Mark II Engine Compartment Limber Holes

[Stewartn]

I too ended the weekend with water in the galley and under the cabin sole. I have two limber holes (about 3/4" dia. ea.) in the forward edge of the engine compartment floor just aft of the engine door frame and two little ones, Port and Starboard on the galley floor just forward of the engine door frame. The water seemed to coming out of those little ones. I mopped it up. Couldn't have been much, level in bilge hardly changed. Three questions: 1. Can you just unscrew the plastic galley floor and the first cabin sole section to dry this out? 2. How does one unplug these channels ? Where does the salt water come from; drippless fitting is dry, no seepage or leaks on sea water intake or engine? Boat was out of the water and bottom was inspected Late Aug. I saw no obvious telltale sign of a leak at the strut or on the hull.
Thx/Rgds

[Stu Jackson]

1.  Yes.

2.  Coat hanger, or screwdriver, etc. whatever fits in the hole.

3.  Smells, sounds and leaks are almost impossible to help with on the internet.   First, confirm it's salt water if you are in a salt water environment, if not it's harder to tell whether it's outside water or a water tank leak.  One place most people neglect is the rudder post bearing and tube.  See here:  http://www.c34.org/faq-pages/techdata-rudder-packing-gland.html

[Ron Hill]

Stewart : The answer to your first question as Stu answered is YES.  In fact I've recommended that all MKI owners remove the teak/holly sole and seal(varnish) the under side and cut edges of that sole, so the plywood and vainer doesn't separate.  I'm not too sure if the "plastic" teak/holly on the MKII can deliminate like the MKI ??
 
It's been a few years, but as I recall the floor "bed" that the MKI teak/holly sole fits in to has a number of holes in it.  I'd guess that the galley area has about 8/10? 1/4" holes spread thru that area.
 
I'm not knowledgeable about the limber hole channels that you're talking about on a MKII, so can't help you there.
Beside the packing gland, the only other salt water entry that I'd guess (is not the rudder packing gland, but worth checking) is the manual bilge pump hose/fitting on the transom.  A few thoughts

[Steve_in_lex]

I'm a little confused.  Yesterday, in an attempt to clean out the aft limber hole, I snaked some wire into it.   The wire went in effortlessly and I expected to see the end of the wire emerge into the main cabin bilge but it didn't.  I put about 12' of wire in and the distance from the limber hold to the main cabin is about 9' as the crow flies.

My question is, where did the wire go?  Earlier in this chain, Stu posted a picture of the drain hole -- http://www.c34.org/faq-pages/faq-drainhole.html -- which shows it going under the hull liner, if I'm interpreting it correctly.   I don't understand how the hull liner works relative to the bilge: would water going down the limber hole end up in the main bilge?  Any idea where the snake was going?  Thanks.