Water Intrusion

[Steve A.]

This spring, I sailed my 1992 H28 from Newburyport, MA to Boothbay, ME. During the trip, we encountered some pretty rough conditions and rain so we were forced to motor the last leg from Casco Bay. When we arrived at the mooring, the two storage compartments under the aft berth on either side of the area where the exhaust and prop shaft go were FLOODED! There doesn't seem to be any way for water to get in there except from the stern (there are no weep holes). I bailed about 30 gallons out and took the boat out for a trial to see if more water would come in (I also went back a week later) and no water had come in. Any idea where the water came from? I have had this boat for 4 years now and this has never happened before.

 

[Buddy Richardson]

My H28 has had some water enter the aft compartments and make its way under the aftbearth, not much but enough to make me worry. I tracked it down to area under the screwed down grate just behind the steering pedestle.The throttle control cables which run from the pedestle under the cockpit deck exit under the fiberglass grate into the aft compartment. There is a cutout for the cables to exit the area under the grate. If the water level in the pan under the grate is high enough or the boat is heeled to starbord, water will run down into the compartments below. Take a look down in the starbord aft compartment and you can see where the control cables exit from under the deck. I've climbed down in there before but it's a tight fit.With a lot of rain and a lot of rolling or if there is some debris blocking the exit of water from under the grate out to the swim platform, you could get a substantial amount of water down there. I've been trying to think of a fix involving modifying the exit hole of the control cables, maybe installing a glass lip of some sort. I haven't come up with an answer yet. If you think of something let me know.