Water ingress - Sounding the hull

[MajorF]

My T37 is taking in seawater but nothing is visible when the boat is moored and the engines are revved. It would seem that seawater only gets in when the boat is underway and the leak is under pressure. I have been advised to get someone to 'sound the hull' and check pipework. Are there any recommendations for someone who is good at detecting leaks and is based in the Solent area?

 

[Portofino]

Soggy transom .The pressure pressing underway compresses the soft core and any seals pop temporarily = water ingress .

 

[QBhoy]

Hi. I wouldn’t rule out the engines and drive train being to blame. Certainly most likely the cause…in particular, I’d start with the shaft glands being the culprit. Do you have shaft cooling from the raw water too ?
as you’ll know…heat exchangers and the pump itself would be next on the list. Exhaust elbow, pencil anode fittings etc etc, would follow on from that…
Id say that when under load and up to temperature…would see a quote different set of circumstances than that of just revving the engines when stationary perhaps.
Best of luck

 

[oldgit]

Princess 360.
Mysterious salt water ingress into bilge.
Only when under way and then only at speed.
Took about 6 frustrating months to sort it.
Owner had just bought boat and shortly after the bilge alarms kept sounding.
Salt water was getting in.
Asked all and sundry what they thought the problem was and got every thing from the end of world cracked hull/leaking bowthruster tunnel to the usual stern glands and leaking engine cooling bits etc.
Skipper was tearing his hair out.
One day he got his wife to helm the boat open the throttles to WOT and then stuck his head in to the engine compartment, a simple job as this was a Princess
He soon saw water p******g in through the Eberspacher exhaust pipe and hull fitting.
Obvious when moored or at displacement hull fitting was above water line, but not much, as soon as boat went on the plane it was sufficently under water to allow seawater to be forced in under pressure.
The pipe when new was probably water tight but as time went on ......!
All ofthese boats have the exhaust outlet in the same spot, probably only located there merely for aesthetics .

 

[snowbird30ds]

Once clean and dry chuck some chalkdust around and give it a run, leak will soon show where it's coming from.

 

[James jameson]

Look at all the skin fittings which are close to the waterline or under it when the boats attitude changes when running.
check bathing platform fittings.

is it water sitting on somewhere from a deck leak which then moves in to the bilge when the attitude changes?

 

[Robin]

The exhausts run through grp tunnels bolted on the external aft quarters, leaky bolts? our surveyor on purchase investigated the rust stains inside on ours but found no actual leakage problem. Otherwise we have PSS type Stern glands on ours and some types of such face seals can move under thrust in gear and leak maybe a factor? We have twin Yanmar 270hp motors on our T37. We also have a stern thruster which could be a leak source but isn't. Also woth looking at rudder shaft tubes/seals boat wil 'squat' underway

 

[volvopaul]

My T37 is taking in seawater but nothing is visible when the boat is moored and the engines are revved. It would seem that seawater only gets in when the boat is underway and the leak is under pressure. I have been advised to get someone to 'sound the hull' and check pipework. Are there any recommendations for someone who is good at detecting leaks and is based in the Solent area?

Check the steering hood bushes , you will see water enter just under the steering fork , sadly not an easy job on your boat model , it’s quite likely the lip seal in the transom shield is worn out allowing water to pass through the bottom bush .
Of your handy get a good quality grease gun and grease the steering pivot , this may stop the leak if it’s in that area , if it is you will see a trickle entering just under the arm where the trim potentiometer is .

I do work the area but I’m not available now for a while .

 

[volvopaul]

Hi. I wouldn’t rule out the engines and drive train being to blame. Certainly most likely the cause…in particular, I’d start with the shaft glands being the culprit. Do you have shaft cooling from the raw water too ?
as you’ll know…heat exchangers and the pump itself would be next on the list. Exhaust elbow, pencil anode fittings etc etc, would follow on from that…
Id say that when under load and up to temperature…would see a quote different set of circumstances than that of just revving the engines when stationary perhaps.
Best of luck

No shaft glands it’s a Sterndrive boat.

 

[volvopaul]

Soggy transom .The pressure pressing underway compresses the soft core and any seals pop temporarily = water ingress .

Very rare on a Fairline .

 

[QBhoy]

No shaft glands it’s a Sterndrive boat.

Must admit. Thought the t37 would be shaft drive. Big boat for outdrives. I’m maybe thinking of the older ts37 perhaps. Fair play.

 

[Robin]

Must admit. Thought the t37 would be shaft drive. Big boat for outdrives. I’m maybe thinking of the older ts37 perhaps. Fair play.

AS was I as a n owner of older TS37

 

[QBhoy]

AS was I as a n owner of older TS37

Lovely boat !