How long would it take to fill up with rainwater?

[SAWDOC]

Frist thing I would attempt is a full running hosepipe down both cockpit drains to see if they are blocked with seacock open. If so a large size bottle brush should bring a rapid improvement.

 

[Lakesailor]

I'm struggling to see how blocked cockpit drains fill the bilge. Surely it would just fill the cockpit?

 

[LittleSister]

I'm struggling to see how blocked cockpit drains fill the bilge. Surely it would just fill the cockpit?

Until the cockpit overfills and it reaches the bridgedeck/hatch, as someone said above (assuming the coamings aren't lower. Quite likely before it reached that level there be some fitting (engine control, clip-on point, instrument, winch handle pocket, bilge pump?) through which all additional water would run below decks.

 

[Lakesailor]

I think the OP may have spotted that.

 

[VicS]

A possible route by which water might enter:

My boat has similar looking hatch rails....... if it sits down by the stern rain which falls on the central part of the cabin top is trapped between these rails and eventually floods over the lower "cill" at the front of the hatch opening down into the cabin. It has only happened once when it was moored with the bows up a bank but I was wondering if there would be sufficient weight of water collected in the cockpit with the drains closed to set the stern down far enough for the same thing to happen ????

 

[vyv_cox]

A possible route by which water might enter:

My boat has similar looking hatch rails....... if it sits down by the stern rain which falls on the central part of the cabin top is trapped between these rails and eventually floods over the lower "cill" at the front of the hatch opening down into the cabin. It has only happened once when it was moored with the bows up a bank but I was wondering if there would be sufficient weight of water collected in the cockpit with the drains closed to set the stern down far enough for the same thing to happen ????

And another. Many Greek hoist crews believe that a yacht has to be wintered stern-down to enable the decks to drain. My boat, and no doubt many others, has scuppers around midships. If the boat is left stern down water will gather at the aft end of the deck until it overflows into the cockpit. Here it normally falls into a gutter around the stern locker lid, which exits into the cockpit. Again, if the boat is stern down the gutters overflow into the stern locker, and thence into the bilge.

 

[aquaplane]

Many thanks to all who have replied, you've been really helpful as ever.

As to the cause, i'm pretty sure that the cockpit drains (they were blocked as well as closed) might have had a lot to do with it. The cockpit drain pipes though seem to have been replaced quiet recently and are in very good condition so that's not the cause. Maybe a washboard had been left at some time? Anyway, plenty to think about.....and clean up. Thanks everyone!

My Centaur had more water than that in when we bought her, it took ages to dry her out. Someone had left the main hatch open and the cover formed a massive puddle that leaked into the saloon, drip, drip, drip. It was on the hard with the mast down covered with manky old tarps.
Once you have bailed out and sponged everywhere condensation and drips keep appearing from all the places you can't reach, it will dry out eventually though (when it warms up and you can get some ventilation through the boat). When it's so wet finding the leaks is hard as often it's existing water moving and condensing somewhere else not new water leaking in.
I have to leave my cockpit drain seacocks open as once the water in the cockpit gets a couple of inches deep it drains into the bilge via the engine cover in the cockpit sole. If that was sealed there would be lots of other opportunities for water to find it's way below before it overflowed out of the back of the cockpit. Cockpit drains exiting above the waterline are the way to go if at all possible.

 

[SAWDOC]

I'm struggling to see how blocked cockpit drains fill the bilge. Surely it would just fill the cockpit?

You remind me of the Offshore 8 owner who proved the water tightness of his cockpit by closing the seacocks and taking a bath!

 

[Lakesailor]

But My point was in another of my previous posts

I think the OP may have spotted that.

 

[BAtoo]

If one drip is just a ml?
If one drip were a ml, you'd be concussed every time it rained. 0.1ml, at most.

Seems it's about 0.05ml per drip if you believe this. .

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060928194539AAoxlvq

 

[VicS]

In the days when I did titrations (1950s!) one drip from a burette was 0.05ml - i.e. 20 drips/ml

Seems it's about 0.05ml per drip if you believe this. .

Yes 0.05cm³ from the jet of a burette tap but from anything much else, an ordinary dripping tap for example, closer to 0.1cm³ per drip

 

[James W]

I think that the companionway hatch would be too high, what's probably more likely is that the cockpit filled and empitied into the rear lockers and thus, straight into the bilges.

The thing that worries me more is the tide mark in the forepeak. Have a look at the picture attached, would this be from the sheer amount of water in the cabin, all moving forward as the boat settled on its drying mooring?

The previous owner told me he had last been onboard 6 months previous, somehow I doubt that.

View attachment 29957

 

[Nick Vass]

Boat full of water

You have a serious water leak

How I would find it:

Remove anything that will move from inside the boat;

Clean the interior with a product such as Silky Deep Cleaner www.silkyproducts.co.uk

Rinse out the interior. Perhaps aid this by removing a low down seacock or the depth sounder transducer to let the water out.
or buy a 230-volt garden pond pump. They are cheap at Lidl to remove the water used to clean the boat;

Dry the interior;

Close the hatches and get a pal to hose the boat down from outside whilst you sit inside the yacht and try to find what part is leaking so badly;

It looks as if a lot of water is coming in. Perhaps you are on a trot mooring and the wind is blowing rain through the main hatch?

Windows leaking: Deck fittings, stanchion bases, mast step, anchor chain naval tube leaking?

If you can't find fresh water leaks close seacocks and fill up with water inside. Look to see if water is coming out. Look for cracks in the hull or look for water coming out through skin fittings;

You say that the water is fresh. Where is your mooring James? Are you on a river? Are you sure that the sea water is salty? Just check to see if it is not actually sea water coming in through the rudder post tube?

Has the outboard motor well been modified? Is its drain hole blocked? What about the cockpit drains? Were the cockpit drain seacocks open?

You should not need lumber holes through bulkheads as you should not have that much water inside the boat. Looking at the pictures that you sent to me you do have lumber holes through the floors and other transverse bulkheads and beams in the bilge.

Evening all.

I've just bought a nice little Hurley 20 that had been left on it's mooring for a while (how long I don't know). What I do know it that it was full of water: the bilges were completely full, the cushions were like sodden wet sponges and the every possible locker had water in it. The boat was so full that it listed a bit on it's mooring and the yard even noticed that the extra weight she was carrying when she was lifted out.

The water is freshwater and I know we've had a huge amount of rain in the last six months, but how long do you think it would take to get this full?

 

[James W]

Thanks Nick, I think that's put me straight!

When the snow decides to finally bugger off, i'll get to work