Water Issues

Here you can discuss Chrysler Sailing across all makes of Chrysler sailboats.
Post Reply
Darklin
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2019 6:27 am
Location: Lansing Michigan

Water Issues

Post by Darklin »

After not being up to the boat for the last two weeks, my wife and I arrived to our C26 fixed keel this last Friday night with about an inch and a half or so standing water in the cabin. ( it was just short of making the ledge step that is before the V birth.
Text my friend, that sold me the C26 last fall, and quickly realized that we neglected to empty the bilge this spring when we put her in the water. ( something he and I spoke about, but overlooked getting done ) Simple enough fix, and here in Michigan we had flash flooding last week throughout a lot of the state via thunderstorms so I really did not think much of it. Her and I bailed a good deal of the water out that night, then my friend showed up bright and early the next morning, where he showed me the bilge hole, and we installed his home made bilge pump and emptied her out. All and all took probably five mins with the pump to empty. Wife already had a portable steam cleaner with her, since we have been trying to clean up the boat as much as possible lately so she removed most all of the remaining water from the carpet.

Later that same day, my father in law came up to take us out on the C26. Five people on the C26, could estimate the weight at 1000 lbs or so max, with very little extra equipment on board. We sailed for about 3 hours in White Lake, and did not travel into Lake Michigan, winds where not too heavy and we where only running on the jib sail, since I neglected to secure the edge of the main sail, to the end of the boom, leaving the main sail to pull pretty heavy towards the mast, so I just dropped the main to reinstall it this up coming weekend.
Wife and I mainly just learning maneuvers with my father in law overseeing, and causing slight situations for us to react to and learn from. ( yes, her and I are both new to being the ones sailing the boat )
On the return to the marina, wrapped the jib sail, and just used the outboard to return, apporix 8-10 miles across the lake and the stern was sitting rather low in the water from the outboard and all the weight in the cockpit. After securing her at the slip, we found that we had the cabin completely in standing water again.
Trip to my friends marina in my car, and I returned with his bilge pump to empty her out again and wife and I had to leave that night to return home.
- only drain I know of is from the sink. I checked this with water from the bilge pump running through it for leaks and found none.
- main source of leak seems to be above water level and towards the stern. Dampness and water present.
- battery box in the cockpit does leak, but this would only bring in rain water
- my friend stayed at the lake though Sunday, stopped at the C26 to check the bilge which was still completely empty

This upcoming weekend, I plan to take only my wife, previous owner, and myself out running only the outboard in the same conditions where I picked up the leaking, leave my friend at the til, and crawl below into the aft and try to track the main source down.
Skipper Dan
Posts: 106
Joined: Sat Dec 09, 2017 11:33 am

Re: Water Issues

Post by Skipper Dan »

Why aren't you installing a bilge pump? There should be room behind the ladder. I just cut a nice size hole in the floor. Buy a really small pump with a float, plumb it to the sink so that it drains into the sink basin so you know when it is running.

Dan
Darklin
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2019 6:27 am
Location: Lansing Michigan

Re: Water Issues

Post by Darklin »

Skipper Dan wrote:Why aren't you installing a bilge pump? There should be room behind the ladder. I just cut a nice size hole in the floor. Buy a really small pump with a float, plumb it to the sink so that it drains into the sink basin so you know when it is running.

Dan
That is exactly what I finished purchasing last night, and intend to install on Friday evening when I return to the boat.
2000 gph bilge pump, battery trickle/mantainer/ tender and yes, I was planning on T'ing it right into the sink plumbing since the bilge pump has 1 1/8 outlet hose, and I believe the sink is 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 hose.
Have a large box of baking soda that I am going to arc line the aft area in, and see about repeating the leaking.

Was just curious of others had ideas as to the origin of the leak, as a known problem.
Skipper Dan
Posts: 106
Joined: Sat Dec 09, 2017 11:33 am

Re: Water Issues

Post by Skipper Dan »

You want to plumb it so it goes in the basin, in the top of the basin. That way you can see when it pumps. There are not many fixed keel 26's so it will be hard to see any common problems. If the water was coming over the bow, it could be a leak in the chain locker.
Darklin
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2019 6:27 am
Location: Lansing Michigan

Re: Water Issues

Post by Darklin »

Being a fix keel, and rarer was what I was a bit worried about. Will report back after this weekend when we take it back out, and I run baking soda lines in the stern/aft area. This seem to be where most of the dampness comes from, as the V birth is pretty dry, and I can find tear drop moisture droplets in stern area.
I have not found chain lockers ( maybe I need to explore more on the boat :P ) unless you are speaking about the area directly under the cockpit that is covered with a board. I placed my anchors and a few extra heavier ropes in there.
Sorry if my terminology is a bit off, newer to sailing ^^
Skipper Dan
Posts: 106
Joined: Sat Dec 09, 2017 11:33 am

Re: Water Issues

Post by Skipper Dan »

If it is coming from the aft stern area then it most likely is the motor mount area, this is a problem area for the 26. The chain locker is under the forstay forward. This has a drain that goes out the front and if it gets plugged the water sits there and eventually finds its way down. I closed off my motor mount and made a Honda generator locker out of it. I am running an electric motor and a lower unit mounted to the hull just aft of the keel.
Attachments
Sail drive mounted.jpg
KIMG0027 (Medium) - Copy.jpg
Darklin
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2019 6:27 am
Location: Lansing Michigan

Re: Water Issues

Post by Darklin »

Update-
Yes, true enough the leaking is from the motor mounting area. When under motor power I crawled down in the aft section while my wife was trooling around and there is a steady trickle coming right in the furthest reward section where the board ( transium ? ) meets the flooring, this is draining to the where the rudder goes into the haul, which is draining to the keel. Not sure any type of further repair is going to be possible till I pull her from the water.
Bilge pump ( one that works anyways ) is able to keep up with out any issues, and when under sail the leaking is not present, so as long as I am able to keep her working like this, I will probably wait till fall when she is pulled to find and repair my leak.

Sound reasonable ?
Skipper Dan
Posts: 106
Joined: Sat Dec 09, 2017 11:33 am

Re: Water Issues

Post by Skipper Dan »

Yes, You might sail more and motor less. :-)
Darklin
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2019 6:27 am
Location: Lansing Michigan

Re: Water Issues

Post by Darklin »

motoring less is the ideal situation. ROFL now to just get good at bring her into the slip...........
15 mins or so for my first true solo attempt this last weekend to get her into the slip. others where telling me afterwards I did not have the speed to bring her in correctly informing me that I should keep her at 2 knots coming in until I enter my slip. all practice I need to do and get use to I suppose.
would be easier for sure if I unlock the outboard and just pivot it to bring her in, father in law telling me that is a big no no for learning and wants me to learn more how it would be for an inboard motor.
pneuma
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2011 5:47 am
Location: Washington State

Re: Water Issues

Post by pneuma »

I have a 26, fixed keel. when I put her back in the water last year, it only took 30 minutes to fill the bildge. I quickly found the leak at the base of the hose that isolates the rudder shaft from the aft berth. Temporarily used a caulking and fabric with Zip ties to seal up. Then when returned to trailer removed temporary fix and re-fastened the big hose clamp ( with some caulking under the edge to seal). I installed 2 inexpensive Rule pumps for redundancy. Made sure that they are rated to lift the water enough to clear a sailboat bildge.
Tim Brown
Post Reply