Water ingress into aft berth in 26M

[JohnCFI]

I found that the lower bolts on my Engine Mount had worked loose, and I suspect I have been taking on water through those. Now tightened and sealed, waiting for a chance to launch to check. Other Mods and weather permitting (winter is coming for us!).

[BOAT]

26M or X? (Post says M, avatar says X) - also - what is the motor? a real big powerful 4 stroke or a real noisy vibrating 2 stroke or atomic power? (They make nuclear powered MACs yet?) Where do you guys put the reactor? (Battery compartment I suppose).

[seahouse]

For continuity, here are links to the descriptions in the “Mods” section that I referred to in earlier posts in this thread...

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ?view=1595

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ?view=1596

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ?view=1600

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ?view=1601

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ?view=1602

- B.

[BOAT]

Hey! The last picture looks like an upside down coke bottle!

[u12fly]

Hey! The last picture looks like an upside down coke bottle!

Whatever floats your BOAT (or in this case does not sink it! )

[u12fly]

I think many people have detected water getting into the hull through the Rudder Deployment Lines, the "coke bottle" or other funnel techniques will in most cases ensure that water can exit out of the boat down through the hole in the rudder torque tubes. For me I decided to fix the problem at the source, I added tight fairleads at the entrance point, where the deployment lines enter the hull of the boat – at the aft cockpit. This mod is a little more involved, and required some artistic sculpting to get the perfect finished look, but I am very pleased with the results. I have it detailed under this mod:

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ?view=1511

Chris.

[BOAT]

Holy Krap Batman! A "little" more involved???? Geeze Fly! Why not teach us all how to build airplanes while you're at it! That's CRAZY skills molding the transom like that!
You completely changed the shape of the thing! And got the color and everything back to normal with no mistakes! Man, if I ever need someone to repair a hole in 'boat' you’re the first guy I'm gonna call, fly! (I got an idea for a daggerboard with a controllable trim tab and I think you’re the guy to build it!)

Yeah, that's way over MY head, I thought the coke bottle was gonna be hard, now I think I'll get a sponge. I feel like a loser now, and I'm still trying to figure out how you guys shimmy out to the end of the mast while it's on the trailer to install and remove the wind vane!??! I can't buy a proper electronic wind vane until I figure out how to crawl out there and remove the thing before I go zipping down the freeway at 70 miles per hour and ripping it off. (And DON'T tell me to carry a six foot latter around with me everywhere I go - that's dumb).

[u12fly]

...I'm still trying to figure out how you guys shimmy out to the end of the mast while it's on the trailer to install and remove the wind vane!??! I can't buy a proper electronic wind vane until I figure out how to crawl out there and remove the thing before I go zipping down the freeway at 70 miles per hour and ripping it off. (And DON'T tell me to carry a six foot latter around with me everywhere I go - that's dumb).

I don't know how you carry a "latter", I use a "ladder" to reach things...
Besides that, I would never say to take it everywhere, just leave it in the truck for when you need it !

On a more serious note: You can slide the mast farther forward over the deck to the point you can reach the top of it from the aft cockpit. I can't do that on my boat becuase I have lines led aft and only have enough spare rope to reach the forward mounting location, so I opt for the ladder. Check this out - In the prevoius sentence the ladder is the latter option!

Chris.

[JoeG]

(And DON'T tell me to carry a six foot latter around with me everywhere I go - that's dumb).

I purchased a three-step folding stepstool from Home Depot that fits perfectly in the backseat so it is kept secure from theft while I'm sailing.
Or If you have someone to help you when you're stepping the mast; with the mast resting in its cruch and while standing on the deck you can lift the step of the mast which lowers the head of the mast and then someone can easily reach the top, even without a stepstool.

[BOAT]

So you guys DO carry a ladder around! (UGH!) More equipment to haul around?? Okay, I'll try the mast forward deal - I thought of that but no one ever mentioned they were doing that when they stepped the mast so i was feeling kinds dumb for asking. I really really REALLY want a cool electronic rotating mast vind vane speed thingy with a dash mounted meter and NEMA interface but before I spring for that kind of money I better make sure I even have the ability to attach it to the mast every time I trailer without going out on a limb and falling off. If I don't even want to attach it because it's a hassle what's the point of getting it. So far I have been sailing without a wind vane all this time.

Anyways, this is not about a leak in the back of the boat so I guess I better drop it.

[pha]

Thanks macr, for the suggestions

I am now focusing on the compression post and centerboard trunk in general, since I've pretty much ruled out everything else. Although the water collects in the stern bilges, I don't think that's where it's entering the boat, since I've crawled back there several times while the leak was occurring, and couldn't see any water coming in.

Yesterday I started looking more closely at the centerboard area and saw where the previous owner had attached some wires by driving three screws through the starboard side of the trunk, about 4 inches from the top. They weren't sealed so I suppose some water could have been seeping in there, but I can't imagine it accounts for the volume of water I'm seeing. Neverthetheless I removed those screws and sealed up the holes with 5200, we'll see . . .

The compression post base has a lot of sealant and I don't see any obvious holes or gaps, but I'll leave the cover off and observe that more closely next time we go out.

[jimbo]

I have slight amounts of salt water in the underfloor area - but nothing in the bilges ie under the batteries - this being the deepest part of the boat - this is puzzling.
Hard to describe but in the M if you open the storage areas under the kitchen you will see what I will call a stringer. I find water above but not below the stringer. On the high side of the stringer. Ditto on the starboard side. My suspicions are the rudder pintles aka "stand pipes". Any slight leakage here will not end up in the bilges but may end up above the stringers. Of course enough will overflow the stringers and flood into the bilge. I do not have that problem.
Whilst on the water - nothing there. I tried the drop from full power to nothing so that the stern waves catches up with the hull. Nothing. But after retrieval onto the trailer - water. Not a lot but it was not there before.
I suspect that the angle of the hull when driven up the trailer forces the rudder pintels lower in the water than normal and this is where my leakage is coming from. I will try to entend the height of the rudder pintels inside the hull using the coke bottle mod and see if this fixes my issue.

[yukonbob]

Chain plates or condensation depending on your local. I've eliminated the chain plates, and it takes a good month to build up water via condensing, but same thing, above and none below the 'stringer'/ ballast tank. The water line has the highest concentration of condensing water inside the hull and it runs down and collects. It could however also be your rub rail / deck-hull joint seal, but if you're in cooler temperatures its probably the condensation.

[jimbo]

Chain plates or condensation depending on your local. I've eliminated the chain plates, and it takes a good month to build up water via condensing, but same thing, above and none below the 'stringer'/ ballast tank. The water line has the highest concentration of condensing water inside the hull and it runs down and collects. It could however also be your rub rail / deck-hull joint seal, but if you're in cooler temperatures its probably the condensation.

Yes but salt crystals present and veeeery salty in the taste test (shudder level in fact) would preclude condensation and chain plates? But good point on condensation all the same. Need to build a light weight false floor to stop things dumped in the lockers getting damp.

[Catigale]

Dry-dek plastic floor pieces....on sale now at WM and defender will match