Water Leaks

[Don Rice]

We originally had a small amount of water showing up in the aft cabin- starboard side when we 1st purchased the boat. The hull deck joint was resealed and the water disappeared for 8 months. After one of the driest summers on record we have had record rainfalls - 6 inches in a 24 hour period as well as a prolonged drizzel accompanied by some wind driven rain. The result was that the water returned and in a sizable quantity. There was water in the bilge, water in the aft cabin and water in the bottom of the swim grid starboard locker.I don't understand exactly how the boat was put together or how the water flows between the hull liner and hull. I also don't know where to start to look or how to isolate the leak or leaks. I assume the leak could be anywhere and the water can migrate to the rear and bilge.I have checked the archives with no luck. Any suggestions on the most likely sources or a process to find them would be appreciated. Thanks Don

 

[gary chidester]

water leaking sucks

i had a water leak on my 33.5 in the back port side. the leak turned out to be in the back of the boat directly behind the rub rail there is a void that is filled with wood and sealer. on my boat the wood was missing, leaving an opening the size of a pack of cigarettes. i filled this void with some waterproof outdoor filler and the leak has stopped. hope this works for you...gary

 

[Ed Schenck]

Rudder stuffing?

Small world, was just crawling around on a 35.5 on Saturday. My dockmate complained of wet carpeting in the aft bunk, portside against the hull, clear at the back. But the side carpet was dry above. I could only conclude that it was wicking from behind the aft-most bulkhead, probably because the rudder stuffing box was leaking. This only happens when sailing so we did not take the cover off of the rudder post to verify. Good luck.

 

[fred miller]

Water Leak Search

don,maybe this will help . .on my 35.5 water was showing up in the after section of the bilge where the keel bolts come through . .the section nearer the companionway steps, to the right of the sink, if you get the idea.anyway, it turned out rain water was trickling in around the hatch in the aft cabin over the closet, running down the bulkhead onto the floor and draining around the wooden sole into the bilge. the problem was the hatch gasket was shot.so, run a test and weatherstrip tape around the exterior of the hatch all four sides before the next rain and see what happens. also unscrew the wooded sole board in the aft cabin [4 screws] and see if water appears to be draining through it . .mine was all wet which was a hint.good hunting !Fred M.