Keeping water out of the basement storage.

[Mark Prouty]

At times water does get into bilge of this boat. How do you keep things dry except storing in plastic containers?

[Tom Root]

Alright, I must admit, my bilge was always dry as a bone, and then all the sudden I'd get a few gallons. What I remembered was that the only time I seem to get water was when I let my Vent valve open. After that bonehead mistake was corrected, so was my wet bilge...duh!!!!

Hopefully thats all that's wrong with your boat?

[Tom Spohn]

Plastic containers and drybags are the items of choice, but why not try to find out where the water is coming from? Is it salty or fresh? Do you get water when sailing or motoring or just sitting at the dock or in the back yard on the trailer? Seems to be only a few standard places that the Macs leak. Running down the cause can lead to more peace of mind.

[kmclemore]

As a farily new owner I'm also trying to track down some leaks...

After a really hard storm, sitting in my driveway, I found:

-- about 1/2" of water in my port-side bilge (under the galley)

-- rear berth wet directly under the binnacle

-- staining from water (?) that appears to have run from the farthest port-aft corner to the centre of the aft berth

I'm guessing that the chain-plates are weeping a bit and that's the reason for the port bilge water, but I'm at a loss for the other leaks.

OK, all you experienced owners... how about a combining your vast knowledge and developing a master list of the 'known' leak-points? Can you post here the one's that you found and fixed?

Thanks!
Happy Sails to You...
Kevin

[roystrutt]

Hi

I have the same problem as kmclemore

I have a 2003 26M - The water is fresh and accumulated in the starboard and port after bilges
I thought it was the outboard well drain connection but this seems secure and watertight

Can anybody help ?

Thanks

Roy

[Jack O'Brien]

Don't know about the M. The X has a liner that forms the ceiling of the aft berth. Any leaks above this liner get funneled to where it dips down at the stern and drip from there onto the berth a couple inches shy of the bilge at the very aft end. Remove the fabric-covered fiberboard panel at the stern. A thin plastic sign or something attached to the liner can funnel the drip into the bilge instead of onto the cushions. There are also access holes for the pedestal mounts in this liner and water could drip through these. Likely leaks above this liner are the pedestal and grabrail mounts, the tube the wires and cables go through and the fuel locker seam at the opening.

Other likely spots for leaks are any place a hole has been made in the fiberglass whether something is installed there or not.

[ESPERANZA]

I had the exact same problem with my 97' X...
I found the seam in the fuel lockers had opened up and that the drain holes in these lockers were too high to drain properly. Once I sealed them, no more water in the bilge...

Dik...

[craiglaforce]

One way to diagnose where the leaks are is to get a helm cover. Once you cover the helm are the leaks continuing? if so then the fuel lockers are likely the source.

On mine both fuel lockers leaked plus the water would drip down the steering cable and follow it through the deck penetration and then would drip off into the rear berth.

I also got one of those plastic shoe boes and wedged it with the lid off under the drip point at stern after removing the cardboard stern cover/trim panel.
This keeps the water contained and also lets you see how much and when you are getting it.

[jklightner]

At the start and end of each season I put some RTV on the chainplates where they enter the deck. Also the mast step and the mast light socket could be the culprit. This may be the source for the midships water. Aft, pull off the plastic side cover on the pedestal and make sure it's clean under there. Look for signs of water running down the control cables through the opening to the aft berth. It will leave tracks in the dust. Do you have a good tilt on your boat so the rain water will flow off the stern well and not pool up in the cockpit or on deck? I have a sloped driveway and had to weld up a stand that I slip under the frame because the jack wheel would not go up high enough.

[Doug Faigel]

When there has been water in the bilge for my 26X it has always been from one of two places:

1. The plug for the water ballast under the V-berth (not fitting tight enough - when the boat heels water gets into the bilge)

2. The fresh water jug. I still use those 5 gallon jugs and sometimes I don't get the hose or the top on tigh enough and it leaks.

Since I fixed those two problems I have been bone dry!

Doug

[Scott]

My water was the same prob as esperanza's. Lttle bit of epoxy and fixed.

PLus this is prob the most common thread, run a search.

[Tom Spohn]

On the X the chainplates are a common culprit. You just won't believe the amount of water that will enter in a single rain storm. I also had a forward hatch that needed to be really tight or it leaked. Also some leakage from aft when I hosed her down too aggressively.

[Andy26M]

One other source of water not mentioned above is condensation.

I found that with the boat on the trailer this spring, I would get a surprising amount of water in the port/stbd outboard bilge sections and could not figure out where it came from - even using a higher pressure hose and looking for leaks.

Then one day after a heavy fog had burned off I went to the boat and found that the entire inside areas of the bilges was damp like a heavy dew had set inside the hull.

Sure enough, the problem disappeared with the warmer weather and less temperature change from night to day. Sitting in the slip also seems to actually reduce the condensation, probably because the water temperature is steady and holds the hull temperature steady.

I expect my condensation issues will return in the fall, so will have to look at solutions using a solar-powered vent or something.

- AndyS