Aft Water tank - aft wall in aft berth (a lot of afts)

[Nicholia]

Thanks Kevin - that is so helpful.  My water tank is to starboard.  I, unfortunately did not read about the longer screw situation until after I had this problem, though it seems to have preceded my purchase (based on the water stain running down the wooden bulkhead).  I may well have a hole in my water tank and the seeming fix with taping the portlight just was coincident with either lack of heeling sufficiently or tank water level lowering enough to no longer leak.  I'll give it a look, but this information makes the leak seem much less mysterious.

Brenda

[Baysider]

Thanks again for everyone's input and insight regarding my questions.  Here's my update:

I used a right angle ratchet screwdriver and was able to very slowly get the four screws out.  Not an easy task when you can't actually see the screws, they've been in for 33 years, and it's hard to get your arm through the only opening.  I was concerned about the comments pertaining to puncturing the water tank as I had previously removed and replaced the screws accessible from inside the berth last year but found that all of them screwed into the surrounding structure and none were close to the tank.

What scgunner said about water collecting on the fiberglass base under the water tank and running into the cabin from the port side when on a port tack was spot-on as was the idea of leaking scuppers.  I found that in the process of blasting the aft tank's vent with water pressure (I put a 1" hose around the aft tank's vent and connected the other side of the tube to a garden hose) it cleared the vent tube but shot a lot of water around the cockpit.  When I went below I saw that the starboard scupper hose was wet.  The next time I'm at the marina I'll have to find out if the hose connection is bad or if there is a leak in the drain fitting.  I'm hoping it's the former.

[karista]

Thanks again for everyone's input and insight regarding my questions.  Here's my update:

I used a right angle ratchet screwdriver and was able to very slowly get the four screws out.  Not an easy task when you can't actually see the screws, they've been in for 33 years, and it's hard to get your arm through the only opening.  I was concerned about the comments pertaining to puncturing the water tank as I had previously removed and replaced the screws accessible from inside the berth last year but found that all of them screwed into the surrounding structure and none were close to the tank.

What scgunner said about water collecting on the fiberglass base under the water tank and running into the cabin from the port side when on a port tack was spot-on as was the idea of leaking scuppers.  I found that in the process of blasting the aft tank's vent with water pressure (I put a 1" hose around the aft tank's vent and connected the other side of the tube to a garden hose) it cleared the vent tube but shot a lot of water around the cockpit.  When I went below I saw that the starboard scupper hose was wet.  The next time I'm at the marina I'll have to find out if the hose connection is bad or if there is a leak in the drain fitting.  I'm hoping it's the former.

If you have to replace the scupper hoses as I did a few years ago then you should seek a very short and skinny helper to do this. With the Sugar Scoop Transom its extremely difficult to get access to these hoses. Both of mine developed cracks and leaked. My hull is 1012 so if yours have not been replaced I would suspect they are cracked and leaking.

[scgunner]

Baysider,

What originally what got me back there was replacing the refer compressor so I had to remove the bulkhead and water tank to gain access. What I found during the process was a leaky tank, standing water in the tank pan, badly deteriorated scupper hoses and three valleys from the original hull molding running along the center line that trapped water. The water was nasty and actually had some tiny critters living in it! As The Fixx once sang one thing leads to another.

Once I got the new compressor squared away I filled and smoothed the valleys with West Systems epoxy so any water runs to the bilge then replaced the scupper hoses (a real bear) and finally put drain holes in the tank pan, fixed the tank leak and reinstalled the bulkhead and I've had no problems since. I did notice that one of the bulkhead screws had dug into the tank but didn't penetrate so I just shortened the screw.

One more thing, now that you've gotten those backside screws out I wouldn't reinstall them since the front side screws are more than up to the task of holding the bulkhead firmly in place.

[Ron Hill]

Guys : On the scupper hoses - I believe that people in the cold north might forget to add a bit of anti freeze to the scuppers and the manual bilge pump exit when winterizing!!  I posted this tip many years ago!!!   

A thought

[High Current]

Sugar scoop?  You got one of the rare ones!!  I know of three now: yours, Noah's, and Patches'.

Add mine to that list!  #1050.  By date of manufacture it was actually built in late '89 (K9 in the hull #).

[waughoo]

Well I'll be?!?  There are more than I knew.

[Kyle Ewing]

Donnybrook (#1010) is also a sugar scoop.

[Baysider]

One last (maybe) question.  scgunner, what is a refer compressor?

[scgunner]

Baysider,

That's the compressor unit for the galley refrigerator. It was usually installed in the aft locker but was much easier to access by going through the aft cabin.

[Noah]

Photo of my refrigerator compressor.

[Baysider]

Got it!  Mine is under the forward seat on the starboard side.

[High Current]

Sugar scoop?  You got one of the rare ones!!  I know of three now: yours, Noah's, and Patches'.

Add mine to that list!  #1050.  By date of manufacture it was actually built in late '89 (K9 in the hull #).

New culpa:  I just saw a picture of a sugar scoop.  I was confused: mine is actually a walk-through.

[Baysider]

Hi Noah

Are there any tricks as far as wiggling the aft water tank past the cable and wires (I have multiple fairly loose wires) aside from disconnecting them? 

[Noah]

Each boat maybe different depending how a PO ran additional wiring. Also depends on how much slack you can get on your engine cables. First rock tank backward as much as you can to carefully remove bottom "feed" hose.  Then mine lifted/wiggled out Starboard side first at an angle. You may have to disconnect engine control cables if you can't squeeze tank by. Be gentle on "feed hose" barb on bottom of tank.