking as you suggested, I think access would be hard without adding an inspection port like you did on your 222. The Mariner cockpit seating is "U" shaped (sort-of oposite to your 222, the seats go around the aft end), and if I ever realize my dream to own a MARINER, I intend to add that inspection port.

 

[Pink Flamingo]

It could be the centerboard bolt,which is easy to fix,hose connections of the cockpit drains.If you can, take her for a sail and check for leaks.On my mariner the hull-deck joint leaks like a siff and some of the spray might end up inside the boat.

 

[Joe11688]

Hey that's great! We really didn't want to tip her over anyway. Too much like work. I didn't think of the pivot pin, but that sounds like a good place to check. There's an O'Day Mariner site on the web where he may find some great info. The O'Day Mariners were a nice little boat when they first came out. I remember seeing this guy and his kids getting into one in Marion Harbor up the Cape years ago, and I fell in love with this little boat and wanted one. They have the same hull as the Rhodes, so I'm told. This makes it a fast boat.
Joe

 

[Freeblowing]

Thanks for the ideas guys.
The seller is offering this boat at a very reasonable price, and he seems to be knowledgeable about sailboats, that's why I suspect the source of the leak might be hard to get at.
It doesn't seem like that bad of of problem, since I don't overnight much, it might be the perfect boat for me.
One more question...Does the Mariner have a centerboard locking bolt on the trunk in front of the companionway, or is that a modification?
THNXS!

 

[Pink Flamingo]

There is a small hole in the trunk in front of the companionway, where supposedly a pin fits to lock the centerboard.Not sure if all the mariners have this but mine is a '75 and has the hole, although the corresponding hole in the centerboard has yet to be found.

 

[onesundog]

Mariner centerboard

My 73 has a centerboard pin at the front of the which I use to secure the centerboard. It works great. There is a lot of algea in my marina and keeping the board up keeps it clean. It also takes pressure off the cables.
Andy