Water in Bilge

[capt jgw]

This was right after the hurricanes? I assume you had torrential rain and high winds, water will find it's way in through windows, doors, and hatches. Sop it up and see if it comes back. You might never see water again till the storm. Be thankful, it could have been a lot worse.

[bil56]

so, we still don't know, is it salty or not salty?

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by bil56

so, we still don't know, is it salty or not salty?

Exactly. They think this is a free of charge info source not even worth following up to…

[edmundsteele]

You didn't say if your boat was new or used. If it is a used boat, check the stern bumper (either use a water hose outside the hull or remove the bumper). It is commonly damaged and replaced multiple times on a used boat. You might find that the screw holes of the previous installations were never sealed up.

Second item. I owned a Leopard 47, rather than the 38 and on the 47, the condensate from the hull air-conditioners dumped directly into the bilge. Leopard relied on the bilge pump(s) to remove the accumulated water.

Good luck.
Ed

[MicHughV]

The solution is simple.

Use whatever means you have to get the water out of the bilge. Towels, sponges, paper towels, etc. Get it bone dry.

Then monitor the situation as often as you can, to see if you notice new water getting to the bilge. Should you see water, identifying the source is likely to be a simple manner, as you should able to see the wet trail.

If the bilge remains dry, the water must have gained access to the bilge thru' a hatch, dorade vent, mast , fittings, etc...with hurricane winds, water can travel sideways, but water can also enter thru' propshaft seals, any thru'hull, broken hose clamps and a myriad of other possible sources.

As above, a/c's are often the culprit. Typically they will have drip pan, with a drainage hose leading to the hull or mini-pump. Should this fail, condensate from the a/c can find it's way to the bilge.

Without being there, it will take some detective work to pinpoint the source.

Trust these few pointers lead you in the right direction.

[mark_morwood]

All good pointers above. And the taste test is I think the one most of us do first, but I will just comment that a friend of mine generated a lot of amusement for his pre-teen kids when he finally tracked down the leak he had been taste testing to his head plumbing!

[sailorladd]

Taste the water if it is fresh water, try to see how rain water got into the bilge, or the water tank leaked.
if it is salty, consider how the water came into the bilge, through-hull fittings, cracked hull?...Figure out the source of the water first...

[White Rabbit]

I wouldn't panic. I would dry out the bilges and then monitor them over a week when there is no heavy rain. I have a Fontaine Pajot Mahe 36 footer and sometimes I get a little water in the engine compartment after a really heavy rain. Most of the time my bilges are bone dry. A wet/dry shop vac is the best tool to suck ALL the water out of the bilges. Then dry them with a rag. Then you can tell what is going on. Check with a flashlight for leaks. It doesn't take much of a drip to add up to some noticeable water in the bilge.

If you don't get any water in the bilge after sucking them dry, hit the boat with a water hose around all the fittings and hatches. If you have air conditioning units and showers be sure to run those and check for leaks.

I would check all your hoses going to the through-hulls. Make sure they are in good condition and that the hose clamps are tight.