E30+ mystery leak

[Meanolddad]

Regalus has decided to try to sink. The bilge has had a bit of water when we would go sailing. Now it has quite a bit of water. I pulled everything that I could out of her and looked for the leak. It is coming from somewhere between where the prop shaft enters the boat and the rudder. I crawled all over the rear of the boat and pulled the blue prints and cannot figure out where the boat is leaking. The through hulls for the cockpit drains are not leaking, the rudder post is not leaking, the water is coming in further to the rear than the prop shaft entry. Regalus is a very stock boat so there has not been many modifications since she was built. I am going back tomorrow to start really pulling her apart. It is salt water that is slowly coming into the bilge. With the way she was built with the interior being dropped into the hull it is hard to find the source.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated since Regalus has no shore power to power a 110v automatic bilge pump.
Thanks
Greg (MOD)

 

[Glyn Judson]

Greg, You might want to try using baking soda, corn starch, scouring powder or talc, etc. in an ever widening area radiating from the suspect direction of the leak source. Return later and if the outer edge of your powder indicates a flow direction, expand the circle until you can pinpoint the leak. Then take corrective action. Good luck, Glyn

 

[Meanolddad]

Found the leak

The leak is in the starboard cockpit drain hose somewhere where I cannot see. If I shut the through hull for that side the leak slowly stops. I guess I get to change the hose and that should cure the problem.
Greg

 

[Loren Beach]

I suppose that if I comment that this is sort of like a sign from Neptune that it is time to change out all the bilge hoses (at least any that are older than a decade...) you will tell me: 1) well Duh, and 2) I am the third person to say so!

It's no fun grubbing around under the cockpit and lazerette, but sometimes ya just gotta dive into those places...
(Been there, done that, got some scars to show for it)


Best,
Loren in PDX

 

[tilwinter]

cockpit drain hoses

What year is your 30+?

Those cockpit drain hoses are a major design flaw of the boat. I expect you still have the original greenish hoses with the wire spiral reinforcement which is visible.

I doubt those hoses are up to current standards for below water line use, and I have contemplated replacing mine as well.

Another option would be to re-route the cockpit drains to direct through-hulls at the aft of the boat (on the opposite side, obviously), as others have mentioned. This would eliminate the long run of the current hoses to the through hulls mounted near the engine.

When you have chosen your hose for replacement, could you post the type you use?

 

[Meanolddad]

My Ericson is a 1985, and the hoses are probably original. The previous owner replaced the standing and running rigging and the sails along with so much else that the boat just flew through the survey so I did not consider the hoses to be a possible problem. The idea of running them through the transom is not a bad one and I will look into it. I will post my final solution when I come up with it. I will be out of town the next couple of weekends so the final solution will not be for a while. At least Regalus is not trying to sink anymore.
Greg