WATER IN BILGE

[klsandoval62]

How much bilge water is normal after a day of motoring with ballast tank filled? I am having to suction about 2-3 gallons of saltwater out from under the galley and bench area as well as the area under the cooler storage area.

[Timm Miller]

Need more info, like what boat....is it raining?.......replaced any new hull fittings?......have you checked your hull fittings...ie. fairleads...motor bolt through......ceterboard hanger.....things like that.

[craiglaforce]

Also, check the galley sink drain hose to through hull connection.
Mine leaked but only when motoring or sailing in rough conditions.
I would guess that is your problem.

I had to remove the hose, and re-5200 the hose onto the connection. Be careful if you are doing this in the water that the boat does not sink. I heeled the boat to starboard by moving weights to keep the thruhull above the water while repairing it. Ballast out would help too, but in my case I think I left it in since it was a calm location and moving the cooler and other heavy stuff was enought to keep the throughull clear of the water.

[klsandoval62]

I am a new owner of a 2002 26x. No it was not raining. The inside of the cabin is dry. It is only wet in the storage compartments under seats and such. My boat is kept on the trailer in my front yard. What is the best way to check for leaks in the hull fittings and centerboard hanger?

[Mark Prouty]

Don't all Macs leak a little. Are there any that are truely dry all of the time?

[Don T]

Hello;
The only water I get in mine is from condensation or spillage. OK, there are those times when the wind and rain are up and it blows over the front bump on the companionway hatch.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Don't all Macs leak a little. Are there any that are truely dry all of the time?

Mine is truly dry which is nice compared to my previous boat which always leaked a bit somewhere. When I first got it, I had a slight chainplate leak which I silicone sealed and now the boat is completely dry as far as I can tell. Rainy season coming up in a month or so though. When we get like 24 inches of rain in 3 months, ask again after that

[Rick D'Amico]

My '99 Mac is truly dry also. Perhaps three times in the last 5 years I've had a very little amount of water in the bilge. It either came from the fresh water containers, or perhaps from a bad storm, and somehow rain or condensation got down there. But, it's been really rare!

Rick

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

5 years now and the only two times I have had even a drop were both human error. One was leaving the drain plug on the cooler loose (I have a large cooler that sit's on a base rather than the cooler liner). The other was not monitoring the step vent hole (mine is a '96 and does not have a dam like the new boats with the vent up front). When I looked inside there was a bit of an occasional fountain as the water sloshed about. Other than that my '96 X is bone dry all the time, motoring or sailing, ballast in or out. I only have the stock two sink drain thru hulls. I have changed the hoses. They are just double clamped, no glue.

[Al]

Ok Guys
I am new to sailing. What and where is the chainplate?
Thanks Al

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Al, the chainplates are where the shrouds attach to the hull. Shrouds are the standing rigging on both sides of the mast (cables that hold up the mast). You'll notice that there are slots there which can leak into the boat. This btw is a problem with most sailboats, not just macs.

[Brian Russell]

I was getting some water in the bilge. Thought it might be the water tank under the galley. I removed all of this and still got water-after a hard rain. So I set about checking all of the above/ on deck fittings such as chainplates, etc. Hard to see how much water could seep in there, as it's all slanting and angled and the water runs off quick. Then I removed the rear berth cushions and they were soaked. The bilge under the access panels in rear berth was wet. Aha! Since this area slants toward midship the water must be entering from the rear. I removed the carpeted panel right back at the transom-wet. Where the motor well comes down-wet. I went topside looking, thinking it must be the motor well. Couldn't be. Then I looked in the fuel tank lockers and noticed about an inch of water. The 1/4" drain holes were blocked up with leaf dander. There is a caulked seam on the floor of this locker right at the front edge. The caulk on mine was very soft and black and icky-it didn't seem sound. So I cleaned the drain holes ut, drained the water from the lockers and then just to test, I covered the locker openings with plastic and during the next rainstorm went out to check for drips. Dry as a bone. So- scraped out the old nasty caulk- like- substance and recaulked with 5200.

[Don T]

Brian:
Nice to have discovered it with water rather than a fuel leak.

[Jack O'Brien]

The itsy-bitsy drain holes in my fuel lockers were too high and too small.
Leaves and debris would clog them and there was always a puddle that could not get out. Enlarged and lowered them so now there are 1/2" wide ovals going down to the locker floor level. These also are handy for attaching bungee cord hooks for tanks or gear under the helm seat.