I discovered about an inch of water in the bilge last night was wondering how it could have gotten there. There a few things causes to rule out: There are no window leaks or deck leaks at all. There is no runover from the toilet head to the bilge. Could water be coming in from a keel bolt? We just had a bottom job and they replaced the rusted nuts with stainless nuts. I'm just unclear on the purpose of the bilge and where water could typically come from. Thanks
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Could water be coming in from a keel bolt? YES!!!! All bolted on keels leak at some time in the boats life. Water can come in from lots of places. Leaky water tanks. Emmergency tiller access point. Leaky chain plates. Keel bolts. Cracks in the keel stub.... etc etc etc.... Test for leaky keel bots. 1. Pump out all the bilge water 2. Dry the bilge out with a towel 3. Spray Scrubbing Bubbles around the bolts 4. Look for water running through the foam from the bolts If you do this you'll have a nice clean bilge!
Wet bilge
Water in the bilge can come from anywhere and everywhere. It is by definition the lowest point inside the hull. On my C27 I have at least some small amount of water in there almost all the time. If you have an inboard, that is a definite source. So are cockpit lockers, anchor locker, etc., all of which drain into the bilge eventually. On my boat the icebox drains there. The bilge pump itself usually has backwash. One way to test is see if the water in bilge is the same "flavor" as the water the boat is floating in, and go from there. C27 keels are glued/bonded on as well as bolted, and I personally think it is highly unlikely for water to leak around the keelbolts on a C27. It's possible but I would check elsewhere first.
Water in the bilge can come from anywhere and everywhere. It is by definition the lowest point inside the hull. On my C27 I have at least some small amount of water in there almost all the time. If you have an inboard, that is a definite source. So are cockpit lockers, anchor locker, etc., all of which drain into the bilge eventually. On my boat the icebox drains there. The bilge pump itself usually has backwash. One way to test is see if the water in bilge is the same "flavor" as the water the boat is floating in, and go from there. C27 keels are glued/bonded on as well as bolted, and I personally think it is highly unlikely for water to leak around the keelbolts on a C27. It's possible but I would check elsewhere first.
bilge water
Last year I noticed some water in my bilge under the v-berth and traced it to a cracked anchor locker hose, but as said there are many places for it to originate. There was a post at the International Ass forum where a guy was counting the thru-deck holes and he stopped at 200! All it takes is one loose bolt!
Last year I noticed some water in my bilge under the v-berth and traced it to a cracked anchor locker hose, but as said there are many places for it to originate. There was a post at the International Ass forum where a guy was counting the thru-deck holes and he stopped at 200! All it takes is one loose bolt!
water in bilge
If you have a inboard then you have a stuffing box,they drip when running and mine also drips a little after
If you have a inboard then you have a stuffing box,they drip when running and mine also drips a little after
I did some more investigation just a minute ago and can safely rule out the keel bolts. The water seems to be trickling from the aft of the boat within the bilge. I'm guessing it might be the propeller??? Can you have leaks where the prop meets the hull? I'm new to boating so I'm just trying to troubleshoot possible sources. Thanks, Pres
Rick D
Called it. The stuffing box is the most common source of water with inboard engines. They are designed to let some water in, and are adjusted properly when a certain number of drops per minute (or in a number of seconds) is attained. I'm sure someone can report the proper amount of water to see when the prop is not turning, and when it is turning.
Called it. The stuffing box is the most common source of water with inboard engines. They are designed to let some water in, and are adjusted properly when a certain number of drops per minute (or in a number of seconds) is attained. I'm sure someone can report the proper amount of water to see when the prop is not turning, and when it is turning.
Rick - You and I might be going down the same path with the problem. I did some reading last night and again troubleshooting is new to me. The leak could be related to the propeller and/or rudder????? Does the boat have to be taken OUT OF THE WATER to fix this or can repairs to fix the leak be done while the boat is in the water???? Thanks, Pres
Adjusting The Stuffing Box
The stuffing box can be adjusted at anytime, but removing and adding new packing should be done on the hard. The stuffing box consists of a threaded fitting where the shaft comes through, a locking nut on this threaded fitting, and a collar that holds the packing and screws on to the end of the threaded fitting. loosen the locking nut, tighten the collar to reduce the flow of water, then tighten the locking nut against the collar to prevent it from turning when the prop shaft turns. There are several types of packing, and some claim that they are dripless, but they should all drip some when the prop shaft is turning.
