Water in the bildge?

[Greg]

This weekend on my 94' 23.5 I went to clean the battery posts and found that there was about 4 inches of water in the bildge.... i looked on the port side and found the same thing.... The previous owner says that there has never been water inside the boat like that.... the only thing i can think of is that i was sailing last weekend in a pretty strong wind, the boat keeled over pretty good a few times, (maybe too much)... My question is; Does or can the ballast tank leak if the boat keels too much to one side? I bailed out the water and will check it again next time... i was just wondering if anyone has had this problem?

 

[Bill O'Donovan]

Rain, typically

Water gets into the bilge primarily from rain seeping through the stanchion posts, shroud plates and hairline cracks along the cabin top. The water works its way down behind the liner and underneath the seats, eventually settling in the bilge. Given the record rains Orlando has had lately, that's what I suspect. Taste the water for freshness and test that against whatever body of water you're sailing on. If it's fresher than your pond, it's rain. If it's like the pond water, whoa.

 

[Ken Shubert]

More Ideas

My H23.5 quite often gets 1/2 gallon of water which distributes itself all over the bilge but 4" is quite a lot. Check the rudder hardware to be sure it's tight and bedded well then check the loop on the bilge pump to be sure it's up high. Water will come back thru the pump when heeling hard to port. A check valve might be a good idea. The only ballast tank leaks that I've heard of were caused by freezing which is not at all likely in Orlando. We often 'wash the windows' by heeling so that shouldn't be the problem. Let us know whether it is salt or fresh water.KenS/V WouffHong

 

[Frank]

That's a lot of water

I get only about a 1/2 gallon on each trip and then it stops. You can add dye to the tank and see if the dye shows up in the bilge.

 

[Tom Hultberg]

Grounding...

Greg,There are several posts in the archives on H26's getting water in the bildge.My boat (an H26) has alsays been dry, until I grounded in sand this season and I had a hard time getting it out. Ever since then I've been getting water in the bildge area. I'm going to have to re-seal the centerboard bolts and hinge area. Maybe you have a similar problem.Tom

 

[Alan Long]

Check my previous posts

HiCheck my previous response to people who have water in the bilge of 1994 23.5's. If you've moved your porta potti or the screws that mount it you may be experiencing what I did.Alan Long