My water-ballast 1996 Hunter 26 gets water under the cabin sole. I drain it completely dry every season, and, when I put the boat in the water and check the inspection port, it has refilled. I have two questions: 1) Is this a problem I can just live with? and 2) What is the source of this water? Thanks in advance for any advice on this issue.
Water under cabin sole
- Thread starter CharlieH1996
- Start date
I had a 2004 260 at Tomahawk Bay for 20 years. One year I was getting water on top after sailing and tracked it down to the loose, large bolt that held the centerboard bracket up underneath the boat. The bolt is located underneath the plate that surrounds the mast support below the table. If I recall it took a 1 1/16” socket. Once I tightened it up I was good from then on. I know there is a lot in the archives here on that general topic.
Do you cover the companionway over the cabin top?
Do you notice water on the cabin sole or floor after it has rained? Is the seal around the teak and holly floorboard? Picture of they floorboard seal please.
Do you notice water on the cabin sole or floor after it has rained? Is the seal around the teak and holly floorboard? Picture of they floorboard seal please.
Don't know about the water ballasted h26s but most boats have more than a few gallons of water trapped in the hull stringers below the sole. The sources of this water are usually rain leaks, wash downs, galley spills, sea spray, wet bathing suits, plumbing leaks, condensation, through hull leaks, showers, ice coolers and refrigerators discharge. Depending on the source the water and its routing, it will flow at different speeds with clearer water reaching the bilge faster while some of the water remaining and festering deep in the hull. Water contaminated with diesel fuel, oils and bacteria will foul. Besides collecting water for discharge, the bilge also acts as a P-Trap keeping most fouled water smells from entering the cabin. Attempting to dry the bilge can be a seemingly futile endeavor as soon as the boat gets in motion it will release some of the trapped water and quite soon it will be releasing some of the fouled water with all its smells and nastiness. I try to correct rain leaks, stop any plumbing and thru-hull leaks and control packing gland drip and as far as the others I continue to enjoy boating without minding them. I do keep the backflow level on the bilge which gets refreshed every time the automatic bilge pump expels the excess.