On the hard and water in the bilge?

Hello Trawler friends. Now I’m confused. My 1999 Mainship 350/390 is currently in the boat yard and being splashed next week. I removed my shrink wrap two weeks ago. Since then all has been good. I cleaned the bilge and engine room. It looked great. It rained over the weekend. I walked back to the boat today to check on it, and I noticed the bilge is almost topped off with water. Water is obviously not coming from below. Has anyone experienced this? Rainwater somehow entered the boat into the bilge. The interior of my boat is dry. I have a generator hatch and lazaret hatch back aft exposed to the elements but those have drains. Has anyone ever experienced a bilge filling up with rainwater even though the interior is dry and the hatches have drains???

HeatherAlyssa said:

Hello Trawler friends. Now I’m confused. My 1999 Mainship 350/390 is currently in the boat yard and being splashed next week. I removed my shrink wrap two weeks ago. Since then all has been good. I cleaned the bilge and engine room. It looked great. It rained over the weekend. I walked back to the boat today to check on it, and I noticed the bilge is almost topped off with water. Water is obviously not coming from below. Has anyone experienced this? Rainwater somehow entered the boat into the bilge. The interior of my boat is dry. I have a generator hatch and lazaret hatch back aft exposed to the elements but those have drains. Has anyone ever experienced a bilge filling up with rainwater even though the interior is dry and the hatches have drains???

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Through ER vents maybe? Water tank leak? Broken water line?

L

Check your deck drains, one of them may have come loose under the deck fitting. Put a partially turned on hose on each deck fitting and have someone listen for water trickling into the bilge to shout when you hit that fitting.

You can lay paper towels around suspect areas and see if they get wet over time. The towels will change if they get wet even if they happen to dry out before you check them.

Hatch drains get blocked pretty easily, then the water goes into the boat. Try blowing them out with air or water or maybe pass a wire through them.

Check around / below rubrail inside ER.

Hull deck joint is notorious for leaking and many boats but MS maybe more than others.

See Bacchus Projects Pg 4 - and click on Hull / Deck Joint Repair for details

Some propose simply caulking above the rubrail w/ silicone -
Note: I DO NOT support this practice but everyone needs to make their own decisions.
I do not like silicone - see the details for more... and I believe the external caulk is a band-aid temp fix -
I prefer to correct the root cause of the leak as a permanent repair.

As others have stated taping paper towels in strategic places helps determine the source. I also agree many other possible sources so best to confirm before expending lots of effort.

However, I'd be willing to wager a small amt that the hull deck joint is a likely source.

Wow. Quick replies. My water tanks are empty since I was on stands all winter. I’m going to assume ER vents are (Engine Room Vents)? I could be wrong but I don’t think the Mainship had ER vents. Or did it? The hull is smooth with no vents. Only thru hulls. Now I’m curious. I’m going to head back to the boat now and inspect a little. My motivation drops when it’s breezy and 50 degrees. I am steering more towards blocked drains.

HeatherAlyssa said:

Wow. Quick replies. My water tanks are empty since I was on stands all winter. I’m going to assume ER vents are (Engine Room Vents)? I could be wrong but I don’t think the Mainship had ER vents. Or did it? The hull is smooth with no vents. Only thru hulls. Now I’m curious. I’m going to head back to the boat now and inspect a little. My motivation drops when it’s breezy and 50 degrees. I am steering more towards blocked drains.

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It is possible that you had a blocked deck drain hose. If there was water in the hose above the blockage, the water could have frozen over the winter, splitting the hose. Not much of an issue if the boat was shrink wrapped. However, remove the wrap and the water can then enter the deck drain, and run through the split into the bilge.

Just another possibility.

Don't forget the chain hawse for the anchor. Water could get in there, though from the sound of it you had quite a bit of water get in.

Ken

Greetings,
SILICONE??? AAARRRGGGH!

There are alternatives IF you want clear. 27A Ultra Clear High Solids Co-Polymer Adhesive/Sealant

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DAP-Alex-Plus-10-1-oz-All-Purpose-Caulk-Clear-18072/100024624

and I've used this stuff: Lexel® by Sashco

I agree with Mr. B. Caulk is only a band aid/temporary repair but....

Hello all. I figured it out. My lazaret hatch is the culprit. Although there is a drain, as my boat sits on the jack stands, it is leaning/listing slightly to starboard. My lazaret hatch has a water track around the opening. Guess what side of the track the drain hole is on? Yes. The port side. Water was rising above the starboard side of the track faster than it could drain on the port side drain hole. I know this because I saw the water sitting up flush against the starboard side when I lifted the hatch. Meanwhile, the drain hole wasn’t draining that water because it wasn’t flowing into it. Thank you for the quick replies. You rule!

HeatherAlyssa said:

Hello all. I figured it out. My lazaret hatch is the culprit. Although there is a drain, as my boat sits on the jack stands, it is leaning/listing slightly to starboard. My lazaret hatch has a water track around the opening. Guess what side of the track the drain hole is on? Yes. The port side. Water was rising above the starboard side of the track faster than it could drain on the port side drain hole. I know this because I saw the water sitting up flush against the starboard side when I lifted the hatch. Meanwhile, the drain hole wasn’t draining that water because it wasn’t flowing into it. Thank you for the quick replies. You rule!

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Great news!

Thank you. In the meanwhile... I drained and vacuumed all the water. Back to normal for now.

