Mystery Water

[Freestyle]

1976 43 DCMY

I have run out of excuses. I accumulate about 3 inches of water in the bilge on the starboard side forward of the engines every 24 hours. I do not know how long this has been happening but now the float switch on the bilge pump in that area has expired after about every 24 hours the water spills over the forward starboard engine stringer and into the bilge under the starboard engine. The water has a slightly saltish taste but not as salty as the sea water.

I have shop vacuumed the bilge in that area dry and lain down there in an unbelievably uncomfortable state for hours and can not tell where the water is coming from either from ripples from drops or general flow. It just seems to rise extremely slowly without a trail to the source.

Here are the things I have ruled out and why:

1. Rain water from anywhere-- I park under cover. I also get more water when underway.

2. A/C condensate or raw water -- No raw water in that quarter of the boat. Turned off A/C's and still got water.

3. Freshwater Pump and or tank. Ran the FW tank dry and a day later still
had water.

4. Holding Tank -- Pumped dry and still had water a day later.

5. Through Hulls. No trail of water from any thru hull in that region. Only one and it is eighteen inches above the water line.

6. Other Through Hulls. I have a bad knee and can not dive right now but if memory serves there are no through hulls other than maybe that zinc plate which is part of the grounding system. I can pump the area around that area dry and can not see water anywhere around it even when I leave toilet paper behind as a tell tale.

7. No shower drains in that area. Galley sink seems to drain fine and was not in use while testing #3 above.

Given all of this analysis, where is the water coming from? I had a bottom job 4 months ago. Could a blister have ruptured and started seeping?

I have fixed the float switch and added a bilge pump to the area off of a spare battery just in case. Leaks do not cure themselves but I would like to diagnose this so I can tell the yard what to do and not vice versa.

It's frustrating but on the upside I have a great excuse to go see the boat twice a day to make sure everything is all right and check the vodka inventory.

All advice is welcome even if laced with folksy sarcasm from a member of the the dying Vol Nation.

Bruce
1976 43 DCMY
Vanderbilt 1985
Florida JD 1991
Vol Hater for Life or until my alimony and child support to that Vol cheerleader run out.

 

[MarioG]

rudder?

shaft stuffing box?

 

[Freestyle]

rudder?

shaft stuffing box?

Those two sources are aft of the engine and there is no abnormall water accumulation in those bilges. The problem has occurred from full tanks (stern down) until now when I have really light tanks and a lot of bottom paint showing.

I also can't see a trail from either although visability from the rudder is virtually impossible.

 

[Karl]

Thru-hull transducer?

 

[SeaEric]

When presented with these kinds of vexing boat problems that deny all logic and diagnosis, I usually consider selling the offending craft and moving permanently to Nevada.

 

[Jaxfishgyd]

on my 43, the area you're talking about is where my hot water heater is located. Have you tried turning off your fresh water supply ?

 

[Pascal]

a few years ago, on my previous boat, i noticed the forward bilge pump coming on once in a while (express, under the cabin). coudn't figure it out, since the fwd bilge was sealed from the engine bay...

finally, after drying the bilge with towels, I noticed water seeping from the fiberglass. Turned out that i had lost a screw on a transom transducer, water was getting in and following voids about 15 ft forward ! replaced the screw with underwater sealant, leaked stopped.

i had to towel dry the bilge and use a flashlight to spot it...

 

[CapetaniosG]

Have you checked your rudder posts? If not, do so. You may find the leak.

CapetaniosG
Hatteras 53MY

 

[mstailey]

Freestyle,
You did not state in your post if you were -or- not hooked to dockside water. I basically had the same problem as you and went through the same checklist as you with one exception. I was hooked to dockside water. What I found in the general wet area was the a transition hose from the copper pipe connected to the hot/cold water valves for the galley sink had a slight sepage that I could not see. What was happening was water was traveling down the backside of the copper pipe to the low point of the pipe as it layed across the area directly in front of the bulkhead / bilge area (the one right in front of the engine bilge) and filling up at the rate of 3+ inches every 20 or so hours. I tightened the hose clamps and solved that problem.

 

[mswinea]

I am looking for the same answers as you. I have the same make and year of Hatt. This past weekend the carpet in the aft state room was wet. Found water seeping from under the port fuel tank. Can't see the culpret, but I think it's a bolt to the swim platform that's come loose.

I also have too much water forward on the port side. Looked last night for hours and can't find the source. It wont even drain aft to the center bilge pump and the forward pump wont pick this water up. It pools in front of the generator area where the gen and AC sea cocks are. They seem tight. I hope our team of experts can help us both. Can't stand water in the bilge!!

