Water below

[OldUgly]

I purchased a C26 last summer and have really enjoyed fixing it up and sailing on Mobile Bay. I bought it for $1800 without trailer.

Recently I have noticed water in the cabin area. It's not rain water as it stays under cover. I suspect that it coming in around the swing keel area, but don't know for sure.
Have any of you guys ever had this problem or know of anyone that has?
I don't see and visible cracks. I really would like to find out where the water is coming in...

Many thanks.

Jim
Mobile, AL
USA

[EmergencyExit]

Oddly enough, we've been looking at South Baldwin County real estate (along the Fish and Weeks Bay) as a home for our C26 !

What year is your C26 ? Some years have lead bars encased in foam in the keel for ballast. Is the water standing in the cabin (on the sole), or exactly where ?


Beau

[OldUgly]

I'm new to this site. Just found it today and I'm glad I did.

We have a house in Pt. Clear, AL on Mobile Bay. The Weeks Bay area is a great place with deep holes for large boats. Plenty of water for a C26 for sure.

My boat is a '76. The water is on the floor of the main cabin area; around the keel winch. any ideas?[/quote]

[EmergencyExit]

Wecome aboard then

So far we are looking at possible retirement houses on Sunset Shores south of Magnolia Springs and Osprey Landing Subdivsion north of there on the Fish. Can't believe how much Oyster Bay and Bon Secour and Fort Morgan has grown up in the last few years.

Couple of ideas:

Water could be coming back up the tube the keel cable runs thru

Could be leaking at the area where the keel shoe/hinge pin attaches to the keel. If there is foam and lead bars under there it will saturate the foam, and cause water in the cabin.

In my case it was water from that small area of bilge under the stern berth coming up thru the cabin sole under movement. That bilge actually extends forward under the cabin sole behind the winch. If it was allowed to get full in the past, it will rot the ply sole from underneath. Under heel any water back there tended to seep up thru the comprimsied sole. Also if the rudder post in the stern berth area is bad, water will come in back there, run down into the rear bilge and seep up thru the sole if it is bad. Just replaced our sole.

Drop me an email at svemergencyexit@yahoo.com and I can send you some pics and diagrams of what these areas look like with the sole removed, as well as how the swing keel is attached to the boat.

Couple of other good sites are:

http://www.windward.lizards.net/
http://www.chryslersailing.lizards.net/

[donbohio]

Please look at all your through the hull fittings. I would especially look at the gray water drain fitting. On my C22 the fitting exited below the water line and was attached to a closure valve. The valve partially failed allowing lake water to come in and exit through a rubber pipe that was pushed all of to an opening into the seat/flotation foam area. The water entered slowly eventually filling that space. once it was filled, the water began to come out through the vent holes in that space allowing water to come out and reach the floor.

Needless to say, I am fixing the valve and I'm going to fill the through the hull fixing since we can no longer release gray water into the lake.

[OldUgly]

It turns out that the through pipe that connects tiller to rudder was leaking at the base (below water line). this is in the stern birth. It was a small trickle, but enough to fill the bilge and eventually seep through the cabin floor. Do you have any experience in fixing/replacing this connection? I have seen some How-To on this, but just wanted to find someone that had done so for pointers...

Thanks.

[jstplan]

Very straight forward, remove the tiller and bracket. Support the rudder from below and remove the collar. Lower the rudder until you can remove the hose. It took a little soaking and a dead blow hammer on the bracket and collar but eventually they worked off. Auto parts store supplied a new hose. Email me if you have any questions.