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DaveC426913 wrote:I got green food colouring. A good contrast colour.

Question:

How much is enough to tint the ballast?
How much is too much that it will stain the tank, and possibly my cabin floor?

I wouldn't worry about staining the inside of the ballast tank at all. I'd start with a couple of ounces of color. Drop it in the tank, allow it to mix, then use a turkey baster to draw some out and have a look. If you can easily tell the water is tinted, you're golden. I also don't think that a couple of ounces mixed into the ballast volume will stain the cabin floor either. And in any event, bleach will remove it.

Taste it & if it tastes like pee soup ur holding tank is leaking !

J

Yeah, I think it's coming from forward.

Took her out for Fri/Sat overnight and its been dry as a bone, despite some good heel.

But today on the way home, I acquired 2 inches of water on the cabin floor.
12 knot winds, 30 degree heel, 5 foot waves.

I just had a peek at the blow hole, and found the stopper wasn't in. It's kind of wet in the port V-berth compartment, as well as some spray (!) under the stb settee.

I suspect some of those rivet-popping waves I've been surfing have been blasting water up in there, and it's just trickling out over time.

Mysteriouser and mysteriouser.

I was wrong about the blowhole. Plugged and still getting water.


After a short time under sail, I invariably find about a 1/2 gallon of tea-coloured water on the cabin floor. Every time I pump it out and mop it up, it gets replenished from the side bilges.

I've checked the galley through hull and the stern through hull - both are bone-dry. But I can't get to the one under the head (can I?) Isn't there a 4th through hull?


So last week, I left all the hatches off, set her on a 20 degree heel, and pumped out one side bilge, tacked and pumped out the other. This kept it at bay, but did not stop it.


Today, I went out with a friend. Before leaving dock, I mopped up and dried all bilges to set as a baseline. After several hours of exciting sailing (read: heeling), I saw pretty much zero intrusion of water.

This makes even less sense!!! How is it possible that, one time out sailing, no water gets in!! I changed nothing*. How is that possible?

*except adding an additional 182 pounds in the cockpit.

Have you checked the base of your compression post? I seem to remember some people having problems there. Unlikely but possible.

Darren

DaveC426913 wrote:
*except adding an additional 182 pounds in the cockpit.

My money is still on the motor well drain. I'd plug that drain up from the outside next time, like really plug it with a quality fitting. An additional 182 lbs in the cockpit would put that drain underwater most of the time.

Either that or a cracked ballast tank. Get your dye in there.

DaveC426913 wrote:I've checked the galley through hull and the stern through hull - both are bone-dry. But I can't get to the one under the head (can I?) Isn't there a 4th through hull?

One for each sink. One for the motor well. One for the anchor locker. I think that's it for a stock

paul I wrote:

DaveC426913 wrote:I've checked the galley through hull and the stern through hull - both are bone-dry. But I can't get to the one under the head (can I?) Isn't there a 4th through hull?

One for each sink. One for the motor well. One for the anchor locker. I think that's it for a stock

Those are the only ones I'm aware of. And the only open penetrations of the hull, one for each.

Starscream wrote:

DaveC426913 wrote:
*except adding an additional 182 pounds in the cockpit.

My money is still on the motor well drain. I'd plug that drain up from the outside next time, like really plug it with a quality fitting. An additional 182 lbs in the cockpit would put that drain underwater most of the time.

I got zero water incursion with the extra 182 pounds.

(Which sortta points the finger at the bow.)
Why would the anchor locker drain into the cabin? Is there a short fitting between locker scupper and exit hole? I guess there must be.

Starscream wrote:Either that or a cracked ballast tank. Get your dye in there.

An entire bottle dumped in there has had zero effect on tint. (I have a long plastic tube so I can titrate it from the blowhole.)

I'll have to get more food colouring.

paul I wrote:

DaveC426913 wrote:I've checked the galley through hull and the stern through hull - both are bone-dry. But I can't get to the one under the head (can I?) Isn't there a 4th through hull?

One for each sink. One for the motor well. One for the anchor locker. I think that's it for a stock

So, the one for the head, is that accessible? It surwly can't be under the head, or you' never be able to get at it.

I checked as far under the stern dining set,tee as I could but I didn't find a through hull. I did find a 4 foot length of half inch hose connected to nothing in the bilge under the head.

DaveC426913 wrote:

paul I wrote:

DaveC426913 wrote:I've checked the galley through hull and the stern through hull - both are bone-dry. But I can't get to the one under the head (can I?) Isn't there a 4th through hull?

One for each sink. One for the motor well. One for the anchor locker. I think that's it for a stock

So, the one for the head, is that accessible? It surwly can't be under the head, or you' never be able to get at it.

I checked as far under the stern dining set,tee as I could but I didn't find a through hull. I did find a 4 foot length of half inch hose connected to nothing in the bilge under the head.

Look in the little cabinet under the basin in the head. The hose is in there, and goes to a thru hull there.

As to the anchor locker, there is a hose in there where you can't see it (I believe). The thru hull is higher than the others, but if hitting waves, it would ingest water, though nothing happens if it's in serviceable condition.

It's the hole just above the cushy black bike seat (for the cushy white helmsman's seat).

DaveC426913 wrote:

paul I wrote:

DaveC426913 wrote:I've checked the galley through hull and the stern through hull - both are bone-dry. But I can't get to the one under the head (can I?) Isn't there a 4th through hull?

One for each sink. One for the motor well. One for the anchor locker. I think that's it for a stock

So, the one for the head, is that accessible? It surwly can't be under the head, or you' never be able to get at it.

I checked as far under the stern dining set,tee as I could but I didn't find a through hull. I did find a 4 foot length of half inch hose connected to nothing in the bilge under the head.

I cant swear to this because its not something I ever really looked for, but I think its just under the head sink. You can access it by opening up the door on the front of the sink base.

The only (original) thru-hull in the head is the sink drain and is easily accessible. The length of 1/2" hose you found under the head, if not connected to anything, is likely for a portable water tank for the head sink faucet.

The anchor locker drain thru-hull is accessible for inspection / service via a gap space between the cabin liners at the v-berth. It has a 3" plastic tube to a 90 degree pvc elbow then another 3" plastic tube. The anchor locker & motor well drains can be overlooked when wintering and the pvc parts in them susceptible to freezing and splitting.

K9Kampers wrote:The only (original) thru-hull in the head is the sink drain and is easily accessible.

Duh. Of course.

I'll check there.

K9Kampers wrote: The anchor locker drain thru-hull is accessible for inspection / service via a gap space between the cabin liners at the v-berth. It has a 3" plastic tube to a 90 degree pvc elbow then another 3" plastic tube. The anchor locker & motor well drains can be overlooked when wintering and the pvc parts in them susceptible to freezing and splitting.

Except any leak there will dump water straight onto the v-berth mattress. No way you could miss it.

Anyway, I checked today. Bone dry.

Water can only get in from a few places:

Ballast cracked: eliminated
Ballast vent: eliminated
Thru-hull: I'm still betting this is your problem.
Waves coming down the companionway: would be obvious.
Hull: A crack? A transducer drilled through the hull? Unlikely.
Rain: Eliminated
How else?

Using the Sherlock Holmes method I still think it's one of your thru hulls. Buy a quality plug and start with the motor well. Just my $0.02.