Bilge Water

[Stephen Butler]

Here is the situation, which has gotten us and the boat yard in a quandry.  We continue to have water in the bilge...exactly 2 inches in 5 hours.  We pump out and dry thoroughly, and 5 hours later there is another 2 inches...never less and never more than 2 inches...whether it rains or not.  Nor can we see where it is entering the bilge.  We have checked EVERY through-hull, tank, and have even pulled the boat out of the water and checked the keel and sump area.  Nothing.  Has anyone out there experienced this? 

[Stu Jackson]

Two other sources come to mind:

1.  Rudder tube:  http://www.c34.org/faq-pages/techdata-rudder-packing-gland.html  If the little flat area under the aft cabin and aft of the stuffing box stern tube is always wet, and your aft water tank isn't leaking, that's where I'd go first.

2.  The 1 5/8" hoses to and from the aqualift muffler.  If you've been motoring.  Mine leak, I still have to finish getting the muffler ports rebuilt with MarineTex and smoothed out.

And the obvious ?:  salt or fresh water?

I have exactly the same issue and can't wait for the answer!

[c34no1471]

Could it be a leak in the fresh water system?  If so, with the freshwater pump breaker turned on, you should hear the pump run intermittently to keep the pressure up. 

George Alberts
Breezing Up, #1471
Chesapeake Bay

[lucky]

I to have the exact same problem.Checked rudder tube no leak,muffler good,sea cocks good,hoses good.Bilge pump comes on every 30 minutes 2500rpm tied down in slip.Finally found crack in shaft log to the rear of 1 5/8, hose pulling boat Monday for repair.Hopes this helps
Al Landry
Catalina34
Hull#13
Lucky

[Bob K]

After 3 years of similar problem, tracked it to ho water tank.  Old and rusted, leaking from a lower seam. Water track to bilge was hard to find so that masked the problem.

[Gary Brockman]

I had a very similar problem when I bought my boat nearly two years ago. Like your boat, there was a constant 2 inches of water in the bildge, but it took over 12 hours to refill after drying it out. IAlthough I never heard the bildge pump cycle, I am sure it  keept it at about that level.  After extensive searching for a leak, we found that the hull under the aft berth was wet but we were unable to find where it came from, the hull was just wet starting at one spot, and dry behind that spot.

At the suggestion of our local boatyard manager, we hauled the boat and they found that water was coming up through the hull around the strut where they found voids in the filler around the strut. Once that was fixed, the boat went back in the water where the same problem occured again, but in a differant area under the aft berth. We hauled again and they found water was leaking into the skeg through a crack a the 90 degree angle where the skeg meets the hull in front of the rudder and then into the boat. Once they repaired the skeg, my leak problem was solved and my bidge has been dry, except for when it rains.

Good luck in finding your leak.

Gary

[Ron Hill]

Steve : Besides Stu's question I have another.  In which compartment of the bilge is the water found?
The aft compartment is usually from the packing gland or rudder post gland.  The second from the aft is usually from fresh water - heater/hose connections or a following sea thru the electric bilge pump exit.  The front and just behind the mast are usually from rain down the mast or a flow thur from the bilge pump area. 
A few thoughts

[Jim Hardesty]

You may have a number of small leaks.  My first season with Shamrock was spent tracking down a lot of small leaks.  I used a large felt-tip water color marker and made a line below a suspected leak if some of the line was washed off I looked above that area.  Just test the marker and make sure that it wipes off with quickly with water.   Now I have only intermittent water entry from way aft, I suspect the aft cockpit seat lids.
Jim

[Stu Jackson]

Now I have only intermittent water entry from way aft, I suspect the aft cockpit seat lids.

One of the earliest Mainsheet "tips&tricks" I remember reading was to install weatherstripping under both the lazarette and port locker lids.  Not only does it stop the water intrusion, but it removes any rattling sounds.  I also put a small piece under the port locker hasp to stop it rattling when the lock is removed and the locker is open.  We rarely open the lazarette, so I haven't done it there.

