Water in bilge while on jack stands

[Chschaus]

Looking for any suggestions: I pulled the boat at the end of the season left the house battery on 1 to run the pump if a little water did get in.
Went down in early December to get the last of the stuff I take off the boat and check on where the yard put the boat and if they covered where the mast goes through the deck. ( I generally do not cover the boat in the winter, that's a discussion for another time.) Everything looked fine, I returned just after the holidays in early January to find the bilge filled to about an inch or two away from the floorboards and frozen. Cleared it all out and put some antifreeze in the bilge; was down last Friday before the snowstorm we were expecting here in the northeast only to find a repeat of my previous visit. I can see no evidence of where the water is coming in. I have checked all the portals, all through deck mounts and hatches and can see nor feel any indication of leakage. I will be heading down tomorrow to remove any snow left on deck and look again for any indication as to where the intrusion is coming from. At this point I am leaning towards the cockpit drains, I looked there but didn't crawl into the locker to get a real close look. I'm really baffled and am pulling what's left of my hair trying to figure this out, any suggestions will be greatly appreciated .
Thanks
Chris
E35-III

 

[Christian Williams]

It does sound like the cockpit drain hoses. Test for splits and cracks that are hard to see.

I had a boat with a full bilge frozen solid. Had to wait till spring.

 

[Chschaus]

Thanks, Christian, why is it the older you get the repairs tend to be in tighter places?

 

[goldenstate]

I presume you drained your freshwater tanks at haul-out? Another potential source.

 

[Chschaus]

All tanks were drained and winterized.

 

[JSM]

Could be coming down your mast as well. I'm in Chicago and find that no matter what I do I always have water in the bilge come springtime, never any damage.

 

[Prairie Schooner]

. . . in early January to find the bilge filled to about an inch or two away from the floorboards and frozen. Cleared it all out and put some antifreeze in the bilge; was down last . . .

Hi Chris,
We have an E35-3 which is new to us. We are in Portsmouth, RI. Same boat and much the same weather. We just happened to have a bucket in the aft locker under the starboard rail cowl vent. I've found at least a gallon of water in that bucket after a good rain. I stuck a bucket under the port vent with the same result. I put a bag over the vent and no water after rains. We have a cover on the whole boat now, but I'm wondering how to deal with this when we get back in the water. - Perhaps it's a factor in what you are experiencing?
Cheers, Jeff

 

[Chschaus]

Could be coming down your mast as well. I'm in Chicago and find that no matter what I do I always have water in the bilge come springtime

Mast is pulled and the through deck is covered well.

 

[Chschaus]

Hi Chris,
We have an E35-3 which is new to us. We are in Portsmouth, RI. Same boat and much the same weather. We just happened to have a bucket in the aft locker under the starboard rail cowl vent. I've found at least a gallon of water in that bucket after a good rain. I stuck a bucket under the port vent with the same result. I put a bag over the vent and no water after rains. We have a cover on the whole boat now, but I'm wondering how to deal with this when we get back in the water. - Perhaps it's a factor in what you are experiencing?
Cheers, Jeff

Thanks Jeff, I'll check there as well.

 

[tenders]

I found my aft starboard cockpit drain hose disconnected this spring. Its junction exists behind a panel in the lazarette that I haven't had off in...I think...10 years? Had to stuff my legs past that panel to get my face/hands close to the engine mount. I keep waiting for the audition call for the Cirque du Soleil, but it never comes....

 

[Chschaus]

I keep waiting for the audition call for the Cirque du Soleil, but it never comes....

LOL!

 

[Loren Beach]

We have a cover on the whole boat now, but I'm wondering how to deal with this when we get back in the water.

You might try what worked for me this summer. After the relaunch after we painted the whole boat, I was surprised and dismayed to find some rain water migrating forward from somewhere way back aft. Turned out my chrome bronze screw on deck plate over the rudder shaft was leaking around its rather coarse threads. I put a lot of new grease around the threads and screwed it back into place. No more leak.
(There is an old large diameter O ring there, but it has gotten brittle and I have not sourced a replacement for it yet.)

 

[Chschaus]

You might try what worked for me this summer. After the relaunch after we painted the whole boat, I was surprised and dismayed to find some rain water migrating forward from somewhere way back aft. Turned out my chrome bronze screw on deck plate over the rudder shaft was leaking around its rather coarse threads. I put a lot of new grease around the threads and screwed it back into place. No more leak.
(There is an old large diameter O ring there, but it has gotten brittle and I have not sourced a replacement for it yet.)

