Association Forum - Getting water to the bilge...

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

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.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Getting water to the bilge...

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

Member Avatar

Canada
3159 Posts

Initially Posted - 02/19/2008 : 11:41:09

Related to the bilge pump question, but separate...

This fall when cleaning up the boat and putting it away, we found a respectable puddle under the Vee berth, behind the little door. Similarly, under the quarterberth was a second puddle.

Would there be anything wrong with drilling little drain holes through the bulkheads to allow the water to run down to the bilge? Would this affect the integrity of something I've overlooked? Why wouldn't catalina have done this (or something similar) in the first place?

"Iris"
1984 FK/SR #4040
http://frosthaus.blogspot.com/

Take a minute to register your boat with the association!!
http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/owner_questionnaire.htm

Edited by - on

2far2drive
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
74 Posts

Response Posted - 02/19/2008 : 12:21:25

Ive done it in 2 places but I have to correct it a little now.

I drilled a small hole in the dip in the floor in the "galley area" as spilled water tended to collect there and also in front of the head in that little dip as well.

I realized as I drilled my little holes that there was some coring I wen t through so I have been on the lookout for a little grommet of stainless or something I can just epoxy in to protect the coring while still allowing water to go through.

Edited by - on

stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

1608 Posts

Response Posted - 02/19/2008 : 20:26:18

If you have water in your bilge, you need to find out where it came from and correct the problem.
You should not have any water in the bilge.

I would not be drilling any holes.

Edited by - on

2far2drive
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
74 Posts

Response Posted - 02/19/2008 : 21:00:25

I had a ton of water in my bildge when I bought the boat. As it has turned out, she sat through a hurricane and my rails(im guessing, still havent located the source) leak pretty badly. All the water was from that. I pumped her near dry (couldnt get it all, it was sucking too much air in the bildge pump) and she hasn't hardly raised half an inch, except during heavy heavy rains.

Edited by - on

stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

1608 Posts

Response Posted - 02/19/2008 : 22:58:02

I had a guest disconnect my sink drain from the thru hull and a lot of water gushed in. I used the manual bilge pump to get most of the water out. For the smaller amounts of water I used a sucker pump. (the kind that is used for sucking the oil out of an OB)
What the sucker couldn't get, I used rags. Have not had any *water in the bilge since.

*there was of course that unfortunate incident with the beer, but that is another story.

Edited by - on

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2008 : 08:03:28

The location of the water buildup is a clue as to "what's leaking where". drilling holes to put all the water in the bilge eliminates your clues. When I found water forward I knew that's where the root of the problem was and subsequently found my anchor drain hose was leaking.
Now a related question; Every time (or almost every time I sail) I find a small amount of salt water (maybe a quart to half gallon) in my bilge. I sail in coastal salt water in usually 2 to 4 ft seas or more. I'm thinking that water is coming in the stern exit hole that my auto-bilge hose connects to, goes backward through the pump and into the bilge. I know I can test this by turning a hose into the exit hole, but has anyone traced renegade mystery bilge water to this?

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2008 : 08:43:27

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by stampeder
 I had a guest disconnect my sink drain from the thru hull and a lot of water gushed in.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

How does this happen?

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

3072 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2008 : 09:06:49

"we found a respectable puddle under the Vee berth,"

Usually indicates a plugged drain in the anchor locker... or boat parked on trailer with too much bow up.
Most of the bilge water I've found in my boat came from the hull-deck joint. Sealing the top of the rub rails stopped the intrusion.

Edited by - on

stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

1608 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2008 : 11:51:58

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by stampeder

I had a guest disconnect my sink drain from the thru hull and a lot of water gushed in.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How does this happen?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

A friend (first time on a boat) was instructed to stow his gear while we unpacked the Zodiac. He chose to stow his gear in the cabinet under the sink - in the process of stuffing his bag in there, he knocked the sink drain hose off the bottom of the sink. The end of the hose ended up in the bilge where it was now below the water line, and water gushed in. We heard water running but didn't think much of it until the carpet got squishy. Water was gushing through that hose with about as much force as a garden hose.

Edited by - on

GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
4312 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2008 : 12:13:50

I keep getting water in my bilge when it rains. I've put caulk all around the mast base and the deck plug for the mast lights but it's still getting in somewhere.

I know I need to drop the mast and re-bed the mast plate which I'm planning on doing now that I received my mast wiring kit and boom topping lift from CD.

The caulk was a temporary fix to try and stop the leak. Obviously it didn't work. I put so much caulk on and around the mast plate I don't see how it could possibly be leaking. Anyone have an idea where else this water could be getting in. It seems to come out at the bottom of the port bulkhead next to the mast support.

Edited by - GaryB on 02/20/2008 12:15:01

2far2drive
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
74 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2008 : 12:19:15

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by GaryB
 I keep getting water in my bilge when it rains. I've put caulk all around the mast base and the deck plug for the mast lights but it's still getting in somewhere.

I know I need to drop the mast and re-bed the mast plate which I'm planning on doing now that I received my mast wiring kit and boom topping lift from CD.

The caulk was a temporary fix to try and stop the leak. Obviously it didn't work. I put so much caulk on and around the mast plate I don't see how it could possibly be leaking. Anyone have an idea where else this water could be getting in. It seems to come out at the bottom of the port bulkhead next to the mast support.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Mine keeps coming in from somewhere on the starboard side, wetting my cushions and getting everything else wet as well. Annoying to say the least but I should have it fixed pretty soon. Working on some wood already.

Did you get my email I sent you about sunday? Man that was a blast! How did the pictures come out?

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2008 : 12:52:33

Since Mopping up the stuff under the Vee, the boat has been under tarps for winter storage. Before that the boat was pulled home through a thunderstorm, and the water may have found its way in as the truck moved along the highway at 120 km/h for 5 hours...

Once we get some Florida weather up here I'll remove the tarps and monitor for water, but with the tarps on, the only water coming in is a dribble onto the cockpit seats which drains whenever it thaws. Not an issue at all (never more than 1/2" in the cockpit).

I have checked the anchor locker drain, as some of the boats we toured when shopping had flooded anchor lockers, so I was aware of the potential issue. One of our planned upgrades is the bigger anchor locker drain.

I think that the water was from stowing muddy anchors. Of course the PO never said anything about this, but in our fall cleanout, we found that the locker forward of the VEE berth has a load of mud in the bottom of it. We emptied it with my daughter's sand pail.

Edited by - on

GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
4312 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2008 : 15:01:01

2Far2Drive,

No I didn't get your email. That was fun!

I'll post some pictures tonight.

Edited by - on

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

Members Avatar

USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 02/20/2008 : 20:42:43

As everybody said, find the source before doing anything else. I had serious water in the bilge after every rain; I traced it to the chainplates. After pulling the chainplates and rebedding with polysufide (in pairs with the mast up), and rebedding the through deck for my solar vent (must have been an old problem since there were four colors of silicone of various ages and a bear to remove), my bilge is dry. Check BoatUS information articles and use the right bedding compound for each application.

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

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.