Dirty bilge around Keel bolts

[Zaria]

Hi Folks,

The attached pic shows what seems to be rusty coloured water around my Bilge bolts. This has previously been clean and dry.

When cleaning this up, it was actually large wet salt crystals, plus some actual water. I cleaned it up a few months back, making it spotless. I just checked it again the other day and its a bit wet again with the same rusty look. However the water when tasted, did not taste salty??

I am assuming this is not good? And that my keel bolts are leaking?

Cheers for any help.
Mick

[coopec43]

Zaria

Maybe nothing to worry about but I'd have it checked out by someone competent. Recently a keel fell off a yacht when racing off the coast of Fremantle and sadly the skipper died.

Clive

[roverhi]

If the water is not salty and boat is in salt water, it's not the keel bolts that are leaking. Water gets into boats almost always from deck leaks. Would do a lot more sleuthing before panicing. Dropping the keel is an expensive and not so easy a proposition

[Pete7]

I agree with Roverhi, could be a freshwater tank, pump or hose leaking. The deck joint or chain plates etc. Some tissue paper slightly higher up may show were the leak is coming from, or use talc in large flat areas.

Our only leaks turned out to be the water pump were the hose fits eventually leaked passed an o ring and a chain plate were it passes through the deck, both easy fixes.

Pete

[Jim Cate]

Looks like a lot of corrosion on the backing plates. Suggestive of long term salt water exposure. More investigation is appropriate before deciding on a course of action.

Jim

[Zaria]

Hi Jim, when cleaned up there is no corrosion on the plates at all. Only around the edges of the plates. Although i said the water didn't taste salty, there were what looked like salty crusts when i first cleaned it.

But thanks for all the suggestions. I will keep an eye on it and also have a look around for any fresh water leaks.

[NYSail]

Do you hall for the winter?

[sailorboy1]

wish my bilge looked that clean

[dakno]

The backing plates look like steel, not stainless. There appears to be metal flaking around the edges of the plates. Maybe dissimilar metals, i.e.. a iron keel with stainless bolts? Water could come from anywhere...a/c. fridge, condensation, deck leaks, etc.

[Zaria]

Originally Posted by NYSail

Do you hall for the winter?

Sorry not sure what you mean? Are you asking if the boat comes out of the water for winter? ....no it doesn't. Gee that would be expensive with the hard stand fees!

[Howler]

I’ll add one more idea to talc and tissue paper to help track down fresh water leaks. If you narrow it down to a particular tank or circuit, a little food coloring is sometimes useful to confirm or eliminate a source.

[RSB333]

My keel bolts were wet all summer due to a pinhole in the bilge pump discharge hose and weeping stuffing box. But I never saw rust color around the keel bolts - 1984 Pearson.