posted July 22, 2004 12:08 PM            

Shortstay was left out uncovered in the weather for God knows how long, certainly since last fall. When we were checking her out & convincing ourselves to buy her without first getting qualified advice or an inspection, she seemed to be unkempt but pretty much dry. That verdict held through the day I picked her up (of course!,) but when I got her home about 3-4" of water flooded the cabin floor & all 4 cabin lockers were similarly flooded, much to my shock, dismay and confusion – where the heck did it all come from??? I was perplexed, but bailed & let her air out.

A small amount of water was also in the rear locker, but it was hard to reach so I left the hatch open hoping it would evaporate, but it didn’t really dissipate. Finally I sponged her out & discovered a bare trickle of water flowing in through the seam where the bulkhead to the flotation chamber met the bottom of the locker, slightly up the curve to the starboard side. I reasoned that the aft flotation chamber must have taken on water – and a lot of it – somehow. Then I inspected the cockpit floor & saw hairline cracks where it met the sidewalls. Hmmm… I figured that must have been the major culprit. I’ve kept her covered pretty much all the time, hoping that keeping the cockpit dry would cut off the supply of water & the water already there would leak out to where I could bail/sponge & eventually we’d be OK. However, the problem has persisted, especially after trailering her. Though it does seems to be lessening.

I have noticed water pooling under the head as well, so perhaps there’s a similar problem fore as well(?).

I take solace from the fact that at least the water is staying in the boat. So that makes me believe water isn’t getting in through the bottom of the hull or else it would have drained out (!). We also took her out after work for a couple of hours – there was no wind, so we just motored around – to be sure she was tight, which she seemed to be. There was some water in the starboard aft locker at the start, but I sponged it out & attributed it to the trailer ride again. During the cruise we checked all the lockers, including the stern, & there didn’t appear to be any water.

It was too late to check her last night when we got home, but I checked this morning & there was some minor water in the port aft locker, even less in the port fore locker. More water had pooled beneath the head. Basically nothing on the port side or aft. However, it’s still occurring enough that I’ve finally decided to turn to the collective wisdom of the group!

One last thing, while I was inspecting today, I notice a slight bulge in the cabin floor between the keel and the head. I don’t know if it’s new or I just didn’t notice before.

So, there’s my problem(s?). I’m still not sure I’ve diagnosed where the water is coming from & especially how there was so much when I first got her home. And how is the water getting into the lockers when I can’t see any cracks or holes?

Any thoughts/answers/insights will be greatly appreciated.

posted July 22, 2004 01:56 PM            

Water flows downhill (most of the time) so the lockers collect it from anywhere. We've had water in them after a bad storm when it's come through the hatch.

The water might be slowly flowing around the foam trying to get out. It will trickle out very slowly if the path is not direct. When our new head was installed some of the foam had to be cut out in the bow. We can now inspect this area easily (by taking the head out) and any water that might come through deck fittings can be monitered. (Although every fitting is sealed so no water comes in)

To sum it up you have to methodically check everything and eliminate the sources one by one. It might mean a few inspection ports but then you know where you stand. After you find the collected water you can then start to seal the areas where you suspect water is entering. Slowly you'll get control of the situation.

posted July 22, 2004 02:33 PM            

It's just so annoying & while I keep hoping it will abate by itself after it's run it's course, it's hanging in there sufficiently enough that I fear I'll have to put in a fair amount of time & effort into correcting it. As you point out, however, the first problem is diagnosis.

My wife mentioned some posts which talked about cockpit floor problems & one instance where someone had to replace the cockpit due to it being too weak(?). We certainly have what looks to be hairline cracks. Would it be too "low brow" just to put a layer of caulk over those cracks as a bandaid and see if it helps? (I'm almost too embarased to ask that question because I have a feeling some old tars will be rolling their eyes back in their heads!)

Thanks again for the reply.

posted July 22, 2004 04:43 PM            

If you caulked the cracks and the water stopped you would know where the water was comming from. At some point though you'll have to bite the bullet and fix the floor. That said, I kept an old lime green Laser water tight using sealant for 10 years and 6 CORK regattas.

posted July 23, 2004 12:06 AM            

We’re taking her down to LI Sound tomorrow & as long as she floats, we’ll leave her in the water for the next 10 days before bringing her back to VT. (I’ll have to leave her under foster care for 3 of those days, alas!) I think I’ll probably take a stab at caulking after I get her home & see if it has a beneficial effect. If so, I’ll redo the gelcoat.

Thanks for reassuring me about the spring in the cockpit floor, D’Arcy. However, I’m still wondering about the slight bulge in the cabin floor between the keel & the head.

I hope you’ll both forgive my ignorance, but D’Arcy, I didn’t understand the "6 CORK regattas" reference, and whited could you tell me what a "po" is? I love how there are so many unique nautical terms & references, and I feel like such a greenhorn asking, but how else do you learn?!?

posted July 23, 2004 12:11 AM         

quote:

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Originally posted by Shortstay:
could you tell me what a "po" is?

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posted July 23, 2004 12:26 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by 2short S565:

po = previous owner ?

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Ah, of course... not exactly nautical is it?

I was thinking "petty officer" but...

Someone posted using the abbreviation "c/b" and it took me about 5 minutes to realize it meant centerboard!

I'm learnin'...

posted July 23, 2004 09:28 AM            

My sons through their Junior Sailing camp raced in the very same regattas that their old man did in the 90's and 00's. It's a very tough series as Kingston is noted for its' strong winds and waves coming down the full extent of Lake Ontario.

The guys used our old Laser to race with a new sail. (Due to equipment failure we also added a new mast, 2 tillers over time.) Because we kept the boat dry, sealing leaks where the deck meets the hull, the boat did very well at times. We never carried water in the hull which really slows you down. Racers with new Lasers could not believe that an original Laser with wood rudder and centreboard could go so fast. That's the joy of one design racing.

posted July 23, 2004 11:18 PM            

Sailing has so many unique terms I just figured I was missing something I might as well learn about.

Very cool info on CORK. Thank you for that tidbit, D'Arcy. Very cute acronym too!

As much as I love email & fora such as these, whited, I haven't quite allowed myself to delve too much into shorthanding & acronyming (I think I just made up two verbs!). I don't do I.M.-ing or other real time messaging. I like to wordsmith too much & hate to make dumb language mistakes.

Hope this weekend finds both of you enjoying some nice sailing. The weather down in the New Haven-Brideport region of LI Sound is just awful! Had to scratch putting Shortstay in this afternoon (Fri) because some ugly cells were on the way. Staying through Mon & I'll be damned if I don't get in one day of sailing, even if it's raining!