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02-12-2008, 15:52
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Nevada City. CA
Boat: Sceptre 41
Posts: 3,857
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Water in the Bilge
Since I bought this boat two years ago I have been finding water in a section of the bilge where the rudder post comes thru the hull. There are no limber holes in this section of the boat so I need to crawl in to the lazaret and empty sop it up with a sponge. I've looked all around the area and can't seem to find any leaks. My latest plan is to take a dry erase marker and draw a line on the hull and around the rudder post to see if the line gets washed away. If it does get washed away then I'll look in that area for leaks. Does anyone else have an idea on how I should track down where this water is comming from?
__________________
Fair Winds,
Charlie
Between us there was, as I have already said somewhere, the bond of the sea. Besides holding our hearts together through long periods of separation, it had the effect of making us tolerant of each other's yarns -- and even convictions. Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad
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02-12-2008, 15:58
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#2
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CF Adviser Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Virginia
Boat: Island Packet 380, now sold
Posts: 8,942
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Toilet paper. If you carefully plan how you lay it out and/or wrap it, it will show you where the water's coming from.
__________________
Hud
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02-12-2008, 16:09
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Wherever the boat is!
Boat: Marine Trader 34DC
Posts: 4,619
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It may have a packing gland that needs adjusting. If this is above the waterline when at rest it might only leak when under way or when there is some wave action under the stern.
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02-12-2008, 16:38
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#4
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Ohio
Boat: Now boatless :-(
Posts: 11,580
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Fresh water or raw?
Our lazarette seals leak like seives. New bulb seals are on the to do list but for now everytime it rains we spend 15 minutes sopping up what doesn't get to the bilge.
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02-12-2008, 17:08
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Toronto
Boat: CS36Merlin, "La Belle Aurore"
Posts: 7,557
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Dust the whole area with talcum powder. You might be able to see where it's coming from. This method is good for diesel or oil leaks too.
__________________
Rick I
Toronto in summer, Bahamas in winter.
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03-12-2008, 13:49
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Nevada City. CA
Boat: Sceptre 41
Posts: 3,857
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hud3
Toilet paper. If you carefully plan how you lay it out and/or wrap it, it will show you where the water's coming from.
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Great Idea Hud. TP will work in some spots.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chuck Baier
It may have a packing gland that needs adjusting. If this is above the waterline when at rest it might only leak when under way or when there is some wave action under the stern.
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I didn't know that they had packing glands on rudder posts. Makes sense though. I will ask some of the other Sceptre owners
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ex-Calif
Fresh water or raw?
Our lazarette seals leak like seives. New bulb seals are on the to do list but for now everytime it rains we spend 15 minutes sopping up what doesn't get to the bilge.
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I will taste it and see. I didn't even check. Obvious as the nose on my face. Glad you htought to ask.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vasco
Dust the whole area with talcum powder. You might be able to see where it's coming from. This method is good for diesel or oil leaks too.
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I'll try that for my diesel tank leak. Pretty sure it is coming from the access ports that I put in.
Thanks for your help everyone. I'll let you know later how it worked out. Heading for San Diego tommorrow ona business trip and get to stay on the boat.
__________________
Fair Winds,
Charlie
Between us there was, as I have already said somewhere, the bond of the sea. Besides holding our hearts together through long periods of separation, it had the effect of making us tolerant of each other's yarns -- and even convictions. Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad
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03-12-2008, 14:31
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Tampa Bay area, USA
Boat: Beneteau First 42
Posts: 3,961
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Cracked Exhaust Hose
In the event the exhaust hose from you engine passes through the space, there may be a crack in it that only reveals a leak when your engine is running. We discovered exactly this situation on our boat after doing the TP around the rudder-post packing gland and several other tricks for tracking down leaks that revealed nothing until I happened to be reaching for something in the locker while the engine was running and got a nice squirt of hot water from mid-way up the exhaust hose loop.
FWIW...
s/v HyLyte
__________________
"It is not so much for its beauty that the Sea makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from the waves, that so wonderfully renews a weary spirit."
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03-12-2008, 14:45
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Nevada City. CA
Boat: Sceptre 41
Posts: 3,857
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Quote:
Originally Posted by svHyLyte
In the event the exhaust hose from you engine passes through the space, there may be a crack in it that only reveals a leak when your engine is running. We discovered exactly this situation on our boat after doing the TP around the rudder-post packing gland and several other tricks for tracking down leaks that revealed nothing until I happened to be reaching for something in the locker while the engine was running and got a nice squirt of hot water from mid-way up the exhaust hose loop.
FWIW...
s/v HyLyte
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Thanks Hylyte:
That is one of those little things that I never would have thought of. I will check the engine hoses as well.
__________________
Fair Winds,
Charlie
Between us there was, as I have already said somewhere, the bond of the sea. Besides holding our hearts together through long periods of separation, it had the effect of making us tolerant of each other's yarns -- and even convictions. Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad
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03-12-2008, 18:24
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: East Coast of America and Keys
Boat: Beneteau 473
Posts: 467
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After buying my boat I discovered my rudder post has a trickle. I had some water getting past a clamp in the exhaust line and I had a line from a bilge pump leaking slightly at the thru hull. Everyone of these leaks left some sort of trail. The exhaust and rudder post have are leaving a slight stain.
The bilge line was leaving an obvious path that was cleaner than the surrounding hull.
I also found unexplained water in other places and in each instance I determined it was coming from a loose bolt on a cleat. Don't overlook the fittings attached to the overhead when sleuthing out leaks.
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05-12-2008, 06:22
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Nafplio, Greece
Boat: Gib'Sea, 422, 42 ft, Erato
Posts: 176
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Charlie, It looks like you have enough to keep you busy for a while.
When you've traced your leak you might let us know where it was?
If you don't find it you might post a picture or two of the rudder post inside and your rudder from the outside when the boat is taken out of the water.
I've come across a similar situation and the leak was in the skeg.
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05-12-2008, 06:51
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#11
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: May 2008
Location: near Annapolis
Boat: PDQ 36 & Atlantic 42
Posts: 1,178
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I ordered a cheap webcam from Ebay, and use it to look around in spaces I can't get my fat head into. This one has a built in LED that comes on in low light, so I just tape the little eye on the end of a stick, and plug the cord into a usb port on my laptop. I could even record the images for later study. I was able to find a frayed portion of a pressurized line with it.
I think I paid $14 for it with shipping. It has a manual focus lens so I can adjust that (with multiple trial and error) to get a fair picture of what I need to see.
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05-12-2008, 07:10
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Nafplio, Greece
Boat: Gib'Sea, 422, 42 ft, Erato
Posts: 176
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sandy daugherty
I ordered a cheap webcam from Ebay, and use it to look around in spaces I can't get my fat head into.
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I do the same using my Sony digital camera and TV. GREAT!
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