Taking in Water

[Jardine911]

I wonder if anyone can give a little advice? my son is living aboard his 38' wooden, Gaff Rigged ketch in Australia. He has lived aboard for over four years since he bought the boat from an old Norwegian named "Punch Svenson". Punch is now 96 years old and he hand built the boat (Called Kestrel) in 1949, she is a scaled down pearling vessel. Recently she has been taking on water (around 70 ltrs a day) and has obvious problems. can anyone tell us where and how to start looking for the ingress of water? is there a process of elimination?
Any practical help would be appreciated.

 

[trouville]

could be worm. look for rough looking areas it could also be keel bolts disolving there are so many things, if its afloat then look around for the wet areas get an idea where the leeak is.
I a leak has suddenly begun and then quickly become bad it sounds like worm the wood begins to break away, a large German boat back from Greece and left for a year in France had the same symptoms

 

[Mirelle]

That is good advice.

If the leak occurred when the boat was not under way and has worsened fast I agree it is probably worm. Or a skin fitting. Or a keel bolt. Or a started butt...

Dry the bilges (yes, with paper towels!) and find out where the water is entering from - mark the place, get her ashore and investigate properly.

If the leak is related to sailing stresses, then there are another set of culprits to consider.

 

[Peterduck]

The easiest way is to let the boat fill as far as you dare, [usually to the bottom of the engine] and then slip it ashore. Blast all the slime and crud off the planking with a high pressure washer such as a Gerni. Where the water goes in, it will come out, if the leak is below the level of the water inside. This is particularly good for tracking garboard seam leaks, which are the most common of planking leaks. If there is no leak showing when it is ashore, then you have a reduced area of planking to inspect. When inspecting the planking, look for areas which have not dried out as quickly as the rest of the hull. They may be softer than the rest of the planking. If the boat has had a career in the fishing industry, there may be large round patches in the lower hull where the ports of a live fish well have been plugged. Have a good look at the stern gland around the propshaft. as this is a frequent source of leaks. Sometimes this may only leak when the motor is going.
Peter.

 

[Jardine911]

Thanks for the quick replies, I have talked to my son in Australia and we are going to organise the boat to be taken out of the water and using your advice, have a good look. We are hoping that it's not worm as that seems an expensive job. Maybe history is on our side as she has never had worm before. The only worry now is the Australian heat and that Kestrel will dry out very fast. My son thinks she may have to be out of the water for nearly a week and with the temperature being +30 degs she may leak a lot when put back in. Someone suggested keeping wet sacks in the bottom while the work is being carried out?

 

[Peterduck]

I used to have to take my 1917 gaff ketch "Swallow" out of the water in January, because that was the only time that I could get the leave to do the work. The longest time that I ever had her out was Christmas to March. Swallow lives at Williamstown, Victoria, which gets as hot as anywhere else in Australia except Marble Bar. I used to drape cheap poly tarps from the bulwarks on whichever side faced north, to give some shade to that side. If your son can do the work within a week, he should have no trouble, especially if the boat's planking is one of our hardwoods, such as Spotted Gum. "Swallow" is Jarrah below the waterline and NZ Kauri topsides. It will pay to leave the boat in the cradle for a while when it is relaunched. Water will pour in to begin with from tiny hairline cracks in the seams, but it will be surprising how quickly this will slow down. Most boatyards have a 240v submersible pump which will shift a huge amount of water, and which can be used for the initial inflow until the boat's own pumps can cope.
Peter.