water in the bilge

[Dave]

I'm trying to find how I keep getting water in my bilge. The boat has been out of the water, stowed on a cradle all winter. I always find water in the bilge after it rains. Looking over the boat it appears with all the caulking material that the previous owners have had the same problem. I'm currently repairing the dammage caused by the water intrusion, but would like to resolve the problem before the boat goes back into the water for the season. I'm in the process of resetting the lifeline stancions and any other deck hardware that is easy to get to. Any suggestions for sealing these items? Any ideas how the water is getting in?

 

[John]

I have been faced with the same problem

One thought is that in a heavy rain or water/snow accumulation, water main come in from the hinged cockpit seat. I just bought the boat and will cover the entire boat with a tee p arrangement next winter.

 

[Dan Sadoski]

A couple of ideas

First of all, what year is your boat?I've had the same problem in the past with my '74. What happens is that the lift seats have drain channels under them, and holes to drain the water to the cockpit floor.. Those holes can become plugged with gunk, and the water drains down the lazarette, to the bilge.Next problem cracked/leaking cockpit scupper drain hoses.The other thing that happens over winter is the scuppers can become plugged with ice, and as the snow melts, the cockpit fills with water, until it flows down the companionway. It's never happened to me, but I know those it has happened to.. It's actually a bigger problem to have all of the water weight in the cockpit when the boat's on the cradle, then a little water draining down below.

 

[jcherubini]

Two things.

I have a 1974 H-25 (Mk 1) and had the same problem-- could not get anything else done on restoring this boat due to chronic water in the bilge. I "solved" about 90 percent of my water-in-the-bilge problem in 15 minutes at the very end of the day, pretty much as an afterthought. What a relief.At first I thought it was the cockpit-seat drains too. They were all clogged, a little-- but they all worked well enough. Face it-- they'd have to be REALLY clogged to cause enough water to flow over the (albeit shallow) lip and into the hatch opening. Vacuum them out using a narrow attachment anyway.I also thought the fibreglass was just 'dry-rotted' and just plain leaking. One drain tube had cellophane packing tape along the bottom. This meant nothing; I found it was still totally dry.The other thing was the real solution. The rudder-post sleeve was not fastened to the cutout in the cockpit seat but shy about 1/2" inside it. I'd been looking at it from inside the seat locker, thinking I'd need to glass that if only for strength (though it had never been glassed before). Then I happened to look at it from on top of the cockpit seat. Hunter made their own fibreglass o-ring for around the rudder post and sealed it in place with 5200. The 28-year-old 5200 was all dried out and when I crawled down under there I could see air through it.SO-- backed the screws out, scraped it clean, applied a liberal dose of new 5200, both under the o-ring and against the rudder tube, and reinstalled = no more leak. The job took about as long as it takes to tell you. Ever since, there has only been the 1/2" the bilge pump will not pick up. Problem solved.Check yours out and see.BTW-- 'damage from water intrusion'? Dave, we could compare notes on that! I am at Bass River.JCjcomet@aol.com