The stuffing box can be adjusted at anytime, but removing and adding new packing should be done on the hard. The stuffing box consists of a threaded fitting where the shaft comes through, a locking nut on this threaded fitting, and a collar that holds the packing and screws on to the end of the threaded fitting. loosen the locking nut, tighten the collar to reduce the flow of water, then tighten the locking nut against the collar to prevent it from turning when the prop shaft turns. There are several types of packing, and some claim that they are dripless, but they should all drip some when the prop shaft is turning.
There is absolutely NO reason
to have the boat on the hard to replace the stuffing. In fact, doing it just last week, in the water, the lubrication from the water helps in getting the old flax out. An archive search on stuffing box gets lots of hits and earlier detailed advice in addition to these points.
to have the boat on the hard to replace the stuffing. In fact, doing it just last week, in the water, the lubrication from the water helps in getting the old flax out. An archive search on stuffing box gets lots of hits and earlier detailed advice in addition to these points.
Stupid question - how much do you think it will cost to stop this leak assuming it is the stuffing box (which I don't know where it is, what it looks like, etc.)? Do you get a new stuffing box? or is it a couple of washers or cheap parts remains to be seen. I assume I have to crawl somewhere in the aft of the boat to get to where i see some trail of water. Thanks, Pres
stuffing box
Hi pres your SB is at the end of the moter where the shaft runs thru the hull ( its before the rubber hose .You need to get the tools and the packing to fix this becouse its is easey . There is all kinds of things to fix on your boat and it could be fun .every time i fix something i get happy .i love it !It would be better if there was nothing to do but sail, drink beer, and look at the girls ! but it hard to get the yard guys to work on your boat and you need to do this small stuff your self .Email me with your # and i will call you Meow10950@ yahoo.com and talk you thru it Ive been in your place John
Hi pres your SB is at the end of the moter where the shaft runs thru the hull ( its before the rubber hose .You need to get the tools and the packing to fix this becouse its is easey . There is all kinds of things to fix on your boat and it could be fun .every time i fix something i get happy .i love it !It would be better if there was nothing to do but sail, drink beer, and look at the girls ! but it hard to get the yard guys to work on your boat and you need to do this small stuff your self .Email me with your # and i will call you Meow10950@ yahoo.com and talk you thru it Ive been in your place John
stuffing box
Hi pres your SB is at the end of the moter where the shaft runs thru the hull ( its before the rubber hose .You need to get the tools and the packing to fix this becouse its is easey . There is all kinds of things to fix on your boat and it could be fun .every time i fix something i get happy .i love it !It would be better if there was nothing to do but sail, drink beer, and look at the girls ! but it hard to get the yard guys to work on your boat and you need to do this small stuff your self .Email me with your # and i will call you Meow10950@ yahoo.com and talk you thru it Ive been in your place John
Hi pres your SB is at the end of the moter where the shaft runs thru the hull ( its before the rubber hose .You need to get the tools and the packing to fix this becouse its is easey . There is all kinds of things to fix on your boat and it could be fun .every time i fix something i get happy .i love it !It would be better if there was nothing to do but sail, drink beer, and look at the girls ! but it hard to get the yard guys to work on your boat and you need to do this small stuff your self .Email me with your # and i will call you Meow10950@ yahoo.com and talk you thru it Ive been in your place John
Pres
A few weeks ago someone posted detailed pictures on changing stufiing box packing. If you check arcivies you might find it. The packing cost about 5$
A few weeks ago someone posted detailed pictures on changing stufiing box packing. If you check arcivies you might find it. The packing cost about 5$
Stuffing Box Article Link
Try this: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=3611.0 Follow the link in the first post, then read the thread for more info.
Try this: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=3611.0 Follow the link in the first post, then read the thread for more info.
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