Bavaria Keel - Here we go again!

interesting that no Bav bashers have turned up on this thread! (unless they were put off by corn starch debate :D )

I've got a 2006 Bavaria 30 too and have experienced two leaks. One from the bicolour navigation light wiring on the pulpit (solved by silicone sealant round the cable, although as you say this leaks into the forepeak and is unlikely to find it's way into saloon bilge).

The other was from the mast wiring after I unknowingly knocked the through-deck fitting. Didn't notice for ages as it was running behind the roof-wall GRP moulding cover in the forecabin and down into the port-side hanging locker. This might have found it's way down to main bilge...?

sorry if I missed it, but did you do the taste test yet?
 
catlotion said:
interesting that no Bav bashers have turned up on this thread! (unless they were put off by corn starch debate :D )

I've got a 2006 Bavaria 30 too and have experienced two leaks. One from the bicolour navigation light wiring on the pulpit (solved by silicone sealant round the cable, although as you say this leaks into the forepeak and is unlikely to find it's way into saloon bilge).

The other was from the mast wiring after I unknowingly knocked the through-deck fitting. Didn't notice for ages as it was running behind the roof-wall GRP moulding cover in the forecabin and down into the port-side hanging locker. This might have found it's way down to main bilge...?

sorry if I missed it, but did you do the taste test yet?
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Hi those are both of interest, and I will investigate. Hope to go to the boat tomorrow and try some of the suggestions here, including taste! I'll post the outcome here.
 
RobWard said:
Hi those are both of interest, and I will investigate. Hope to go to the boat tomorrow and try some of the suggestions here, including taste! I'll post the outcome here.
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The forward compartment beneath the sole boards on my Sadler has a high-water rust mark and the keel bolt washers are quite rusty. The water leak here is from the toilet, so go easy on the taste test!
 
RobWard said:
I'm going to give the full story because I am genuinely baffled at what to do.

We bought a Bav 30 5 years ago, and for the first 2 years everything was fine, including the bilges! which were bone dry. Then on a trip up the Avon Gorge we hit something hard, which gave us a fright; but all seemed OK, and when we took the boat out for antifoul a few months later there was absolutely no movement in the keel or any sign of damage.

However since then the bilges have started to accumulate water - not much, maybe a cm or so over a few weeks ... until we recently realised that on the occasions when we were out in rougher weather rather more water accumulated. (WE thought for a while it might be other things like the water tank leaking, but I've now proved to my own satisfaction that the freshwater plumbing goes nowhere near the bilges.) This came to a head last week when we sailed across the Solway Firth to Kirkudbright with the wind on the nose and wind over tide - lots of slamming, healing and pitching. And yes, when we anchored there was rather more water sloshing around than we would like.

Having thoroughly pumped and dried the bilges I am pretty sure that there IS seepage around just one of the keel bolts - I thought I could see it but that may have been me imaging things! So, some of the large number of questions I have to resolve this are

1) How serious is this likely to be? Is it one of those things we could live with for years, or is the keel in imminent danger of falling off?
2) Is it worth just redoing the one bolt first (remove it; grind it, reseat in suitable compound then retighten to approved torque); or will nothing less than the removal and refitting of the entire keel do?
3) Is there anyone (surveyor) in NW England who could offer a qualified opinion on the matter, and
4) Can anyone recommend a boatyard within easy reach of Whitehaven who have a good reputation for this sort of work?

Thanks in advance for any constructive comments you may have.
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You say no sign of impact damage. This is important. A keel strike capable of unsettling the hull joint to admit seawater is almost bound to be substantial. If the keel bolts show no signs of rusting or cracking round the seating you should look elsewhere. Deck drainage runaway pipes are high on my list of suspects plus rigging seating above the chain plates. Even windows subject to forced water impact can leak.
 
Egg on face time. I used a salinity meter, calibrated with distilled water and tested on the harbour water before testing the bilges, and the inescapable conclusion is - it's fresh water. So, no leak through the keel. (The tester was £18 on Amazon, certainly beats tasting water that may have come from ... anywhere...

I think the problem was compounded because water got trapped in the transverse beams, but because the boat had a definite list to starboard because of all the stuff in the starboard locker (life raft, kedge anchor, full diesel tank) it couldn't escape through the limber holes until we were bouncing around at sea. The pump I use to remove sump oil via the dipstick worked great to empty them though!

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions though - most informative.
 
Biggles Wader said:
Still need to find the leak though!
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Yes.

For potential rain water I suggest talc (not self raising flour) and/or a mix of blue hand tissue taped around the inside of the hull. It has the advantage that even if it dries, it stains the paper.

For potential domestic water I suggest wrapping EVERY joint … I think they are Whale Quick fits on a Bav … with kitchen towel. Tape it on … monitor frequently with the system powered up.

Listen to the water pump. Is it cycling when not in use?

Stuff kitchen towel under the calorifier pipes and in all the attendant limber holes.

Pull the rear shower head out onto the deck overnight. Review.
 
I had it with my Bav a while ago. I couldn't work out why the water pump was cycling (only very occasionally), I then worked out that someone had left the deck shower fitting turned on at the tap and it was leaking into the bilge. Worth checking.
 
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