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oldengineer1949
1st Mate

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USA
75 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/01/2016 : 11:35:05

Gentle Catalina 25 owners, this leak has me scratching my old bald head for sure! I visit my boat every weekend to bail out any rainwater that accumulates from all the old, leaky deck attachments. Pualani Nui spent this past winter in the water, at a slip in the Quantico Marina. Most of the rainwater accumulates in the two dinette lazarettes (I have a dinette cabin configuration). However, just yesterday, in an abundance of caution, I visited Pu after work, and bailed out about 1/3 bucket of water from all bilges combined (quarterberth, galley, and the two dinette lazarettes). I puttered around for a few minutes, then happened to look in the forward port lazarette, and saw a small amount of water!

I looked further, and saw this:

Possible damage from a grounding and the keel bouncing in the keel trunk? Also, the brown goo at the bottom of the crack felt soft, almost like plumbers' putty! However, after a thorough drying, and holding a dry paper towel over the crack, no water showed on the towel. BUT! more water appeared at the bottom of the lazarette. Grr! I kept drying with more paper towels, until my fingers happened to brush up against the forward base of the bulkhead. There was the tip of a screw, and it was wet!

The other side of the bulkhead is the head area, but it was covered with the wooden step/filler that supports my porta-potty. (Sigh) Well, 8 long screws later, I saw the possible culprit:

I suspect the bottom screw of the lower mounting block has pierced all the way through the bulkhead base, has rusted over time, and is now allowing water to seep into the dinette lazarette. So, I am concerned: do I have water under the cabin sole? Has it infiltrated the bulkhead base core? Should I cut an access hatch somewhere in the cabin sole to get that water out?

Gents, all analysis and suggested solutions will be gratefully received by this 6-month-old Cat owner. Many thanks in advance,

Al and Bernadette, "Pualani Nui", '82 C25 SR/SK, homeport MCB Quantico

Edited by - oldengineer1949 on 04/01/2016 11:40:22

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5371 Posts

Response Posted - 04/03/2016 : 09:43:07

Ah yes, I know the spot you speak of very well. On Passage there is the sole in front of the portapotty step that's curved downward and after a big rain I usually find a few ounces of water there. It wants to run into the forward lazarette (aka the bilge) however there's a fiberglass bulkhead in the way. I could see how a small screw running between these spaces could leak. I would not be surprised if the wood frame beneath the sole would be rotten (does it flex excessively?), so I'd suggest you take a 2" hole saw and cut through the bulkhead beneath the level of the portapotty step to see what's up in there. You can then take a flashlight and a small compact or dental mirror to look inside without totally craining your neck. Problem is now what to do if you find rot there. A soft sole isn't the end of the world. But if the rot extends into the keel stub, that could be an issue. You can check that in the same way - take a 1/2" drill and drill through the fiberglass down into the stub and check the sawdust...

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

oldengineer1949
1st Mate

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USA
75 Posts

Response Posted - 04/04/2016 : 11:11:32

Voyager,

good insight! I will "palpitate" the area and see if there is any softness. I am somewhat relieved about the keel stub, because I believe Pualani does not have one (she is a swing keel). My worry is that she suffered a crack around the forward part of her keel trunk while in the hands of a PO, in a location where I cannot see. I have seen other horror pics and descriptions of major surgery done to the port forward dinette seat to be able to get to the base of the keel trunk. I am not enthusiastic about doing so myself.

Also, for the other SK owners, have y'all created access hatches in your cabin soles to get down to the hull and true bilge (if one common one does exist)? I have seen pics of such in your cabin soles, but I don't know if they were made by Catalina at time of manufacture, or y'all added them later. As you have seen in my little cleaning story (Cruising Forum), my cabin sole has none.

Once again, all thoughts and further insight appreciated.

Fair Winds and Following Seas to all,

Al and Bernadette, "Pualani Nui", '82 C25 SR/SK, homeport MCB Quantico

Lee Panza
Captain

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USA
465 Posts

Response Posted - 04/04/2016 : 20:45:42

quote:
Originally posted by oldengineer1949
...for the other SK owners, have y'all created access hatches in your cabin soles to get down to the hull and true bilge (if one common one does exist)? I have seen pics of such in your cabin soles, but I don't know if they were made by Catalina at time of manufacture, or y'all added them later.

Al:

I, too, have a swing-keel dinette model, and I added an access plate (Beckson) under the table:

Then I drilled limber holes through the bulkheads forming the lockers under both settees:

My hull-to-deck joint seems to leak when the rails go under (on San Francisco Bay in the summertime it happens a lot), so I need to de-water often. I haven't gotten around to providing access under the saloon sole, but I wouldn't be too surprised to find water there when I do (despite not having found any way for water to get there). By the way, the space between the raised sole under the table and the inner surface of the hull ranges from about 4" to about 5" where I placed the deckplate, so you needn't worry about puncturing the hull if you cut one in yourself.

BTW, if 1949 makes you an 'oldengineer' I guess I'm an 'olderengineer' from 1948 (PE in Civil, if you're wondering).

The trouble with a destination - any destination, really - is that it interrupts The Journey.

Lee Panza
SR/SK #2134
San Francisco Bay
(Brisbane, CA)

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 04/04/2016 : 21:21:42

"Voyager" Bruce's suggestions might be valuable, but the swinger is different from his (used to be my) fin keel in the bilge and its relationship to the dinette seat lockers from what I've seen--I'd go on feedback from the SK owners.

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5371 Posts

Response Posted - 04/05/2016 : 20:24:41

Dave, swing or fin there's water coming in from the head area. If it were mine, I'd def take a lookee-see.

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 04/06/2016 : 06:32:10

Ya, but for cutting holes, I'd seek and follow the advice of someone with a swing keel (like Lee)--not a fin. You're talking about what's literally a different hull.

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 04/06/2016 06:33:36

oldengineer1949
1st Mate

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USA
75 Posts

Response Posted - 04/06/2016 : 09:06:38

Gents,

again, good thoughts all. I like what Lee did on his dinette sole (also the nice vents on the sides of the lazarettes), but all is academic until I can get back to the boat this weekend (weather permitting). The true fix (if there is no leaking damage around the keel trunk) is for me to re-seal all deck fittings and ports (yikes!) That is a long-term project for me, so bailing the bilges will be a periodic duty until I can get the deck fittings squared away.

Fair Winds and Following Seas to all,

Al and Bernadette, "Pualani Nui", '82 C25 SR/SK, homeport MCB Quantico

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