baffled by bilge water

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Spuddy

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It's there again. I've reglassed deck under stanchions which solved one leak. I've rebedded the coaming around engine hatch in cockpit. The gutters under the cockpit locker lids allowed water down into the locker and from there through old cable holes into the bilge; so I bunged up the holes. I've splashed hoses around and used talc powder. Can't track it down. Got to be in cockpit zone somewhere cos water is in engine bay underneath. Could it be that heavy rain fills up cockpit floor above level of leaky engine hatch lid? Can't really believe that drains don't get rid.
Any suggestions ???? I'd like a dustpan and brush bilge
 
Could you test it the theory with a hose to see how quickly the water drains from the cockpit?

is the water in the bilge fresh or salt??
 
Engine not working - just needs bleeding I expect.
Yup, I'll get the hose out again
Just letting off steam for therapy but would welcome any other suggestions.
 
I've not seen your previous posts (where there some?) but I had a leak like that that turned out to be the cockpit drain tubes leaking at the skin fittings. So choppy weather caused water to come in via the stern fittings and rain came in via the cockpit fittings.
 
Don't know if you are permanently afloat, or have a drying mooring.
If you dry out, does the boat assume a bow-down attitude?
If so, could it be possible for (rain) water to run to the forward end of the cockpit and fills to run over the level of the hatch lid?
When the boat floats, water flows aft and drains away.

If I was on a drying mooring, I would have this problem, however, being marina based, it's not an issue, unless I dry out and it rains!
 
First thing you must do is taste the water
This will help narrow it down.
I've had 2 leaks this season
One FW from a leak in the water tank
The other SW from a very small leak in the exhaust
 
If the first thing you do is taste the water, I hope you don't get a leak from the heads! I usually delegate the tasting job, just in case
 
Fortunately, our salt taste buds are on the very tip of the tongue so no need to 'taste'. Just dip finger in, touch on tip of tongue, then spit out and rinse mouth well. No health problems whatsoever even with fluids heavily contaminated with sewage. Not very 'nice' though /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
I was taking in about a bucketful a tide (in a 19'er), checked like everything, even under the bilge keels on a drying mooring - finally under the stub, found some bare fibreglass about size of a 10P piece fixed it with epoxy putty. I now take in about a spongeful every month.
 
Is the hatch / garage and drip grooves OK?

I had a very elusive leak. It was the hatch worn so much the drip grooves were inefective. Water was taking a torturous route behind linings and engine sound proofing until it dripped on the alternator on the way to the bilge.
 
It was our stern gland. Fine in normal circumstances, but if either it was very rough - bashing the prop around, or high revs on the engine (or both) then it sprayed in. The water then sat under the engine until (or unless) we were pitching, when it spilled into the bilges. We mended several imaginary leaks before we caught it "red-handed". The taste didn't help that much - it was brackish even when we were on the canals, and reasonably warm.

Good luck!
 
Re: baffled by bilge water - the answer

Hm, plenty of ideas elsewhere - but I reckon there is a very high chance that it's the wife or neighbours trying to push you over the edge. They have noticed your increasingly frantic attempts to get rid of a bit of bilge water, and now - even though you are trying anything and everythingto eliminate that water - one of them is sneaking back in with a bucket of water just to drive you bonkers. And it's working isn't it, hm? Oh yes, it is.

The only other alternative is ... it's SEVERAL of them all acting in concert, each taking turns to chuck a bit of water into your bilges. The marina manager, that over-helpful neighbour, the quiet bloke along the pontoon are all possible suspects, and they all know each other as well, don't they, although of course they'll act all innocent whilst you're around.

Sometimes the bilge water appears in a lonely anchorage (put there by wife/crew) but other times it's there when you arrive at the boat (neighbours).

The next stage is that they'll lay off a bit, and you'll be euphoric that "you" have cured the problem. But a few weeks later the bilge water will return, taking you to new depths of despair.

You best bet is to turn the tables on them and actually almost fill the bilges with water yourself. Yes! Then, the very next person (or persons) to try any covert bilge-filling will be overcome with guilt and f. Oh, they only wanted to put a bit of water in there, just a harmless bit of fun is what they'll say to themselves. Well, tough luck - soon enough you'll return to the boat and catch them all red-handed all "helping" to empty the bilges that they somehow "noticed" were full of water. Sure, they might try and deny it in their dishonest way "No no, you've got it all wrong" but it's far too late for their lame excuses now, and ignoring their protestations you should beat them all to death. Any Judge will fully agree that you were provoked beyond the limits of human endurance.

Hope this helps
 
My mates boat had water he finally found was coming up the pipe in which the tiller sat, and was just being forced over the top, in a blow.

Wasn't serious but a nuisance!
 
I would often find water in the bilges of my previous boat, a Sigma 33 after a hard sail. Trying to track it down was difficult, as there just weren't any obvious leaks. Her buyer's survey revealed that there was damp at the flange around the keel join. I reckoned that when beating hard the slight movement allowed water to seep in. The new owner had the keel rebedded.
 
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