Inside Bilge Pics

[tuntini31]

Hey guys. I was wondering if anyone had any pics of the inside of their bilge on a daysailer II (specifically all around up near the CB trunk). I juts cut an inspection port and have a better view. It looks little bit rough in there and I wanted to have something to compare it too so I can asses where i need to add glass.

my port is inside the cuddy just in front of the centerboard housing.

It looks like, i guess structural bars (wood beams maybe)? that run along the length of the boat have class starting to come up where these bars end. Also it looks as though there may be a few small holes on the right side in the glass on on of those structural bars. Which I can probably fill with long strand filler.

Thanks. Those pics would be a great help as I have never seen the inside of another daysailer before and am not sure what i should (or shouldnt) be seeing.

[tuntini31]

Well here is the inside of mine since noone else has any haha..do you guys notice anything irregular? That crack has layers of glass over it that the preovious owner patched i guess.

On the support beam things, do you see the hole? There are identical holes on the other beams as well. Are they supposed to be their?

Also, on the CB trunk theres a big space between the top and where it curves out (see pic). Is that normal?

Thanks!

Here is the link to my album: gallery/search.php?user_id=1769

These links are the more specific pics that i mentioned above(all available from the album link):

[TIM WEBB]

Wow, you've been able to get much better pix of your bilge than I've been able to get through the two regular ports! There's a few in my gallery.

I'm seeing a lot of similarities. The seat foam in your pic ghf looks exactly like mine. Can you reach down in there and grab ahold of it? Mine feels light and dry when I do that.

Your pic khkb shows the "flange-like" thing on the CB trunk that mine has as well. Not sure what that's for? Also shows the filler between the deck pan and CB trunk. What it DOESN'T show that mine has is some kind of goop all over the CB pivot bolt!

Mine also has the holes in the stringers. I believe they're there so any water in the bilge can drain to the center and then out the back drain hole ...

[tuntini31]

Great Thanks! I cut an inspection port so thats why I can get the pics.

A previous owner must have gooped the crap out of your pivot bolt. I'm going to remove my centerboard today. I still have a crack on the outside bottom at the CB trunk that I have yet to fix but will be glassing soon.


So the back drain hole isnt connected to the bildge area? There is another area under that for water to get into? hmm interesting.

Ill take a look at your pics. Thanks for your reply! I think I am closer to getting this on the water than I thought.

[TIM WEBB]

No prob!

Yeah, a PO gooped the bolt and nut, and I've not yet been able to remove it. Perhaps a port installed where you did would allow better access ...

My boat has three drains: a mooring drain, just above the waterline in the center of the transom, a cockpit drain in the stern that goes all the way down through the hull (used to have a self-bailer, which was long gone before she got me), and a bilge drain at the very bottom center of the transom. That's the one I was referring to.

The issue I've been dealing with lately is water getting into the bilge. When the boat's in the water, either at rest or sailing flat in light airs, the bilge stays bone-dry, but in heavy wx/big seas, when spray is coming over the bow and gunwales, or anytime water gets into the cockpit/cuddy, it is finding it's way into the bilge. My current efforts are focused on the seat cooler, which fills with water when the boat heels with water in the cockpit.

Oh, and I noticed in one of your pix that your cooler has foam packed all around it, which mine lacks. No wonder it doesn't work very well as a cooler!

Hope ya get 'er in the H2O soon!

[tuntini31]

My port is here :


I definitely recommend. So much more access to the bilge/CB trunk.

If the holes in the stringer are in the bilge, where does the water go then Is there space in between the bottom of the bilge and the hull to allow the water to flow to the drain in the back?

I ask this because there is a crack in the bottom of my boat on the outside, but not on the inside of the bilge, other than the holes in the stringers. (everything else has been patched). Yet when i put the hose in the bilge, water leaks out the crack on the outside.

Where is the bilge drain hole on the inside? haha


huh, as for your problem, is the water coming in through the cuddy cabin down int o the bilge? Is there a crack in the seat cooler?