There is a place I didn't think of, if I had to guess that plate has not been touched it 20 yrs. I'll check that as well.
Thanks Loren

 

[nquigley]

I'm tracking a similar mystery leak(s). My boat's in the water. I visit it ~weekly and usually see ~1" of water in the main bilge, or a bit more, at most visits. Often, the level is suspiciously,\ not much below the level at which the bilge pump would turn on.

Yesterday, I filled my ~7qt manual vacuum pump (https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--manual-oil-changer-6-9-quart--11047123?recordNum=1), twice, with water from: the hidden bilge just forward of the mast, plus the three forward bilges in the cabin. I got ~ 7qt from bilges forward and aft of the mast, another ~7qt from the next two bilges aft (connected by a channel).
The main bilge only had ~1.5" of water in it when I started - I sucked out the bilges and then got quite a bit more out by poking the hose into the holes between the bilges. (under the TAFG?)

The forward 2 bilges (just forward and aft of the mast step) will collect all the water coming down the inside of the mast, so I accept that, but I want to know where the water in the other two bilges is coming from.

Areas that are not leaking:
- underwater through-hulls: I thoroughly checked all underwater through-hulls yesterday (including the depth sensor that's very inconveniently mounted under the drawers in the forepeak) - hull areas were bone dry around all of them.
- cockpit areas: I have a non-leaky bimini covering the entire cockpit, which extends beyond the combings, taffrail, and the aft 1/4 of companionway hatch). Only a little wind-driven rain gets into the cockpit.
- anchor well has a water-tight bulkhead between it and the bilges.
- keel bolts are not leaking: if I completely towel-dry the bilges, I do not see new water coming in. painted the hull last September and saw no crack along the keel-hull area.
- none of the windows, portals or hatches leak, even during very heavy rain.
- the joint between the rudder tube and the quadrant is bone dry.
- the two oil catchment bilges under the engine are dry.

The stuffing box does drip very slowly at rest: ~1 drip per minute(?). One large drip is about 50 uL, so 1 drip/min equates to only 0.5 L (~0.5 qt) per week, so, that ain't my main source.

There has to be a significant topsides through-deck leak(s) somewhere, that's running directly to the bilges - not inside the finished areas in the cabin.

This spring, I plan to replace the cabin sole. When I get all the flooring up, I'll surely be able to source my leak(s) with strategic hosing of parts of the deck, and corresponding placement of paper towels in areas in the completely exposed under-floor areas that drain to the main bilges.

If anyone has tried and convicted a deck fitting(s) of significant through-deck leakage, please let me know and I'll indict the same hardware on my boat.

Thanks!!

 

[jtsai]

Are you sure the anchor well drain fitting is not compromised? Water will show up in those bilge compartments you mentioned. The bulkhead separates the anchor well from bilge is not water-tight in my 32-3.

 

[Loren Beach]

Are you sure the anchor well drain fitting is not compromised? Water will show up in those bilge compartments you mentioned. The bulkhead separates the anchor well from bilge is not water-tight in my 32-3.

Helpful bit of trivia. (!) Perhaps.
Our boat has little one inch limber holes in places like the bottom of the forward little bulkhead at the foot of the V berth, and thru the base of every bulkhead or grid section aft of that. Any water that might enter via a faulty anchor locker drain hose will wander aft to the mid section where the pickup is located for the bilge pump(s).

 

[Christian Williams]

Peer into the bow with a flashlight and examine the anchor locker drain hose connections.

If in doubt pour a bucket of water into the locker pan and observe the hose in action. Easy to miss an issue you can't easily reach. Or anyhow, I did.

 

[Chschaus]

Nquigley, I resealed my anchor locker last summer, there was a substantial leak so that was the first place I checked this winter when I started finding the bilge full. On the 35 there is the V of the centerline running under the lockers that make up the v birth that drain into the forward compartment of the bilge shared with the shower that has a separate pump. All the compartments of the bilge are interconnected except for the forward one that handles the shower, I assume so soapy water doesn't get into the main bilge and create suds? Also, the separate pump has a fine filtration system attached. I was able to isolate my leaking troubles to the cockpit area I just haven't been able to remove the plywood panel in the lazarette to be able to fit underneath to observe exactly where.
Thanks everyone for all your input, I will keep you updated.

 

[Chschaus]

Also, doesn't that forward bulkhead have an access door? I'm not familiar with the 32.

 

[Prairie Schooner]

. . . I resealed my anchor locker last summer . . .

I'm looking at that for year 2. I was thinking of removing the tub and taking the access opportunity to rebed all the bow deck mountings. Did you remove the tub completely and reinstall it?