HeatherAlyssa said:

Hello all. I figured it out. My lazaret hatch is the culprit. Although there is a drain, as my boat sits on the jack stands, it is leaning/listing slightly to starboard. My lazaret hatch has a water track around the opening. Guess what side of the track the drain hole is on? Yes. The port side. Water was rising above the starboard side of the track faster than it could drain on the port side drain hole. I know this because I saw the water sitting up flush against the starboard side when I lifted the hatch. Meanwhile, the drain hole wasn’t draining that water because it wasn’t flowing into it. Thank you for the quick replies. You rule!

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Great, a simple fix.

BTW, I was shocked when I saw the drains on my lazarete hatch. There are four - one in each corner. And the all have separate hoses to a lower merge then to a through hull. I thought (and maybe still think) that this is a bit of overkill. But I am not going to try and out guess DeFever!

I actually think that is a good idea. As I looked at my hatch I thought to myself, “If I was a Yacht builder, I’d incorporate all of the crazy things that I see that need improvement.” I’d make a super boat. Lol. I’ll start with the drains. Looks like DeFever got the memo on that one already.

HeatherAlyssa said:

I’m going to assume ER vents are (Engine Room Vents)? I could be wrong but I don’t think the Mainship had ER vents. Or did it?

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They should be on the inside of the gunnels in the cockpit. Notice on Port and Stbd, you can reach your hand up into the gunnel from underneath (there's no bottom). Your Engine Room (ER) vents should be there.

HeatherAlyssa said:

Hello all. I figured it out. My lazaret hatch is the culprit. Although there is a drain, as my boat sits on the jack stands, it is leaning/listing slightly to starboard. My lazaret hatch has a water track around the opening. Guess what side of the track the drain hole is on? Yes. The port side. Water was rising above the starboard side of the track faster than it could drain on the port side drain hole. I know this because I saw the water sitting up flush against the starboard side when I lifted the hatch. Meanwhile, the drain hole wasn’t draining that water because it wasn’t flowing into it. Thank you for the quick replies. You rule!

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Very good news glad it was a simple one

i have a 2003 390 and my bilge was taking on water when it rained and when washing the boat. it was the hose connection on the port side drain from the fly bridge. I assume you know the supports on the port and starboard aft corners are actually drain pipes for the flybridge. they connect to a tee in the lazarette. one side of the tee came off and all of the water went right into the bilge. If it happens you need a really skinny friend to reattach it.
John

Lol. Yeah I know about the supports. Not only do I wish I had a skinny friend, but I also wish I had a 2 foot skinny friend.

HeatherAlyssa said:

Hello all. I figured it out. My lazaret hatch is the culprit. Although there is a drain, as my boat sits on the jack stands, it is leaning/listing slightly to starboard. My lazaret hatch has a water track around the opening. Guess what side of the track the drain hole is on? Yes. The port side. Water was rising above the starboard side of the track faster than it could drain on the port side drain hole. I know this because I saw the water sitting up flush against the starboard side when I lifted the hatch. Meanwhile, the drain hole wasn’t draining that water because it wasn’t flowing into it. Thank you for the quick replies. You rule!

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Good Job.

Mine does the same. Glad you found the simple solution.

Do you not have a hull drain for when the boat is on the hard? If not, is the bilge pump working automatically? No drain is a recipe for disaster.

High Wire said:

Do you not have a hull drain for when the boat is on the hard? If not, is the bilge pump working automatically? No drain is a recipe for disaster.

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Hull drains, I think, are found on only smaller boats. Trawlers and boats of larger sizes do not have drains.

catalinajack said:

Hull drains, I think, are found on only smaller boats. Trawlers and boats of larger sizes do not have drains.

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Agree but there needs to be a way to get water out when in storage with batteries disconnected. On my boat, I pull a thru-hull speed/depth transducer and insert a section of folded up screen to let any water out and keep the critters out. I also use electrical duct seal around the windlass chain opening where water entry is possible. It rains a lot in Florida summer. The last thing you want is to lift the ER hatch and find everything under water.
The alternative is to somehow always have an active automatic bilge pump.
My batteries are fully charged then completely disconnected for 6 months.

High Wire said:

Agree but there needs to be a way to get water out when in storage with batteries disconnected. On my boat, I pull a thru-hull speed/depth transducer and insert a section of folded up screen to let any water out and keep the critters out. I also use electrical duct seal around the windlass chain opening where water entry is possible. It rains a lot in Florida summer. The last thing you want is to lift the ER hatch and find everything under water.
The alternative is to somehow always have an active automatic bilge pump.
My batteries are fully charged then completely disconnected for 6 months.

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The MS 34Ts have a drain plug but it is Stbd side u der the engine. It would drain eventually via limber holes and limit depth in the bilge.

the 350/390 does have a hull drain on the back of the keel. They also have a drain for the swim platform. the plug must have been in for the bilge to fill with water. Sometimes my yard pulls the plug in the fall and sometimes they don't. I always make it a point to remove it and replace it myself.
John

Let me amend my earlier response. Look at what I found in the main water drain. This was the true culprit. After painting the bottom of the boat we drank a few beers. This is my fault!

HopCar said:

Hatch drains get blocked pretty easily, then the water goes into the boat. Try blowing them out with air or water or maybe pass a wire through them.

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If not wire, plastic weedwhacker/string trimmer line is a good choice. I've used that for years to make sure the sunroof drains on our vehicles are clear. Blowing them out with compressed air can often cause them to pop loose from fittings if there's an obstruction. The line is just stiff enough to allow pushing it all the way through and the bright orange color is easy to spot once it's out.

I used wire fishing tape. Same results. Just not bright.