[cmainprize]

Steve

The guy in the slip behind me did this with his Swan.  He had the boat lifted and dried everything, he even drained his tanks.  He had the boat hanging in the slings and had the boat lowered back into the water little by little, then he would wait a couple of hours.  First the keel bolts, then transducers, shaft log, you get the idea.  It was in the slings for almost two days until he found the problem.  Seems extreme but it worked.  I can't image what the yard bill was.

Did I mention he has a Swan.

Cory

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

Ron,
I was under the impression that the rudder post gland was normally above the water line, or could it be leaking from a following sea?

[Stu Jackson]

Mike, that link to the rudder packing gland says:

That packing gland is above the water line when the boat is static and most of the time under sail. It's underwater while motoring and some points of sail.

Could be a source of water but not at a static dockside situation.

[Indian Falls]

I'll assume you've exhausted all other sources of leaks such as the Hot water tank, seacocks, stuffingbox etc...

I have this problem too.  As far as I know, no one ever tightened the keel bolts on mine.  It was set improperly on wood in the cradle.  There IS a big crack in the fairing compound at the front of my keel joint.   We fixed that, we torqued the bolts, we bedded the keelbolt washers, I dried the bilge after every visit to the boat.  I have found that I get about 1 inch of water in a week in the bilge.  It IS coming in thru the bilge floor.  During the winter I had a diesel leak that filled the bilge with 2 gallons of fuel, this fuel made it's way out and dribbled down the outside of the keel all winter.  Not only that it worked it's way between the fiberglass and the lead keel anyplace these two things have delaminated.  The very bottom of the keel has been banged up a bit from impact and has open spots that we did not try to close.  After several thorough clean ups since winter. I still get fuel in the bilge water.  NO I do not have a fuel leak.  This oil is being pushed by water and pressure back up to the keel bolts and out through cracks in the bilge floor, which can be seen now that I'm looking for them.
It's not a lot of fuel just enough to see on the surface if you use a spot light in the bilge.
The solution for this one is a thorough dry out over winter. then to drop the keel and rebed  the whole thing.  Now that we've sailed it a few times we get a bit more water in the bilge over a weeks time.   That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.  Hope this helps shed some light on your issue.

Good l

[Terry Forshier]

Here in SW Florida it is hot and humid for 6 months of the year. Most boat owners that have their boats in canals behind their homes leave their air conditioners on and set at say 85 to 88 degrees. this lets the Ac keep the humidity down. and lets the interior cool off. My old ODay got so hot one summer it melted a pair of USDivers swim fins that were stowed under the seat. (that's hot) This also presents a bilge water problem as nearly everyone has the condensation line from the Ac led to the bilge. I have this and every day I collect enough water to trigger the bilge pump. Since the pump switch is set to go on when the flipper rises I always have bilge water. This standing water gets stale and needs to be hand pumped out every now and then as it looks and seems cruddy. It also seems like this water would just evaporate and add to the already humid interior. Last year at a boat show i saw a little system called the meremaid Ac condensor system. This system lets you attach the condensation flow line to the water discharge line and the stream of water that flows literally sucks the condensation water from the line and out this port. You can google it and see it. I saw one working and it was pretty slick. I am installing one this week.  They sell for about $200 but you can find them on the net for about $150.00. I am wondering if anyone else has used one? It wil be nice not to have that slimey water in the bilge all summer.
Terry

[RV61]

When we bought the Interlude a 1986 MK 1 here is what we found adding water to bildge.

Ice box emptied into the bilge- Added refrigeration and reconnected foot pump.

Shaft packing gland - Added dripless system.

PO had drilled hole in shower pan- Filled hole and recaulked arount the pan as well.

Water muffler had cracked arount the collar- Fixed with marine Tex epoxy.

Inspection port on water tank leaked= put plumbers tape around threads.

Water was comining up just forward of the rudder post due to crack in the skeg. Pulled boat drilled into skeg and drained. repaiered crack and filled skeg so it could not happen again.

speakers on right and left stern seat leaked - caulked.

After three years have a dry bildge.