 

[Freestyle]

Freestyle,
You did not state in your post if you were -or- not hooked to dockside water. I basically had the same problem as you and went through the same checklist as you with one exception. I was hooked to dockside water. What I found in the general wet area was the a transition hose from the copper pipe connected to the hot/cold water valves for the galley sink had a slight sepage that I could not see. What was happening was water was traveling down the backside of the copper pipe to the low point of the pipe as it layed across the area directly in front of the bulkhead / bilge area (the one right in front of the engine bilge) and filling up at the rate of 3+ inches every 20 or so hours. I tightened the hose clamps and solved that problem.

Mike,

I am not hooked to dockside water. I do have a new FW pump but I still get water accumulation even with it off.

 

[Freestyle]

I am looking for the same answers as you. I have the same make and year of Hatt. This past weekend the carpet in the aft state room was wet. Found water seeping from under the port fuel tank. Can't see the culpret, but I think it's a bolt to the swim platform that's come loose.

I also have too much water forward on the port side. Looked last night for hours and can't find the source. It wont even drain aft to the center bilge pump and the forward pump wont pick this water up. It pools in front of the generator area where the gen and AC sea cocks are. They seem tight. I hope our team of experts can help us both. Can't stand water in the bilge!!

I had the wet carpet problem in the aft stateroom last summer. It was a swim platform bolt that had pulled through the hull below the water line during a bad storm while moored in Key West. For a temporary repair, I filled the cap of a 5200 tube with 5200 and shoved it in there. It stopped the leak for a couple months until I hauled it and reattched the swim platform. You can get at it from the outside or inside if you take apart the wall in the aft locker which isn't too hard.

On your other issue, I always have a little water on the port side in front of the generator near the strainers for the a/c. I think it is just condensation or leftover from cleaning strainers. For whatever reason, it will not work its way aft to the bilge pump.

Thanks for the sympathy and maybe we will figure this out. I am going to dive the boat this weekend and look at the bottom in that area for anything that oges through the hull.

Bruce

 

[Will]

Bruce,
On my 1980 43’ DCFB the space under the main engines is isolated from the areas forward and aft of the engines. However, there is a tube that runs between the bilge area aft of each engine where the stuffing box is, through the area directly under the engine, up to the space forward of the engine. The tube runs just outboard of the inboard engine stringers. There is another tube in the fwd bulkhead that leads to the forward area containing the holding tank. I’ve had water enter the anchor chain locker, run into the forward bilge, then through the tube under the refer, to end up in the area you describe. Or, water from the stuffing box can run through the tube under the engine and end up in the same place. In either case, there is no water under in the spaces under the engines.
Sometimes it’s easier to go through a root canal than it is to find the source of a water leaks.

Will

 

[spartonboat1]

FWIW, I had an identical problem on 1972 43' DCFB which drove to distraction. It bought the boat in 1997 and did not resolve it until 2004. Two issues were:
1) Main raw water intake on one side had a leak that defied identification. I went through all the shop vaccing and towel drying for years, but no luck. Then one day I notice the slightest glint, which was the water leak, which of course ran forward to under the genny. While on the hard for winter, I had the intake pulled and remounted/bedded. Not a problem since.

2) Rudder post leaked at stuffing box, again such a slow leak that next to impossible to find. Had the box resealed and was the cure.

It's astonishing how the tinyest leak can generate large amounts of volume over time!

 

[jim rosenthal]

If you haul the boat, and fill this area with water, does it come OUT under the boat?

I would think this was a slow leak like bedding around a through-hull, or a bolt that secures a through hull, or something like that. It would drive me crazy, too, frankly. I hope you are able to find it.

 

[Maynard Rupp]

When most of these boats are at the dock, all water runs to the center bilge. A leaking rudder post or a dripping shaft packing will run forward even though they are aft in the boat. I also had a leaking hot water tank which was hard to find exceot that I always had water against the stringer below it. The newer boats have tubes through the engine bilges to transfer any water from the aft area to that center bilge. The early 70s Hats seem to not isolate their engine bilges.

 

[(Nobody You Know)]

Water will seep in and run down the engine strainers and be very unnoticible. Unfortunately strainer seals need to be replaced say every couple of years. The good new is, if you have the time (which you probably don't) you can duplicate these seals yourself using 1/16" neoprene rubber.

Other than rain water - which I get on my old 40' DCMY - this may be the cause.

One other thing, very old hoses running from the pump to the through hull can be porous and allow some raw water (caused by wakes, etc.) to seep back in above the pump's "duck bill" back flow.

Regardless, hope you resolve this soon.

Bill