DaySailer.org Forum

My 1979 DS II has a DePersia bailer mounted just forward of the transon. Does the self-bailer only drain the cockpit or does it also drain the bilge? I assumed it was a cylinder directly up through the bilge to the cockpit only, but thought I'd ask. I have a bad leak into the bilge when standing still and can't find the source. There was a 1/8" separation between the hull and bailer that I recently sealed and hope to test it in a few days, but I have my doubts that this is the cause.

The tube that runs up into the cockpit does not open to the bilge at all. I too had a bit of a separation at the hull and thought this was where some water was getting in. I siliconed that, as well as the pivot bolt, as well as a retrofit to the uphaul, but I still get water in the bilge. (That pivot bolt is still suspect, so that is where I am going to check again.

BTW my dePersia bailer had a steel ball in the tube, which I removed with a shop vac. (I pulled the top off, suck it out, and replaced the cap. It seems to drain faster now, although I have to be going a good speed for it to suction out.

Thenks, I kind of figured the bailer didn't drain the bilge and I also anticipate that the gap around the bailer fixture isn't the source of the leak. I tried to silicone the cb bolt before we ever put her in the water. Not the greatest job. I'll try tightening it and caulking it again but am afraid the cb will not move as well then. At the rate of the leak (couple gallons an hour) I can't believe the cb bolt is the source but I've looked over everything and can't figure out where it's coming from other than something inside the cb trunk. That is going to be the last place I look due to the difficulty in accessing it.

Well, went out Sat. 8/14 and the silicone around the self-bailer didn't help the leak. I bought a bilge pump and in 45 minutes we pumped out 5 buckets of water plus a good bit drained out afterward as well. The drain fitting leaks, drips slightly but can't be the source of such as fast leak. Am really stumped on this one, but am determined to find it before it becomes worse. Remaining options are trying to tighten the cb bolt, careening the boat and looking in the cb trunk, taking the boat home and filling the bilge with hose water to look where it's leaking from the inside out.

Let us know how you make out with your results of your reverse leak test. I'm stymied with mine too!

We went out again this weekend and had a nice leisurely sail with the family in light wind, a good learning experience for all in tacking with the kids re-setting the jib, my wife and I switching sides, and unfortunately in still pumping out the bilge. Before we left I tightened the cb bolt (fairly easily). It feels like it could tighten further but I was worried about over-tightening it. I wondered if it can be over-tightened in that the walls of the cb trunk may cinch together into the cb and put stress on the cb walls? I also felt around as far as possible inside the bilge and discovered something interesting - felt like a thin partial "second wall" vertically along the cb trunk. I sketched a picture of it and will email it to Roger and anyone else interested. This wall seems to run parallel with the wall of the cb with just enough of a gap under the cockpit floor that I could stick my fingers in and felt also a tiny vertical gap between it and the cb trunk wall (at first I thought this was the cb itself but confirmed that it wasn't!). At the top was a short horizontal lip parallel with the cockpit floor. On the port side it seemed to end just before the cb bolt on a diagonal line to the hull bottom and all along the top edges was frayed fiberglass. Is this normal or could this be the cb trunk wall separating? I know I eventually need to turn the boat over and look in the cb trunk from the bottom (but haven't figured out how or when to do it).

Do you have the rubber gaskets on either side of the centerboard bolt? They are basically big rubber washers, an inch or two in diameter that fit over the bolt. I think that the bare bolt on the centerboard trunk might be a problem.

Mike, I'm pretty sure there are washers. There's a lot of junk around the nut and bolt like frayed fiberglass and/or caulking. Back in May I had it to a marina where they charged an arm and a leg to hoist the boat and drop the cb and replace the line. I asked the guy if there were washers and he said yes. But he's the same guy who rigged up the cb lines incorrectly too! In hindsight I should have had him check the cb trunk from underneath while it was up in the air. I'm going to email you the sketch I made. I also want to thank you very much for this web site. The BBS has been incredibly valuable to me in getting our DS in shape.

Mike, your email address (daysailer@boonedocks.net) is undeliverable. Do you have a new email?

Mike, I tried your other email address both with and without an attachment and also got "undeliverable". Problem must be on my end. Anyhow, I uploaded the sketch to the following URL.

http://ourworld.cs.com/psness81/cbsketch.bmp

Here's a picture of "Fiesta", our DS II with my crew attaching the jib.

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Od ... ilor17/lst

No, I still haven't repaired it, but the boat was anchored all night during a high wind storm on the weekend. The next morning, I found the boat still bobbing, with water filling the bilge totally, and about 4 inches in the sump well of the cockpit, (where the Depersia bailer is located) . By the time I retrieved the truck and trailer and backed them down the ramp, the boat had filled with more water than had gathered in the cockpit in the past 12 hours. Tying the boat stern to wind and waves at the loading dock was a mistake. There was a good 10 inches in the cockpit sump well. The good news, you asked... the boat still floated!