Seeping water

northwind · Post by **northwind** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 4:40 pm

Help:
New owner here and in desperate need of advice. I purchased an 8 meter from my father-in-law (who is now deceased), and I have water oozing into the aft storage compartment of the v berth. It's coming up throught the floor! The boat has not been in the water for 5 years or so. It was covered improperly, so there was water in the cabin when i got the boat. I got the bilge area all pumped out, but wsater still oozes through the floor at a rate of about 1 gal per day. Is there something of an inner hull that this water could be trapped in? How would I get to this area so I could suck this water out? It looks like he put a layer of epoxy over the teak floor and put carpeting in. I can't tell if there is moisture under that epoxy or not. I going through the boat one system at a time trying to get seaworthy for mid may. Any advice would be much appreciated.

PS If terminology is incorrect, I apologize, I'm new to sailing

Thanks
John

John, A couple of questions -Is your boat in the water at this time? When you say "It's coming up through the floor" do you mean that it is coming up through the hull of the boat? Where exactly is the 'aft storage compartment of the v-berth'? Water in the cabin when you got it - in the cockpit or inside the cabin - where?
All of that said, the best that any of us will be able to do is to guess. And, sadly, it looks a lot like you may need a good deal professional on-site help here. Tom

northwind · Post by **northwind** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 11:06 am

Tom:
The boat is not in the water at this time. In the v berth there are two storage areas underneath the bunk cushions. The sails are in the front storage, and the storage compartment in the back is where the water is coming in. When I got the boat, the water was in the cabin (galley area and forward in the head). Water is coming through the hull, but the boat is out of the water. That's what I don't get. Is there an inner hull and an outer hull that this water could be trapped between? Thanks for your response.

John
PS The boat is on the trailer in my driveway, and the bow is pitched downhill. When the boat is level The water doesn't seep as much.

Tom Line · Post by **Tom Line** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 11:47 am

Out of curiosity, has it been raining there lately?

northwind · Post by **northwind** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 11:56 am

Yes, some, and that's the only source of water because I have the potable water tank and lines out. But, how does rainwater get down in between the hulls and then seep out into the cabin?

tpf · Post by **tpf** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 10:51 am

In a 7.9 there is a locker/storage area under the cockpit. The storage area is accessible from the cockpit where there are two large hatches. Forward of this compartment there is a bulhead that separates the port and starbord settee bunks and the engine compartment on inboard models.

From what I can tell it is fairly common for the aft compartment to accumulate water from above or if the cockpit drain hoses deterioate over time. If water accumulates in the aft locker it could seep into the cabin if the bulkhead was not sealed or had ice damage.

It sounds like there is a significant amount of water in the boat somehwhere I would begin by removing anything from the boat that is not fiberglassed in. There may be a locker or opening that is not apparent with the cushions, sails........in the boat. If there is water trapped inside it may have frozen and done other damage.

I would also check your cockpit drains to be sure they are not diverting water into the hull.

Is this a keel boat (fixed keel) or does it have a daggerboard (keel can be raised or lowered)? There may be a difference in the interiors between a 7.9 and an 8.0.

Post by **Tom Elsen** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 11:49 am

There's a pretty big difference between the 7.9 and the 8.0.

As far as the water 'trapped in the hull" theory goes, I can't see anywhere near 1 gal / day coming from even the soggiest of soggy balsa cores. More than likely (since the boat isn't in the water) rain is coming in from some source(s) -- unsealed thru deck chainplates, leaky hatch(es), lazerettes, bad toe rails, ??. Any of those could mean serious structural integrity issues.

Northwind sounds like he's pretty new to this. So I STRONGLY recommend that you get an on-site experienced and professional assessment. Look, if the keel bolts are loose, you could get killed. And there are at least 25 or 30 other things that you need to check out before you get this boat near a garden hose, much less actually in the water.

Get a pro to do a complete once-over. From the keel bolts to the rudder post & bearings to the standing rigging to the hull and deck integrity...do it all. And unless you've got more sailing experience than it sounds, I'd have a pro do a one or two hour check-out cruise as well. And after five years of neglect, I'd expect at least something to go wrong.

I'm not trying to discourage you. But you could easily put yourself, your family / buddies and others in danger if even one of the key elements is primed to fail.
Good luck

northwind · Post by **northwind** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 12:29 pm

Tom:
I appreciate your input. Anybody in the Chicago area have a recommendation regarding a marina or mechanic to take a look at my boat? Thanks in advance for your responses.

John

Stef · Post by **Stef** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 7:58 pm

northwind, you may want to contact my sailing buddy StevyG@aol.com , he has an 8.0 and has been doing extensive work to it. Put a subject on your email!