Water in Bilges

[duncankellett]

I last checked the bilges of our Westerley Centaur bilge keel about five months ago and they were bone dry. I have just checked them this evening and there is an inch or two of water in all compartments apart from one. Are all the bilge compartments linked?? Is there often a small amount of water in the bilges anyway? Any advice welcome.

 

[ostell]

There shouldn't be water. On the other hand how good is the seal on the windows?

With the high winds and pouring rain recently the rain seems to be able to find any little gap.

A little water goes a long way.

 

[saxonpirate]

I last checked the bilges of our Westerley Centaur bilge keel about five months ago and they were bone dry. I have just checked them this evening and there is an inch or two of water in all compartments apart from one. Are all the bilge compartments linked?? Is there often a small amount of water in the bilges anyway? Any advice welcome.

You don't say if the boat is on the hard or afloat. If she's afloat is it sea water. Simple I know but it'll give you a good start with your search if afloat. Just check all fittings below the water line including your stern tube. If she's on the hard you're going to need to check everything at deck level and start with condensation.

 

[VicS]

I last checked the bilges of our Westerley Centaur bilge keel about five months ago and they were bone dry. I have just checked them this evening and there is an inch or two of water in all compartments apart from one. Are all the bilge compartments linked?? Is there often a small amount of water in the bilges anyway? Any advice welcome.

know the Berwick better .. but I'm still not sure if all the compartments are linked. I think they should be but may not be

A few cupfuls is all we ever removed and that was from below the engine ...never worked where it was coming from though.

Which one is dry ?

Start by tasting the water to find out if it's salt.

If its definitely salt then consider:

Stern gland.

Water intake ..... Is the sea cock shut? ... if not plumbing etc around the engine incl water pump.

Cockpit drains.

Galley sink drain ( although that may be above the W/L)

Toilet inlet and outlet seacocks. Do you also have a wash basin in the heads ?


Those bilge keels ... esp if you are on a drying mooring ...or if yours have not been reinforced.

If it's fresh ... water tank , pump or plumbing leaking ?

Rain water ? via any deck fitting and esp the cockpit drains.


Condensation ?? Not that much I would hope

 

[ffiill]

I often get water into my boat when its ashore-put this down to decks not properly draining plus a leaky window remaining on weather side for six months-a very small drip can produce loads of water after an extended period of time.
But as already mentioned always stick your finger in and touch it to your tongue for salt or fresh.

 

[LittleShip]

Those bilge keels ... esp if you are on a drying mooring ...or if yours have not been reinforced.

have to agree with Vic on this one.

On my Centaur many years ago it was the bilge keels that were leaking, they have a tendency to walk when they settle and this causes the bolts to loosen and or the seal to deteriorate. You need to check if it's sea water first, then all the above.

Tom

 

[VicS]

have to agree with Vic on this one.

On my Centaur many years ago it was the bilge keels that were leaking, they have a tendency to walk when they settle and this causes the bolts to loosen and or the seal to deteriorate. You need to check if it's sea water first, then all the above.

Tom

I think it can be more serious than the bolts leaking.
The repair seems to involve strengthening the keel stub
There are some photos of the work involved in the "Photos" on the Westerly Owners Yahoo discussion group
I know of a Centaur that lost a keel on its mooring and I actually know another that, although booked in for work to be done, deteriorated so quickly that it had to be lifted out well before the date scheduled.

 

[aquaplane]

Duncan, welcome to the forum.

I think all the bilge is connected except the bottom of the under berth lockers, or it should be.

Some folk block up the hole between the engine compartment and the saloon bilge to keep any manky water in the engine bay. This hole you can't see but if you stick your hand down in front of the engine (with the steps off) you should be able to feel it. You need the hole to pump all the bilge if you only have the original bilge pump as I have.

If you have water round the keel bolts check to see if it's salt, it probably is but it may not be. Mop it up and keep a closer eye on it to see how much is coming in.

On my B layout, water bottles leaking under the sink made it look as if the keel bolts were leaking, but they weren't. Water from under the galley can get under the saloon sole when on Port tack so they are connected.

The Port side lockers on my B layout are dry and don't seem to get any water in when sailing on either tack so I don't think they are connected to the rest of the bilge.

I bought my boat from ashore and the water was up to the cabin sole, (the hatch had been left open), it took ages to dry it out enough to work out if any moisture was bits I hadn't manage to get rid of or condensation or new water ingress.
Bail and sponge everywhere. Take the cushions home. If it's dry and blowy go to the boat and open everything up, bail and sponge and wipe down all the condensation, dry it out. It took 4 winter weekends for us and that was just to get it habitable so we could launch, it took most of the first season to get it dry.

Then see where new water collects.

That's what I did, you may not need to do some of it or you may need to do different stuff but it's something to think about.

Have fun.

 

[duncankellett]

Salt water

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. It is definitely salt water, I have tasted it today after reading some of the replies. Only a couple of inches and I have sponged it all out and will check again tomorrow. We have recently moved it to a new mooring - wonder if it could be sitting at a slightly different angle when drying out each tide.

Thanks again.

 

[duncankellett]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. It is definitely salt water, I have tasted it today after reading some of the replies. Only a couple of inches and I have sponged it all out and will check again tomorrow. We have recently moved it to a new mooring - wonder if it could be sitting at a slightly different angle when drying out each tide.

Thanks again.

 

[Chris.mcc240]

My centaur has a number of leaks i have been trying to eliminate. Yes the bilges are all linked or mine are there is a small hole in the front corner nearest the engine, poor a cup of water in if they arnt blocked it will soon disappear . I,ve found the following so far.
Slow leak from the water pump on the engine.
The teak foot treads by the hatch are rivited through, they are well known for leaking, it drips on the engine..
The winches bolted through again another slow leak. Drips on the cushions.
The hatch depends on the direction of the rain and window seals. Also i had a number of holes from poorly fitted instruments, tiller pilot etc . Good luck i still haven't found all of them..

 

[oldsaltoz]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. It is definitely salt water, I have tasted it today after reading some of the replies. Only a couple of inches and I have sponged it all out and will check again tomorrow. We have recently moved it to a new mooring - wonder if it could be sitting at a slightly different angle when drying out each tide.

Thanks again.

Next time you wipe it out spread some talcum powder around and it will indicate the point of entry.

Good luck and fair winds.

 

[ostell]

Had a problem on my previous Westerly boat, after having the keels reseated, which seemed to indicate that there was still a problem. Turned out that the water that was appearing in the keel fixings was in fact moving from under the cockpit sole when the boat settled at an angle. Panic Over.

 

[turnstone]

water in bilges

i got a westerly pageant which iv`e noticed water on top of bilges tastes of salt but as its kept on mooring which drys i`m almost certain its from keel bolts so i`m going to lift her out and see what damage is i also know some of water comes from window but dosn`t account for both sides will keep you posted on what happens