Water in bilge area

[shank]

Hello,

I have a 1987 C22 that I purchased in May of this year. I've always noticed some water in the bilge area but today I pumped out 5 gallons, sailed for 3-4 hours and then pumped out another 5 gallon bucket. I don't know what amount is normal but this seems like a lot to me. It's on a mooring and she doesn't seem to be taking on water there it's only under sail that this seems to happen. Thanks for any input on this.

 

[CaptDon01]

An 87 model will be the new design, the easy solution is the keel lock bolt is leaking in the forward portside dinette storage compartment. The boat will be a swing keel, as the optional wing keel didn't come out until 1988 I believe. Some grease on the locking bolt will take care of it. Also could be the caulking under the rub rail has dried out, and allows the water to ride up the hull while sailed and healing, and it finds it's way into the bilge under the liner. Sealing the deck to hull joint will cure it. Just part of the normal maintenance on a boat almost 30 years old. The good news is that the factory stopped putting and wood below the waterline on the new design boats, a HUGE improvement, (among many improvements with the new design).

Don

 

[shank]

Thank you, Don. I have a long list of improvements and repairs I'd like to do this Fall when I pull her out of Lake Champlain next month and I'll add this repair to the list.

 

[Gene Neill]

WOW, that's a lot of water after a relatively short time sailing! And I assume the boat wasn't standing on her ear in a gale the whole time or you'd have mentioned it. If the keel lockdown bolt is the culprit, the bolt would probably have to be missing entirely.

On my '88, no caulk was ever used (or needed) under the rub rail. There is a layer of epoxy between the hull and deck, which you can see in this pic taken from below with the rail removed. This area is not likely your problem:

However, at the bow, the stem fitting has a tang that goes down through the deck, out from under the rub rail, and bolts to the hull. Large amounts of water can get in through here in only moderate seas, but still probably not in the quantity you described:

Lastly (and this is where I'd put my money), your anchor locker probably has a small drain hole in the bottom that exits the hull right up front on the prow. This was a terrible design, it leaks a LOT, and was later eliminated by running a drain out through the port side of the bow. It leaks from inside the locker and/or outside the boat. You can determine if this is your problem by slapping a piece of Gorilla tape over the outside of the drain hole and going sailing again, or just by running some water into the anchor locker with a garden hose for a couple minutes and see if your bilge starts filling up again. I'll go into detail on how to fix it if you determine this is your problem.

 

[shank]

Thanks Gene. I'm headed out to the boat now to try the anchor locker leak test. I will let you know what happens.