Water in bilge 3807

[VicB]

I went back to the boat this afternoon. Curiosity got the best of me. I was hoping the extra wire might have been pulled out of a splice. Unfortunately the wire was butt spliced into the feed for the pump (brown wire) and laying there. 12v+ when the switch was turned to manual. No float switch anywhere in sight. Pulled the pump to clean it and no indication of an internal float. Just a pump with a brown and black wire. Forward and aft pump have a float attached to the pump. I will have to add a float. Bilge line discharge hose had a hole in it. It looped right as it exited the boat. At the top of the loop it had kinked and split. I had enough slack to make a hump, but not a loop. What is the purpose of the loop?

[tomschauer]

Main purpose of the loop is to prevent water from coming into the boat from the thru hull and into the pump. Bilge pumps do not have a check valve. A wave or wake from another boat could let some water into your bilge.

[VicB]

Tomschauer, makes perfect sense!!!

[Viper]

As others have mentioned, the dripping shaft logs is normal so you'll always have water in the bilge. While there may be other sources, you can count on getting some water from the logs including the rudder logs. While the rudder logs shouldn't leak as much, you may be getting more than usual if the packing isn't tightened properly. While you can get away with tightening the rudder packing enough so they won't leak, this is not something you want to do with the shaft logs, they must pass a little water as that's what keeps the log cool when the props are spinning.

Speaking of water in the aft cabin, do yourself a favour and check the following; the bilge in the aft cabin right at the forward bulkhead (under the closet) is a common spot for collecting water that will stay there and stagnate. If you have the same setup as me, you can see this area by removing the drawer at the foot of the bed. Mine does not have a floor under the drawer, so the bilge is visible. If you stick your head in the opening and look forward, you'll see a rib between the middle stringers. Look over the rib and you'll see the area of the bilge I'm talking about. It's not easy to see and you'll need a flashlight. If there's water there, get a wet vac and suck it out. If there's no water, that's good news. The source is typically from the rudder logs and the old style open shower sump at the foot of the bed. If the sump overflows, you'll have water in this area. The original forward sump is the same setup. They're known to contribute to bilge odors.

[VicB]

Viper, I am so glad we have the same boat and that you’ve had yours a lot longer. I need to draw off your experiences. I did check out the area under the bed, just to make sure I wasn’t crazy when I said the midship bilge didn’t have a float switch. Dry as a bone. From my midship bilge moving aft there is some nasty stuff that has accumulated over the years I need to figure out how to clean. The only way I can see it is stick the phone between the genaerator and water heater. Probably why it looks like a lot of gunk that’s been there a while. First priority is to wire in a float switch for the mid ship bilge. I am amazed at how the boat was built and how people maintain them. I’m 6’4” and about 225 lbs. hard to get in a lot of places, but I figure if somebody mounted it in the first place, I’ll find a way to get there and fix it.

[Viper]

The bilge under the genny is a bit of a pain to get at for sure. One of the mods I'm planning on is relocating the hot water heater to under the aft bed. This will give me easier access to the bilge under the genny and allow for the space I need to reconfigure the placement of my batteries and increase the size of my house bank.

One of the first things I did when I got her was scrub the entire bilge. There are some spots that are very difficult to get at and others are simply impossible short of removing some equipment like the water heater and the fresh water tanks. I got several different lengths and types of scrub brushes to do the job. Came out nice and clean so it was worth it. Got a lot of mod plans for the old girl. A little at a time though, I want to enjoy her too.

[windymike]

Hello there. I am new to this forum since I just got my boat in November. Unfortunately, I am running into more problems than I had expected (even though I knew there would be many. haha). I just don't know how to figure out the fix to this one. There is water seeping out under my galley cabinets. I found the leak before I pulled the boat in Jan, and things seemed to dry up once I was on "dry land", so I planned to look again when it went back in the water and I started using it. Just went to check out the boat and there is much more water (it is up on block). Although I have had a small fishing boat for years, this is all new to me. How would I determine where the water is coming from? Doesn't look like I can remove the cabinets without destroying them. Is there a leak from rain water? How about the galley port. Doesn't leak into the boat, could it go down into the hull? Is possible it is coming from inside the boat. Bilge is dry. HELP
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Viper]

Are we correct to assume your fresh water pump is shut off and that there is no pressure in the system?

By the way, you might get more attention if you started another thread for this, this one is a couple of years old and may not get as much attention/views now.

[windymike]

Thanks for replying.

Actually I couldn't figure out how to start a new post. Duhhhh. If it is easy to explain, you can tell me.
New sites are sometime hard to figure out the "right buttons to press".

All electric is shut off and water systems are winterized, so the water would be pink with anti-freeze (right?). Sorry to sound ignorant, and this is not really an excuse, but I am a woman and have very little experience fixing stuff like this. (But I am a willing and able learner. haha)

Good news (kinda). I found I could dismantle and lift the bottom board under the sink cabinet. Was able to dry up the water. At least I've stopped the floor from getting ruined, for now. Today it is raining all day, so if there is water when I check it in a couple hours, I will assume it is coming from an outside leak. Just not sure how I'll find the point of intrusion. If you have an idea on that, let me know.

Will keep you updated on what I find today. Thanks again

[Cooler]

Windy - to start a new thread, click on the General Repairs and Maintenance topic line in the main board menu page. The system will bring you to the subtopic page. At the top of the subtopic list, you will se a "New Topic" button. Click on that, enter your topic title, click to main message space and type away. Most of us are tech challenged, so you're all good. er