Thanks for the ideas but i am wondering what to do when the water gets in the cabin like under the dinet table and walkway to the V birth,. Thnaks. Guess i could drill some holes in the liner and let it drain into the bilge but then the bilge water would come "inside". Thanks
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Bilge water in cabin
I'm coming in on the thread late, and maybe you've covered this. My response is to ask what the heck is your bilge doing with water in it in the first place? When I see water in the bilge, it means I have a problem. The water is supposed to stay outside, the people stay inside. Forgive me for being presumptious, but my advice is to find the cause of water in bilge and fix it. Then youi won't have to wonder about drilling unneeded holes in your cabin. Best wishes Dan
I'm coming in on the thread late, and maybe you've covered this. My response is to ask what the heck is your bilge doing with water in it in the first place? When I see water in the bilge, it means I have a problem. The water is supposed to stay outside, the people stay inside. Forgive me for being presumptious, but my advice is to find the cause of water in bilge and fix it. Then youi won't have to wonder about drilling unneeded holes in your cabin. Best wishes Dan
West Island Mass
Well after reading your further question and after reading Dans reply I am beginning to think that this may be a situation that is peculiar to the east coast and in particular Coastal Mass. Now I know St. Louis is a long way from West Island and also a long way from California coast as well, but it could be the type of ocean you are sailing and what is exposed to overspray elements and possibly rain coming in from above while underway. If so then first I would reduce the amount of open cabin area you have by whatever means you can . As far as removing the water if in fact this is the case. sponge mop works well. If you are sailing with hatches closed and still getting water in from above then it's time to start checking hatch gaskets and sealer around pop - top and thru deck fittings. I really don't know how much water we are talking about here so you may have to give us some further description. As far as bilge water is concerned, there are certain areas of our country that breed condensation which will gather in the bilge and in some instances like my home state of Michigan depending on whether there are rapid temp changes during summer months can even cause condensation to form on the interior cabin walls and floor , for this problem a small hatch fan powered by solar energy or battery works very well to help keep it dry. I have seen people use an appliance light bulb in a droplight aproximately 15-25 watts suspended in the cabin as so not to start any kind of fire when the cabin is closed up . Also one more thing it is quite normal for condensation to form in the bilge of any boat, even if they have perfect integrity of the hull, such as a brand new boat. Some people think they are taking on water when in fact they are not. Especially here in California at the coast because we have very bright sunfilled long summer days where the air is very Warm to Hot and the ocean a very cool 56-63 degrees. Hope this helps you in some way. Let us know if you have more info and what you found, and oh yes don't drill that hole from the bilge into the cabin thru the liner. Happy Sailing ,
Dave LaPere
Well after reading your further question and after reading Dans reply I am beginning to think that this may be a situation that is peculiar to the east coast and in particular Coastal Mass. Now I know St. Louis is a long way from West Island and also a long way from California coast as well, but it could be the type of ocean you are sailing and what is exposed to overspray elements and possibly rain coming in from above while underway. If so then first I would reduce the amount of open cabin area you have by whatever means you can . As far as removing the water if in fact this is the case. sponge mop works well. If you are sailing with hatches closed and still getting water in from above then it's time to start checking hatch gaskets and sealer around pop - top and thru deck fittings. I really don't know how much water we are talking about here so you may have to give us some further description. As far as bilge water is concerned, there are certain areas of our country that breed condensation which will gather in the bilge and in some instances like my home state of Michigan depending on whether there are rapid temp changes during summer months can even cause condensation to form on the interior cabin walls and floor , for this problem a small hatch fan powered by solar energy or battery works very well to help keep it dry. I have seen people use an appliance light bulb in a droplight aproximately 15-25 watts suspended in the cabin as so not to start any kind of fire when the cabin is closed up . Also one more thing it is quite normal for condensation to form in the bilge of any boat, even if they have perfect integrity of the hull, such as a brand new boat. Some people think they are taking on water when in fact they are not. Especially here in California at the coast because we have very bright sunfilled long summer days where the air is very Warm to Hot and the ocean a very cool 56-63 degrees. Hope this helps you in some way. Let us know if you have more info and what you found, and oh yes don't drill that hole from the bilge into the cabin thru the liner. Happy Sailing ,
Dave LaPereSit in your Boat in the Rain
Scott: What I recommend is that you sit in your boat in the rain and keep your eyes open. Rain can come in through many places. I had one window that I removed and resealed many years ago, because it was leaking. I also had a few of the stainless steel fittings to the shrouds, that go through the deck, leak. Also any of the screws to the wood on the cabin top can leak. Silicone sealer is, of course, the solution to the problem, but first you have to find the leak. I even had the fresh water tank to the toilet leak. Again, silicone sealer solved the problem. You might want to try to have someone aim a hose at a specific part of the boat and see if you can detect a leak. I recently found one of my cabin drains leaking and fixed that (but that was another forum article). With patience, you can find the leak. Actually, I have found tracking down a leak many times easier on my boat than on my house. I agree with others who stated that you should not drill any holes between the cabin and the compartments to the bilge. I consider this a matter of saftey. The segregation of the different comparments could greatly help if something went wrong, like a serious leak. Aldo
Scott: What I recommend is that you sit in your boat in the rain and keep your eyes open. Rain can come in through many places. I had one window that I removed and resealed many years ago, because it was leaking. I also had a few of the stainless steel fittings to the shrouds, that go through the deck, leak. Also any of the screws to the wood on the cabin top can leak. Silicone sealer is, of course, the solution to the problem, but first you have to find the leak. I even had the fresh water tank to the toilet leak. Again, silicone sealer solved the problem. You might want to try to have someone aim a hose at a specific part of the boat and see if you can detect a leak. I recently found one of my cabin drains leaking and fixed that (but that was another forum article). With patience, you can find the leak. Actually, I have found tracking down a leak many times easier on my boat than on my house. I agree with others who stated that you should not drill any holes between the cabin and the compartments to the bilge. I consider this a matter of saftey. The segregation of the different comparments could greatly help if something went wrong, like a serious leak. Aldo
What kind of water?
Is it bilge water or clear water in your cabin? I've found that the hose from the drain hole of my galley unit "cooler" does not line up perfectly with the drain going to the thru-hull. If I leave water in the cooler, eventually it finds its way under the galley unit, over the side of its resting place, and on to the cabin floor. I'm going to install a longer hose from the cooler drain, so that it goes 'down into' the drain going to the thru-hull. I hope this helps. I don't get bilge water in my cabin, but I do also get rainwater-so also look for loose deck fittings. Good luck!
Is it bilge water or clear water in your cabin? I've found that the hose from the drain hole of my galley unit "cooler" does not line up perfectly with the drain going to the thru-hull. If I leave water in the cooler, eventually it finds its way under the galley unit, over the side of its resting place, and on to the cabin floor. I'm going to install a longer hose from the cooler drain, so that it goes 'down into' the drain going to the thru-hull. I hope this helps. I don't get bilge water in my cabin, but I do also get rainwater-so also look for loose deck fittings. Good luck!
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