I've got my H37 plastic wrapped, mast in place. We've had a couple of rain storms in the last month. I pumped out 8 gallons of water. Seems like too much to me. Is this common?
Water in Bilge!
- Thread starter DanMaine
- Start date
Depends - how much rain have you had? From what direction relative to the mast slot? Slope of wrap around mast? Any internal water leaks if not ‘winterized’?
It is likely a deck stepped mast I believe. It could still be coming down the mast and if the drains holes at the mast base are not clear, water can build up there and water can enter the boat. If that is the case you should be able to see water stains or other traces of water coming in. 8 gallons is a lot of water for water leakage into the boat in a short time. Have you checked to see if you have a potable water leak from one of your tanks?
it is keel stepped. I'm worried about it accumulating and freezing. What can you do about the mast?
Sorry about the misinformation on deck stepped. I thought the Cheribini Hunters were deck stepped. How long did it take to collect 8 gallons of water and how much rain did you have over the period that you observed the collection of 8 gallons? Still seems like a lot of accumulation down small slots or openings in the mast. I would expect that other Cheribini 37 owners would have the same problem if it is just water coming down the mast? Hopefully they will weigh in soon.
Being on the hard, it has to becoming in from the mast, bad hatch seals, deck fittings, or possibly the anchor locker and would be fresh water.
I had a garboard plug installed in my boat to address this issue. I'm not aware there's anything that can be done to better seal the top of the mast.
I went on a mission to seal
All the penetrations at the bow
All the chain plates
The hatches
The scuppers - biggy because lots of water flows down the side decks when raining
Around the mast partners
The binnacle
Hatches and portlights
Holes in the mast left from removal of an old radar
All stanchions
The deck rails
And anything else on the deck.
With a deep socket and a long extension my young and flexible son tightened every deck to hull bolt.
All the penetrations at the bow
All the chain plates
The hatches
The scuppers - biggy because lots of water flows down the side decks when raining
Around the mast partners
The binnacle
Hatches and portlights
Holes in the mast left from removal of an old radar
All stanchions
The deck rails
And anything else on the deck.
With a deep socket and a long extension my young and flexible son tightened every deck to hull bolt.
I have a 2011 Hunter e36. This will be my third winter owning the boat. It is stored in it's slip. The rear half of the boat is covered with a tarp. For the last 2 years the bilge would fill after rain/wind storms. I check the boat every 3 to 4 weeks and sometimes the bilge would remain dry. I did have leaks in the fixed ports so I replaced them all this spring. I was hoping the bilge would stay dry. It doesn't, this year every time I check the boat there is water in the bilge. Could be we have just had more wind and rain this year. I can see where the water is coming into the bilge but have not traced it back to the source. All the potable water is drained so I know it is coming from the outside. I don't know how much water comes in as the bilge pump keeps it to a minimum level. As the remainder of the interior is dry I am not overly worried but I would like to know if this is normal. Perhaps by design some exterior water is directed to the bilge.
As Kappy stated above, install a garboard plug and be done with it. I put one on my 37C after the first winter, when I made the same discovery as you, and never had to worry about the bilge again. (Just remember to put the plug back in before launch!!!). My current boat has a deck-stepped mast but I am still considering installing one to take care of condensation, etc. that ends up in the bilge. No boat that is hauled out for winter in freezing climates should be without a garboard plug.
I have a deck-stepped Mast, in the Chicago area. I don’t get a ton of water in my bilge, but I always dump some AF (the pink stuff) in the bilge in case I end up with water in the bilge. Keeps it from freezing solid and doing any damage.
Greg
Greg