water in cabin and around battery

[seanwelby]

My battery is still under the cabin floor and seems to collect water around it. There's never been more than a half inch, but I can't figure out where it's coming from. At some point I'd like to move it into one of the cockpit lockers, but in the mean time would like to know that it isn't going to get damaged. The water seemed to accumulate even during our dry summer.

Also, now that the rainy season has hit here in the Pacific Northwest, I came back to the boat to find a good cupful of water on the cabin floor below the mast that accumulated in just a couple of weeks. I thought about just replacing the caulking around the base of the mast that has peeled away, but now that I've read some earlier posts about ventilation and the drainage holes I realize it's not so simple. Could that much water really be coming from inside the mast? There's a hairline crack developing on the exterior fibreglass of the mast base that I suppose indicates the beginnings of mast compression, but it's vertical, so I can't imagine much water getting in that way... yet.

Any suggestions so I can avoid weekly mopping trips during the winter?

Thanks,
Sean
#1788 Nga-i-a-koe

 

[pjacobs55]

For the mast, I did 3 things:

Made sure wires entering the mast are sealed, and that as necessary there is a drip loop in the wire.

I glued a 3/16 neoprene pad at the mast base, so the mast sits on this gasket. Idea is to prevent deck water from getting in.

I took a 1.5 inch diameter or so PVC pipe about 6 inches long and capped it with a soft neoprene sleeve (cut off a neoprene sock, in fact) fastened with wire ties and duct tape. I inserted the PVC (sleeve up) into the round vent hole at the mast step and placed PVC wedges to hold it tight and then caulked around it pretty well with life caulk or equivalent. The mast wires (3) go through the sleeve and then into the boat. The idea is that the sleeve will fold over when the mast is stepped over the PVC/neoprene thing, preventing water from running down wires and into the boat.

I am not sure which of these 3 measures did the job, or maybe they all contribute, but no more rain enters.

As for the other water, check head through hulls and also the water tank fittings.

Nicholas H. Walsh P.A.
111 Commercial St.
Portland ME 04101
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Fax 207/774-3940

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From: seanwelby
Sent: Monday, September 20, 2010 4:25 PM
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [AlbinVega] water in cabin and around battery

My battery is still under the cabin floor and seems to collect water around it. There's never been more than a half inch, but I can't figure out where it's coming from. At some point I'd like to move it into one of the cockpit lockers, but in the mean time would like to know that it isn't going to get damaged. The water seemed to accumulate even during our dry summer.

Also, now that the rainy season has hit here in the Pacific Northwest, I came back to the boat to find a good cupful of water on the cabin floor below the mast that accumulated in just a couple of weeks. I thought about just replacing the caulking around the base of the mast that has peeled away, but now that I've read some earlier posts about ventilation and the drainage holes I realize it's not so simple. Could that much water really be coming from inside the mast? There's a hairline crack developing on the exterior fibreglass of the mast base that I suppose indicates the beginnings of mast compression, but it's vertical, so I can't imagine much water getting in that way... yet.

Any suggestions so I can avoid weekly mopping trips during the winter?

Thanks,
Sean
#1788 Nga-i-a-koe

 

[tim_klynn]

I had a few misc leaks minor (under stanchions, split cockpit seat, cracked drain tube for drainage groove around cockpit seat openings etc). The water would drain under the cockpit floor, then forward under the sink and come out just in front of the sink cabinet, under the sole plate and run into the bilge. Once I repaired these minor spots, that fixed the leaks.

I also had some slight drippage around the large cabin window seals, but applied 303 to them and that seemed to fix that leak (that was easy).

I once had a tiny bit of water come in around the mast base in a really heavy downpour, but that seem to have fixed itself (my favorite kind of repair). There appears to be a slight depression on the exterior fiberglass around the mast base, but I sealed the stainless plate under the mast to the fiberglass below. I don't think I've got any mast compression, as Hans (the Previous Owner) did not over tighten the rig and the forepeak door works fine. This summer, I put a backstay adjuster on the split backstay, and found light air performance was improved with a looser backstay. I am guessing that the water that got in blew in around the top at the halyards and ran down the masthead light cable.