[Alan]

The flange on the centerboard trunk, hanging out there in the air, is a continuation of the flange that supports the deck. The out-in-the-air part is under the cuddy floor. The cuddy floor is higher than the cockpit floor at this point, and the flange doesn't rise to meet it, so there ends up being a gap. Hectoretc (Scott) has a picture on page 8 of his gallery with a wood insert in the gap on one side, but not the other. It's possible the factory installed them and they fell out. It's also possible that the factory said the heck with it and didn't install them on all DSII's.

The drain holes in the stringers are supposed to route water that's trapped above the stringers into the center of the bilge, so it can be drained out through the bilge drain in the transom. There's a picture in Roger Conrad's book showing one of his drain holes with a length of hose in it, I suppose to keep water from entering the inside of the stringer.

[tuntini31]

thanks for your reply. I understand now.

Is there any way to buy Roger's book still?


Also, on another note, is there some sort of rigging guide like how all the ropes/sheets should be set up?

Thanks!

[Alan]

Yes to both.

At the top of the home page, if you click on the Technical Info link, you'll get a pull-down menu with "DSII manual" listed. That has a written description of how to set up the rigging, and there's also a link to a drawing of the rigging.

To find Roger's book, click on the Forums and Classifieds link, then click on "Day Sailer II only". Info about Roger's book is the first entry.

[TIM WEBB]

Thx 4 explaining the stringer holes better than I did Alan!

Makes sense about the CB trunk flange, too ...

[Alan]

Glad to help, Tim.

Those of stuck at our desks, less than a year from retirement and serious sailing, should contribute what we can, while you guys are out having wild adventures in Florida and Texas.

[TIM WEBB]

Well, I must admit: my "wild adventure" in FL was nowhere near as "wild an adventure" as John Alesch had in TX!

[TIM WEBB]

Dunno: water gets into the bilge anytime there is water in the cockpit/cuddy. This is mutually interchangeable, since even if no spray flies into the cuddy, there are drain holes in the bulkhead that allow water to flow back and forth, and when in rough seas, that WILL happen. So, any water inside the confines of the gunwales is subject to finding it's way into the bilge ...

So far in my quest for "bilge dryness" I have done the following:

- Epoxied over every single old bolt and screw hole I could find, from the lowest points of the cuddy to the highest points on the seatbacks, as well as any holes in the CB trunk. Basically anywhere that opens up/leads to the space between (great Dave Matthews tune!) the cockpit/cuddy pan and the bilge

- Removed and re-bedded with sealant every existing piece of hardware screwed down to the cockpit/cuddy pan/CB trunk, such as the mast base, CB up/downhaul controls, jib fairleads, and all the openings I've created for all the electrical stuff I've installed.

Still have leaks into the bilge. John Alesch recommended that I check the hull/deck joint seam, which I've done. No voids there. I've done the CB uphaul through-hull opening fix as best I can without being able to actually remove the CB (which I can't), and I think I have that area sealed up pretty well. But when I fill the seat cooler with water, then reach down through the port opening, I can see/feel the water dripping through. So, yes, I have a leak there, and am not sure how to go about finding/fixing it ... ?

When you put the hose in the bilge, how much do you fill it up before you see water coming out the bottom? Might not be coming out of the crack - could be that you need to replace your CB pivot bolt washers (your PB looks pretty clean and easy to access), and/or do the CB uphaul fix as well, and you may as well do it while you have the CB outta the boat. This link describes the procedure:

http://www.bobhunkins.com/mt-archives/DS2CBTLK_100.pdf

[tuntini31]

huh, I never thought of that. You might be right. I never really checked how much water, but I dont think I filled it up that much much i could easily be wrong. Ill have to try that again and see what happens.

The crack on the bottom of mine is pretty substantial, but its patched from the inside so water wouldn't be able to get into the bilge from the bottom i dont think.. (unless its not patched ot theres another crack that i cant see)

I'll definitely check that out because that very well may be my problem.
I still need to fix the crack on the bottom though. (looks very bad but i think it will be relatively simple fix. it is already patched from the inside) Pic is here:


BTW, nice dave mathews reference

[jeadstx]

Little late on this discussion, but here are some pictures of my bilge area before I stuffed it with 60 "pool noodles". I have the goop on the CB bolt as well. My bilge usually remains dry when sailing in all conditions. Only time water gets in there is when I'm capsized and the boat is on it's side. Now this from recent experience on the Tx200.






John