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 Salt water in the bilge

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T O P I C    R E V I E W
JanS48 Posted - 09/12/2026 : 06:03:43
Greetings everyone.
I've had my C25 for 12 years now, it has a bilge pump with a typical float switch. The bilge always had a little water in the base but hardly enough to trigger the float switch. I frankly never paid much attention to it. Recently a potential buyer passed on the sale because of this. When hauled the bottom is solid with no soft spots anywhere.
Do these boats sometimes seep a tiny bit of sea water into the bilge ? Is this unusual? I'm not planning on doing anything about it just curious.
2   L A T E S T    R E P L I E S    (Newest First)
OLarryR Posted - 09/12/2026 : 21:19:46
Jan,
Are you sure it is saltwater? See my recent posting regarding a slow leak under the VBerth area. I had water entering the forward area coming from the anchor locker drain tube/connections. Just had it repaired. (The water starts to collect under the VBerth area and then can migrate to the bilge.)
Voyager Posted - 09/12/2026 : 17:08:47
Jan - actually, the Catalina 25 fin keel hull is solid fiberglass, with no core, so seepage of seawater into the hull is highly unlikely. There are a few exceptions to this however.
1. Through hull fittings. The depthmeter, the paddle wheel speedometer, and two drains are the submerged through hulls. Older boats had a klugey “volcano” style through hull with a garden-hose valve on it. Generally, when these get old, they become brittle and are known to crack or snap off. If you have one of these, keep wooden plugs handy. These might weep or leak prior to catastrophic failure. The seal on the speedo can also leak.

2. Above waterline through hulls - the manual bilge pump has a fitting on exterior of the transom to allow you to pump bilge water using a hand operated pump in the cockpit. If the hoses are bad, seawater can enter the hull when you get pooped by a big wave on the stern. My outboard starter cable runs through a hole in the stern, and water can also enter here. The anchor locker can also get wet if a large wave crashes over the bow, and it could leak if the drain is plugged.

3. Swing keel cable and hose - if you have a swing keel boat, there’s a ratchet winch and cable assembly that controls the position of the keel, and a hose that the cable feeds through. If the hose cracks, you’ll get a leak. If it outright fails, it can sink the boat.

4. Cracks in the hull due to an uncontrolled release of the swing keel. If the cable breaks when the keel is up or partially deployed, it’ll swing down and crack the hull.

Any of these situations can allow seawater to enter the bilge. Most often, however, you’ll find rainwater in the bilge. It could be salty due to years of salt air in the boat, but the wetness May result from leaks around deck fittings and portlights.

You just never know…

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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.