water in bilge

[archimedes]

I'm looking a purchasing a Catalina 22.

The boat is in pretty good shape. Does not seem to have had much attention given to it lately.

When I looked in the bilge under the cockpit it had quit a bit of water in it.

As a buyer how do I determine if this is a serious problem? Should I just walk away and find another boat?

I liked the boat otherwise, but don't know how to approach this as a prospective buyer.

 

[Doug4bass]

If it has a swing keel....the lock down bolt may be leaking.

 

[jrowan]

If the boat is in the water, try to determine if its salt water leaking which would indicate a swing keel leak. If its io the hard, then rainwater is getting in which is very common on all Catalina's, indeed all sailboats. They can & do leak from numerous places: bad seals in the port lights, hatches, mast step wiring penetrations, hatch boards, chain plates & poorly bedded & sealed thru bolts & hull to deck joints. Re-bedding bad seals with butyl tape is an accepted repair method.

 

[archimedes]

Yes this is swing keel. Unfortunately, it is in a fresh water lake so I can't tell if it's rainwater or water leaking thru the hull somewhere.

He did say that he had broken, and replaced, the keel raising cable which seemed operational when I was there.