There is a spot on the very front of the keel bottom that oozes a little slimy gel when the boat is out for the winter. I had a slight leak at the aft end of the battery section that I attributed to this spot (if something oozes out, then water probably gets in and saturates the keel and finds any voids/etc to get into the boat). When the boat was out for a month or so, and the leaking stopped, I fiberglassed over the spot and it hasn't leaked since.

This winter, I've arranged to store the boat in a barn and plan to check moisture on the keel, drill a few holes in any wet spots and let it dry until spring. I'm hoping to repair the spot on the front of the keel, fair the hull over the winter and epoxy coat it and vc-17 it in the spring. I am hoping a smoother hull will help offset my lack of sailing talent in club races....

The only other time I get any appreciable leakage is if the cockpit floor is loose. The water shows up in front of the engine and in the bilge. The gasket is still in good shape, so tightening the sole panel screws fixes that.

I found my leaks by taking everything out of the cockpit lockers and then crawling around in there during a heavy downpour. The decks funnel the water towards the stanchions, so it doesn't take much to get some water in.

You might also try pulling the batteries out and drawing a line or a series of lines on the battery compartment walls with a water soluble marker (maybe a dry erase? test it first) or some water color paint or chalk. After a rain, you can probably see where the water has run across the the lines and follow waters path back to the leak. If you don't get any runs in the lines and there is still water in the battery compartment, it might be coming from the keel (as the batteries are out, that would rule out battery acid leakage). I suppose condensation could be contributing to the problem where you live, around here the humidity is low (it was down to 4% the other day) so I don't have much experience with condensation (only wood shrinkage and cracking). A leaking seacock or hose or drain could perhaps get into the battery compartment as well.

If all else fails, to avoid weekly mopping trips in the winter, you can always do what I'm going to do, store the boat inside.

Hope this helps -Tim

 

[SVFlyAway]

One question you didn't answer, is it fresh water or salt? My Nicro vent
leaks a bit when it rains and it drips down on the head then to the cabin
sole just under the mast. I hope to fix it before the harsh PNW winter sets
in. When I had leaky mast cables I totally sealed the wireway in the deck
and brought the wires outside the mast about a foot or more off the deck and
was given a really nice goose neck that Selden makes --it looks like a nice
J-trap that would go under a sink. Hallberg-Rassy uses these, so they can't
be all bad.

As for any serious damage -- it certainly won't hurt the batteries. Well if
they are flooded batteries (those that have caps you can open) you don't
want water over the top of course -- some splashing won't hurt, but don't
want to put them underwater. If they are sealed batteries they can sit out
in the rain and even a pounding by salt water and still function just fine
and not be affected.

I have read that several folks have moved their batteries to a locker. I
personally think that having the batteries below the floor boards is a right
good place for them. They are heavy and hardy. A little water won't hurt
anything, even if it is salt water since the voltage is only 12 volts and
they won't short out. Moving them to a locker takes up good locker space
and moves the weight higher -- that is not the best thing to do, in humble
opinion.

Chris

 

[dougpol1]

I was having the same problem and found that the saltwater foot pump
under the galley was leaking, The hull shape is such that water was
running forward in front of the head and was leaking out into the cabin
sole. To prove that was what was happening I shut off the through hull
and sure enough after about a week the cabin sole was dry. Give it
a try. I will be replacing the foot pump after other chores are done
Doug

 

[pjacobs55]

Hi Sean,
Check out a good fix for water through the mast wires hole in message #15288.

Not sure if your batteries are in the same place as my Series I, but the Vega floor is designed to slope downhill all the way from the anchor locker back to the bilge. Any water on the anchor rode, a leaking water tank, or water working it's way to the lowest point under the settees, will drain to the bilge.

There's a drain hole, one on each side, about midway along the settee, on the flange that supports the inboard vertical settee base that gets rid of water into this "river bed". Water leaking through the hull/deck joint will also appear here. When I got my boat many of the hull/deck bolts dripped water from the ends. I removed each leaking bolt, one at a time, and Sikaflex'd the hole befor reinserting the bolt. I also tightened down all the other bolts.

You're not too far from me,and if you'd like a second set of eyes to look at the problem, drop me an email!

Peter
#1331 'SIn Tacha'

 

[vegatern]

This is a mystery I need to work on as well. Good suggestions. Thanks Tim, Chris, Peter and all. Craig Tern #1519