Water in boat between deck and hull

[bcharris101]

Hello,
I have a 1976 V-22 and at some point towards end of season water got into a section that i can not figure out how to get too. It did not drain out when I took the boat out of water. It is under the cabin walkway next to the swing keel. It seems to be isolated from any of the hatches. hatch on starbord size is on other side of keel and the hatch on the port side looks like it only has access to area before you get to the walkway section. When I walk on the area I hear water sloshing in there, I am concerened what is going to happen when it freezes. I tried to see if I could access it from the hatch in bow, but that is completely filled with styoform blocks. I think the blocks where put in prior to putting in the cabin, since I dont think I can take them out without breaking them in smaller pieces then they currently are.

So I have 2 basic questions.
1) how can I access this area to get the water out
2) How did the water get into this area? I don't see any holes in bottom of hull and I figured that if their where there the water would have drained out when I took it out of the water

[Pete]

I found it easier to get the water to collect toward the front of the boat rather then the back or middle. If your boat is like mine ('77 22') you should be able to take the foam blocks out of the bow hatch. It takes a bit of wiggling but they will come out full size. Then what I did was lower the tongue of the trailer to the ground. The water drained to the bow and I used a bilge pump to pump it out and then towels to get the rest.

As far as how it go in there. It would surprise me if this area on your boat was completely glassed off and sealed up. Meaning that water that gets into the boat makes its way to the bilge, and this is the lowest area of the boat. On my boat while in the water, water enters around the rudder bracket bolts, and keel bolt. Out of the water rain gets in the boat around every single screw in the deck as well as all the windows, hatches or any other place it can. 3 inches of rain seams to give me about 6 inches in the boat, and that's with it all closed up.

Pete

[johnnyonspot]

My guess is, assuming you've had this boat out on the water, that the ingress occurred at the keel bolt. You may need to replace the rubber washer/seals that go with the bolt. My 25 leaked a little at this point if it was a windy day with a lot of heeling, but not enough that it was anything to worry about.

[bcharris101]

I tried to get the water out by lowering the front of trailer as much as possible, but did not get much water to the front compartment. When I look carefully in their, there is only one small hole about half inch that may go back to that section. It seems like it is either completely or almost completely sealed off. So what I have done for now is put some marine/rv antifreeze in the hole by the keel bolt and hope that it has gotten down into the water so that it wont freeze during the winter. I put in about half a gallon, since this is all that I had left after using the rest to close up my RV trailer for the winter.

[Pete]

Below is a pic of the front of the hull liner. The camera is being held in the area under the v-berth looking aft. (foam has been removed) In the middle of the pic the lighter portion is the corner where the liner goes aft on the port side.



You can see that they laid a piece of fiberglass on the left side to join the hull to the hull liner. On right side there is no glass and it is open to the area under the floor.

This next picture is looking thru the locker under the port side berth. You can see where they laid fiberglass down to join the liner to the hull. It has pulled apart allowing free passage of water. I will address this situation later in another thread.

[johnnyonspot]

Where you say it pulled apart, it actually looks like someone cut it. Those edges look nice and clean, like it was cut with a utility knife or something. A large machete? I guess I don't see that there being a little water in there being a huge deal, even if it freezes. Its difficult for me to imagine it getting in an area where its expansion would cause any issues. But what do I know? If its just a little water, opening everything up may allow it to simply dry out.

[lwi101]

I have a 75 V 2-22, and have a similar issue. The water collects under the forward settee on the starboard side. It seem to be fresh water, and I have bailed 20 gals or so out at a time. I think I have traced the source of the leak to the cockpit scupper. It is supposed to drain into the rear of the keel trunk, but I think mine is leaking, letting water in between the hull and the liner. Maybe mine is leaking on the right side and your on the left? The vee berth and other compartments are dry. Now that the boat is on the trailer, I raised and lowered the trailer jack, and found a lot more water than I had thought. I had the shop vac in there and got over 30 gallons out. The biggest issue is that with so much moisture, every thing is covered with mildew in no time. I was pulling the board under the companion way and noticed the scupper looked awfully damp. I am trying to figure out a repair, so any suggestions would be appreciated. hope this helps.

lou

[whamo_2]

I have a MacGregor 25 and was plagued with rainwater leakage into the bilge when I first got it. On the advice of another Mac owner, I sealed all the chainplates and ran a bead of clear sealer around the top of the rubrail. This completely solved the problem of water entry. I used bathtub joint sealer, and have to touch it up every two to three years, expecially around the rub rails, which occassionaly rub against the finger pier at my slip. When I do get water in my boat, I sometimes use a 1 gallon wet/dry vac to get it out., and sometimes use an Atwood pump powered by flashlight batteries. I have an automatic bilge pump, but since I corrected the leakage, I have not bothered to hook it up.