Where is the &^%$#! leak coming from?

[dlandersson]

Where is the &^%$#! leak coming from?

Okay, I have noticed that - on a 1997 Macgregor 26X - the storage area on the port side just aft of the galley, will "pick up" a 1/2" of water when I go sailing. It's not there when I go out. It's not there when my baby sits in the marina - but it sure is there when I come back from sailing. I can't figure out WHERE it's coming from. It's not a huge deal, but it's not right, so I'd like to fix it.

Ideas?

[kmclemore]

Check the line going from your sink drain to the through-hull... I suspect either the hose or the through-hull is leaky and as you heel to port you're picking up some water.

[dlandersson]

That makes tremendous sense. I never use the sink except to hold things. I would never have thought of that.

Check the line going from your sink drain to the through-hull... I suspect either the hose or the through-hull is leaky and as you heel to port you're picking up some water.

[yukonbob]

The sink/ transom drain is the one weak point I worry about with the M. If there is a break in the fitting, it is just below the water line and it would just get lower as the boat filled. I wory about it every year but keep forgetting to check it. Boat still floats though so it must be good.

[Tomfoolery]

My doesn't have any thru-hulls below the waterline, but any boat with thru-hulls (at all) should have ball valves on them, especially below the water line. Bronze. Or at least Marelon. Or bronze. And wooden plugs and a mallet or hammer and a dive mask so you can plug them from the outside if you really have to. Not that I have plugs, but I did on the last boat, which I'd take much further from shore.

[Baerkanu]

My doesn't have any thru-hulls below the waterline, but any boat with thru-hulls (at all) should have ball valves on them, especially below the water line. Bronze. Or at least Marelon. Or bronze. And wooden plugs and a mallet or hammer and a dive mask so you can plug them from the outside if you really have to. Not that I have plugs, but I did on the last boat, which I'd take much further from shore.

Great point. On the M, the thru-hull is above the port rudder bracket, and well out of the water when level - certainly underwater when heeled to any extent. It's a small hole, easily plugged by a rag, but a valve on the interior would be a good idea. Maybe a smaller version of the ballast tank plug would be easier and safer, since a valve on the interior would be a PITA to get to in case of emergency, and might even be a further weak point for failure?

A few weeks ago, the transom well wasn't draining on my boat - it had gotten leaves etc in there, and I was sure it was plugged with them. No amount of snaking would get it to drain. Now, part of me KNEW that the sink was plumbed into the same line, but that part was sleeping apparently when I used an air hose to blow out the blockage. It worked perfectly and the transom drained, but I ended up with coffee grounds ALL OVER the place inside. Guess I found out what was actually plugging the drain.

Oops.

- Clay

[Ixneigh]

The M motor well needs its own scupper. Might be time for a 5/8 drill bit.
to combat leaf clogs a toss a rope mat over the hole. Works great and is easy to remove and clean.
Ix

[kmclemore]

Umm... folks... Lenier has an not an .

dlandersson
Captain

Posts: 982
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2010 12:00 pm
Location: Chicago metro, USA
Sailboat: MacGregor 26X

[yukonbob]

Constant leaf problem in the transom, but my drain is always below the water line. 70 on the back with next to nothing in the aft berth no matter what. Sink still drains though so I'm happy.

[Ormonddude]

Oddly I left my boat on the anchors as I painted the trailer and the usual rain water that I can get in that Exact same spot (next to the galley sink) Evaporated or went somewhere because the hull was dry afterword? and It rained and the Wind was fierce but I chose a very good anchorage by a bridge as a wind block Still I left the boat out 3days as I did a complete trailer overhaul and it was Dryer than USUAL?

[macr]

If your boat is angled with the bow higher when trailer-ed, I had the same issue. Since the boat is level on the water and on an angle when trailer-ed, the run off path of rain water around the hatch slides changes. With boat tilting bow up on the trailer, water puddles at front edge of hatch slides. The spill over water was entering the cabin roof through the aluminum rail screw holes. You can watch for the water to enter if you pull the white cap liner plugs during the next rain. I removed the rails and re-applied with a lot of sealant under rails and around screws to fix.

Oddly I left my boat on the anchors as I painted the trailer and the usual rain water that I can get in that Exact same spot (next to the galley sink) Evaporated or went somewhere because the hull was dry afterword? and It rained and the Wind was fierce but I chose a very good anchorage by a bridge as a wind block Still I left the boat out 3days as I did a complete trailer overhaul and it was Dryer than USUAL?

[Tomfoolery]

Check the line going from your sink drain to the through-hull... I suspect either the hose or the through-hull is leaky and as you heel to port you're picking up some water.

That would be my guess, too. You might try running a hose in the sink while it's on the trailer, and see if you get water under the seat again. Or tape over or plug the hole and fill the drain and watch to see if the level goes down.

My Aquarius had a cockpit drain that used a short hose to go out through the transom. It was one of those super cheap flexi hoses (white, thin). It had cracked and I didn't know it, and was actually taking on water even though the through-hull was above the water line (barely), much like the engine well drain on the . If I hadn't noticed the water level rising in the boat in time, it might have gone to the bottom, as once that thru-hull gets below the water line with a cracked hose, there's no stopping it other than beaching the boat. Or plugging the hole. And it was a lot bigger than that little drain in the engine well. It used a sink drain and tailpiece setup, which was 1-1/4 if memory serves.

If the actual thru-hull is shot, I wouldn't even bother trying to fix it. I'd just bore it out and install a real thru-hull. If the hose is shot, then a new hose is easy enough to put in, once you can get to it, which might not be so easy.

Or it's something else altogether.

[Tony E]

Hello, I have just recently purchased a 1998-26X and on my first time out I was both sad and mad to find out that she had a leak. Me and my boy took her out for what was suppose to be a 4 day trial run and turned out to be a 24 hour, lets see how much water we can fill her up with before we head to shore survival trip. I feel now that I am relatively an expert on leaky 26x because by the time I pulled my 26X out she probably had approx 100 gallons in her and it was coming out of the walking floor.I researched it and here is what I came up with: You will probably always get a bit of condensation because of the difference in between water and air temperature so the bottom may always sweat a bit. There are only so many "holes" for water to enter and for me the original owner had installed two sensors on the very bottom of the boat(speed and depth) and basically the silicone was very old and could be simply pulled off. I took the sensor out and cleaned up the surfaces and then put them back in with new, good quality silicone. The only other places that it can leak are, the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink and the dagger board unless you have a crack somewhere? Go in and tighten up all of the clamps and then watch as you run some water through the sinks/hoses. Even if it slowly drips, once every 5 seconds, you add up all of the drops in a 24 hour period and you are going to have a large puddle somewhere in the boat. I haven't had my boat back in the water since I re did the sensor holes that leaked so I am nervous about that.I should have realized something was up when the gentleman that I had bought my boat off of told me that he had installed one of those pumps in the back to get rid of the condensation? On my 26x there are like 3 separate floors and the water was already coming in through the small hole in the step for the doorway which is the " Hey dummy you are sinking" hole. I have just started sailing and now I know that rule number one is "Displacing water is good, collecting water is bad"...good luck and let me know what you find

[K9Kampers]

Tony - In addition to the galley & head sinks, remember the third sink, the motor well at the transom. It has a drain tube that passes thru the cabin - behind the false panel in the aft berth. These hose clamps, hoses, fittings should be checked as well as they can loosen / clog / freeze / crack.

[Tony E]

agghhhhhhh good catch K9. I forgot about that one. That's where the person that I bought my 26X off of tied a pump into to blow the water out of so maybe there is another clamp in there that could be leaking. Anymore areas of concern that could be leaking?