K2MSmith
Sustaining Member
Most boats I’ve sailed always seemed to have some water in the bilge but I understand that the bilges should really be dry ( at least of saltwater ) so I was determined to find out where water is getting in .
From what I can tell , I’m getting maybe a pint every week. It’s not enough to trigger the float switch and I just pump it out but it would be nice to figure out where the water is coming from .
The big concern might be a small leak around the keel bolts . So I bought some plasticine modeling clay which doesn’t dry ( unless you stick it in a kiln I suppose) and I put a “dam” around each passage way leading into the bilge ( see photos ) . The bilge remains dry after a few hours , whereas before , I would start to see moisture gathering by that time . This is good news ! - doesn’t appear to leak around the keel bolts but where is the water coming from ? I checked all through-hull fittings that I can find and my speed transducer ( took out and replaced with silicone paste on o-rings ) . I can’t feel any water/moisture around those fittings .
Can anyone suggest other places to check ? I’m thinking it’s salt water but not 100% sure . The bolts have a reddish / brownish crud on them which can be brushed off with a bit of effort . If it was a leaky waste tank I would think you would know it (?) . I also took the bilge pump out and verified that it’s not water coming back in through the output hose ( which had a check valve in it but I removed it as per the instructions that came with the new rule pump..- but the line is dry so water doesn’t appear to be coming from the outlet house .
Tomorrow I’ll check it again , maybe some water will be filling in behind one of the clay barriers by that time so I can at least get an idea of which port it’s coming in from .
From what I can tell , I’m getting maybe a pint every week. It’s not enough to trigger the float switch and I just pump it out but it would be nice to figure out where the water is coming from .
The big concern might be a small leak around the keel bolts . So I bought some plasticine modeling clay which doesn’t dry ( unless you stick it in a kiln I suppose) and I put a “dam” around each passage way leading into the bilge ( see photos ) . The bilge remains dry after a few hours , whereas before , I would start to see moisture gathering by that time . This is good news ! - doesn’t appear to leak around the keel bolts but where is the water coming from ? I checked all through-hull fittings that I can find and my speed transducer ( took out and replaced with silicone paste on o-rings ) . I can’t feel any water/moisture around those fittings .
Can anyone suggest other places to check ? I’m thinking it’s salt water but not 100% sure . The bolts have a reddish / brownish crud on them which can be brushed off with a bit of effort . If it was a leaky waste tank I would think you would know it (?) . I also took the bilge pump out and verified that it’s not water coming back in through the output hose ( which had a check valve in it but I removed it as per the instructions that came with the new rule pump..- but the line is dry so water doesn’t appear to be coming from the outlet house .
Tomorrow I’ll check it again , maybe some water will be filling in behind one of the clay barriers by that time so I can at least get an idea of which port it’s coming in from .
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