Water in the bilge

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Water in the bilge

Postby michaelstalone » Mon Jul 04, 2022 2:52 am

Hey all,

I’ve read through a lot of past posts similar to my problem, and I apologize for the redundancy. However, I’m at my wit’s end here. I’m getting water in the bilge, and I have no idea where it’s coming from. I’ve checked the plugs and the seal around the centerboard lever. I don’t think it’s at the hull and deck seem as there’s still water getting in when the boat is at rest. When I get it back on the trailer and pull the plug after an hour sail, a couple cups of water drain out. I don’t want to pay someone as the rate is $125/ hr.

My goal is to moor it during the summer. Water getting in the bilge seems like a barrier to that goal.
So…
1. Where else should I look? What “tests” can I do to find a leak?
2. (This might be dumb question) Is water in the bilge a big deal? Can/ should I moor it without fixing the issue?
3. Any other advice/ ideas are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
michaelstalone
 
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Re: Water in the bilge

Postby Vanalien » Mon Jul 04, 2022 10:04 am

I get water in the bilge of my DS2 and don’t know where it comes from— though I suspect a leak around the bilge drain hole at the bottom of the transom. I keep the boat at a dock, and when I went sailing yesterday, I had not been out since late May and the bilge water was about 2 inches deep. I pumped it out in a few minutes and went sailing.

If your leak is slow enough and you get to the boat often enough to pump it out, you could probably wait until the off-season to address it.
Steve
"Nellie Ruth" - 1985 DS2 Anniversary Edition #12819
Little Canada, MN
Vanalien
 
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Re: Water in the bilge

Postby GreenLake » Tue Jul 05, 2022 11:24 pm

If you have a leak in the bilge and leave your boat on a mooring, you either need a lot of foam under your seats, or the boat will sink.

I'm a bit unsure about the design details on your boat. You have a CB handle, so it's a DS1. But you also refer to a bilge separate from the cockpit, so I assume you have one of the modern DS1's with a separate cockpit molding.

As far as I understand from earlier discussions here on the forum, there are two ways that inner molding can be done. One (like a DS2) encloses the CB trunk inside another "trunk" so the CB trunk becomes effectively double-walled.

I that setup, water in the bilge is typically caused by water splashing from the CB into the space between these two "trunks". This usually happens at the openings for CB up/downhaul cables. Now, those are missing on DS1s.

And, if I understand, instead of duplicating the CB trunk, what those newer DS1s have is just an opening through which the CB sticks and which is sealed in some fashion.

All DS1s are prone to slow leaks at the CB handle gaskets. Usually a few drips per minute. Unlike the case for the DS2, this happens when the boat sits. Motion is not required. (For the DS2, the faster the boat goes, the more water will be forced out of the trunk through the up/downhaul connections).

I'm thinking that a likely cause is a leak that runs directly down the CB wall (w/o "dripping") and disappears in a less than perfect seal around the base of the CB. That would explain how a small amount of water gets in. Taping a sponge below the handle would confirm this. If the sponge stays dry even if pressed on the CB trunk wall, the water isn't running down that path.

Another possible cause may be an imperfect seal in the drain plug. (Or, if the boat has a self bailer that connects outer hull to inner hull, that could also be a source of leaks).

The final possibility is a crack in the CB trunk, or the hull / trunk connection. Those can happen if a boat has an accident that overloads the CB trunk. Some of these possible leaks can be hard to find because they may open up only in the water. However, you can get some food coloring and pump quite a bit of died water into your bilge (not so much as to risk trailer or other supports, or the hull itself from weight).

With some luck you'll see colored water pool below the leak. (To test the drain plug, you may need to tilt the boat).
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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