Bilge water is it a problem?

[noswellplease]

I have noticed that with all the rain and gales this winter that the bilge of my old boat has taken a fair amount of run-off water. (It's is on a stand) What I'm wondering is? Does this water ever present a problem or have the designers protected the boat fully from water seepage into the GRP. Its an old Trintella but appears to have been well maintained by previous owners. Just wondering what members think? Russ

 

[FullCircle]

Boats have a habit of letting water in, but I cant think of anyone who has reached the design pinnacle of having a boat with an one way permeable membrane for a hull, allowing the water back out again.
Therefore, please consider that your GRP Trintella has a standard water retention feature built in.
This causes no apparent long term effects. Indeed, The last boat I bought had been standing 3 years and had acquired a healthy slime line inside at about the 2ft level. Having drained it and dehumidified over a month or so, it was ready for an eventually extremely successful restoration.
Having cleaned the dark stains in the bilge with the jetwash, I always paint the bilges white with Danboline. This transforms the boat when you lift the floorboards and impresses potential buyers no end.
No need to worry there, except with possible hull deformation if you allow it to stand like mine was for that long. Even then I had no observable problem.

 

[MoodySabre]

Water in the bilges is undesirable for two reasons

1 It will affect the moisture content in the GRP unless the bilges are very well painted with Danboline or similar

2 It will caused damp and mildew and associated pong in the boat.

The previous owner of my boat left it all winter with water in the bilges and this came out in the survey.

Presumably this is happening because the boat isn't straight on its stand and the rain water isn't running off properly. Work out where it comes in and try to get it put on the stand differently next year.

 

[oldharry]

I have heard of isolated cases of boats being left for years developing osmosis in the bilges. True or apocryphal I wouldnt like to guess. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I too once bought a boat that had stood for 3 years with rain water well above the bunks. Once drained, dried and sorted she was fine.

 

[vyv_cox]

Bilge osmosis

Yes. My boat has some blisters that look like osmosis to me, in the bilge beneath the engine. This area collects any stern gland and coolant circuit leakage, plus rainwater that enters the lazarette. Consequently it remains wet almost full time. Hoping my new PSS seal will fix most of it.

In a previous boat that had flexible water tanks the areas beneath them were badly blistered. Also permanently wet due to condensation.

 

[PeterGibbs]

A GRP boat should, theoretically, have no water in the bilges.
If all the fittings function and the deck does not leak water, it should be dry. But a little water is not a disaster, and it is comforting if you know where it's coming in so you can keep an eye on it - water from above is clearly less threatening than water from below. Water ingressing from the engine cooling system will not dry up, and will sooner or later, be a performance threatening problem. I would attend to it.

PWG

 

[oldsaltoz]

Just a reminder that Fresh water is the main cause or Rot in timber, if you have rain water in the bottom of the boat it run down from deck level, so has run across, down or through whatever is between deck and bilge, and will improve it's condition.

Older boats have timber with a light covering of glass it only needs a pinhole to let in the fresh water and start rotting out the structural integrity.

Dust in the bilge is good.

Avagoodweekend......

 

[jezjez]

On the subject of the dreaded osmosis - my boat has an apparently high "water content but no osmosis" according to the surveyor. It was built in 1966 and I'm told they built them thicker and better back then.

 

[CodStewart]

Okes.
My boat is made of ferro-cement. There was a tonne of water in the aft bilge after a year on the hard - somebody forgot to leave the automatic bilge pump on - and I drained it when I popped over to Mexico at Christmas. When I return in just over a week's time - yay - figuring out what do do with my bilge will be pretty high on the agenda.
It's dirty. I'd like to paint it, if only to help prevent water from the dripping stuffing box from getting through to the keel. However, I am also considering replacing the current stuffing box with a non-drip one, so the water problem should cease in that respect.
Any pointers re: what kind of sealant paint to go for? Some blokes recommended fibreglassing the aft bilge but others have warned me against it.
By the way, the water that collected over the year entered via leaky lazarettes.
Ole.

 

[Malcb]

[ QUOTE ]
A GRP boat should, theoretically, have no water in the bilges.
If all the fittings function and the deck does not leak water, it should be dry.

[/ QUOTE ]

Completely agree, if you have water in a GRP boat, whether it is in the water or on the hard, you should attempt to trace the problem and cure it.

Mine had dry bilges, until it was on the hard with a slight stern down attitude. As the cockpit drains are in the fore end of the cockpit, it was easy to trace to the seal of the cockpit floor engine inspection hatch lid. Changed the seal, and no more bilge water.

Find the couse and sort it.

 

[roger]

Bilge water is a problem?

Completely agree that you should find out where water gets in. Fixing it is a matter of judgement.
At the end of last season I found one source at least of a minor water leakge that has been irritating me for years.
I was scratching away preparatory to a repaint and my screwdriver went through a little hole in a cockpit drainage channel. I think there had been a void under the gel coat where water accumulated, froze etc.
I will fix it in May when I get back to the boat as it will be dry now.
You may well find the leak is very difficult to find like mine was.

 

[noswellplease]

Thanks for your advice, I must try splashing a bucket or two of water around the deck and see if it drips in anywhere, its not a lot of water maybe a half gallon over two weeks of gales and driving rain, its west coast of Ireland after all...thanks Russell