Advice on possible salt water leak

[Sailor2000]

I guess i won’t be the only one, but after a hr steam in reasonably choppy / following sea, when i got back i had a very small puddle of water in the lazerette area, does not seem to be coming from rudder .

It’s been bone dry there, so makes me think it could possibly be a dodgy bolt on the swim platform , as that’s the only bolts going through the stern, that is close to water line. , but when under power it seems to start then.

I’m hoping I can forget till lift out. Will keep inspecting the area and try to find the source, the hull is sound and all skin fittings dry, so surely can’t be much else left! Hopefully someone can shed some
Light if im in the right place here.

 

[Mistroma]

Make/model/age would help. Seems likely that it's the hull /deck join. Some manufacturers just bond with adhesive and that can split or through bolts as you suggest. The stern squats down under engine and that's when that area is likely to be under water. Another possibility is a pinhole in the exhaust hose. I had one of those where the exhaust hose turned sharply and touched the corner of a bulkhead. Vibration caused the hose to wear through and then water leaked out under power. I repaired it with a tractor tyre patch and slid a large drain pipe section over it, I just split it, slid over the hose and used large jubilee clips to hold it in place at the point where it rubbed against the bulkhead.

These are two possible sources for a water leak around that area. A leaky muffler would probably show up further forward. I think a bonded hull joint might be more likely in a sailing boat that a power boat.

 

[Seastoke]

Shaft spray , chuck talcolm powder around to see where it starts from.

 

[Sailor2000]

Thanks for the replies, it’s on a Antares 7 inboard, Absolutely bone dry around area for the last there days, so definitely something slightly above water line I expect.

I checked my rub rail, seems to not really be attached firmly to boat all the way around, going to have to wait till lift out end of season now unfortunately, I will replace rub rail anyway just to rule it out / genersp maintenance.
Thanks

 

[Paul1962]

I guess i won’t be the only one, but after a hr steam in reasonably choppy / following sea, when i got back i had a very small puddle of water in the lazerette area, does not seem to be coming from rudder .

It’s been bone dry there, so makes me think it could possibly be a dodgy bolt on the swim platform , as that’s the only bolts going through the stern, that is close to water line. , but when under power it seems to start then.

I’m hoping I can forget till lift out. Will keep inspecting the area and try to find the source, the hull is sound and all skin fittings dry, so surely can’t be much else left! Hopefully someone can shed some
Light if im in the right place here.

My Antares 7 had the hull anode bolted through the transom

 

[Sailor2000]

My Antares 7 had the hull anode bolted through the transom

Thanks for that mine is too, I’ve confirmed that’s not the problem as that’s constshtly
Under the waterline and not leaking.

My guess is either swim platform bolts ( while underway , possibly rub rail , other than that I am out of ideas. It’s 100% an underway problem. We’re only talking a small hand towel full/ few drops, but would love to get to the bottom
Of it!