Mystery brine in ER 83 46 SF

[madhatter1]

Recently we got our ER cleaned and painted including engines. Goal besides looking good was to easily see and clean up any leaks of any type. Just cruising around locally slow towing a dinghy a brownish water that is very salt appears in the center bilge port side (dry area). I had seen it before cleanup too but thought it was coming from a failed battery that was leaking. When I changed the battery it the box appeared solid and I cleaned up what was in there.

I do have the benefit now of the clean and painted ER. Anything not painted has some dry dust so should be easy to spot where this is coming from. But I see literally no sign of it coming from above. Used my phone to take pictures of the nook between battery boxes and boat hull and it looks dry in there. Battery boxes are dry inside. No signs of anything in the short space forward of the battery boxes. Any ideas?

 

[Briankinley2004]

Could you possibly have water in the stringers that run next to the battery boxes? Is the area aft of the fuel control valves, behind the ER ladder, sealed off from the cockpit? If not perhaps there was water under the cockpit fuel tank that came out when you got under motion. Let us know what you find out so we know what to look for.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Are you talking about the area directly under the engine on the port side? One source of water into the bilge is leakage around the bolts used to hold the aft rub rails to the hull sides; the rails deteriorate and water can get in past the bolts.

 

[carolinacoast]

An Exhaust crack can bring water in there.

 

[oldawg]

Brown sounds like something cored.

 

[madhatter1]

Brian, This is either coming from under the battery boxes or above between the fuel filters and the rear of the battery boxes, My center bilge area is a dry sealed area that has no drains or any other drains leading into it. Yours should be the same.

Jim, This is in a central dry bilge area, not aft and outboard.

Carolinacoast, the exhaust above this area is insulated/blanketed dry exhaust.

Olddawg, If this is something seen from a wet cored area it might explain how its accumulating with no other signs of entry but I don't think Hatteras used any coring the year the boat was built or ever below the water line. Anyone know about the construction of the series 2 46's or anything in the early 80's?

Brian mentioned water in the stringers but they should be 100% foam for shaping and fiberglass. Olddawg mentioned water seems like from coring. I wonder if I have a leak in the drain tube that runs under the engine pan connecting the wet shaft pan to the forward wet bilge pump area. But then again this seems very unlikely due to the overbuilding of the boats back then. Friday we are headed to a marina 5 miles from home. I'll check when I arrive and during our stay. Regardless of whatever I see I'll have the wife drive slow while I go check with a bright flashlight. Thanks all for suggestions.

 

[bostonhatteras]

The Stringers must have limber holes and despite the foam used to form the stringer being permanently inside it isn't necessarily bonded well to the fiberglass and water can and does work its way into the stringers. Hatteras didn't see the need to seal the limber holes, so they do get water inside. Any stainless screw penetrating into the stringer will rust and rot due to anerobic conditions and produce the rusty water and stains. I never thought my port outboard stringer had any water in it but then I fastened a wiring clamp and later I discovered the ss screw all rusty with a long rust trail from it. just my thoughts on it . As for the extreme saltiness, I'd think that's a dead sea type of phonomenon. The salt water gets in but only the water vapor gets out leaving the salt behind to accumulate

 

[bigbill]

could this be water coming up from the keel? i have heard of the keel area getting full of water even though it is sealed and full of foam.. i seem to remember someone on the forum drilling a hole and removing some foam to be able to pump the keel area out.

 

[jim rosenthal]

The keel can absolutely fill with water; I had to drain the keel on my Hatteras and then allow it to air out and dry for weeks before sealing it up. So far, so good.

 

[whoover]

I found a small hole in one of my drain tubes that allowed water bubble up through. It drove me crazy until I found it. Food for thought.

Walt Hoover

 

[Briankinley2004]

Brian, This is either coming from under the battery boxes or above between the fuel filters and the rear of the battery boxes, My center bilge area is a dry sealed area that has no drains or any other drains leading into it. Yours should be the same.

. Anyone know about the construction of the series 2 46's or anything in the early 80's?
.

Yes mine is the same. Thought yours could possibly be different or modified.

I have a piece of the coring on mine where a transducer was installed. It is 1 inch solid fiberglass

As for the comments on the keel I think yours probably has the keel tank like mine. I don't know how that relates to water in the keel as I don't know the construction details. I would think there would be some separation between the keel layup and the tank layup inside. Right now my money is on the stringers or floor under battery box area

 

[neildeb2]

Walt Hoover, you mentioned a leaking hole in a "drain tube" that drove you crazy for a while. Could you pls elaborate more on what drain tube you're talking about, where the leak was coming out exactly, and how you located where the sea water was entering from? I have what might be a similar situation. Thanks, Neil

 

[madhatter1]

We ran short distances over the weekend both on plane and slow speed. Nothing showed up.

 

[whoover]

The drain tube under my port engine that runs from the area in front of the engine to the area under the stuffing box had a small hole. Any water in the forward part of the boat would run to the rear and some would bubble up under the engine bilge. I found it while cleaning and prepping for paint.

Walt Hoover