Water in forward bilge

[Laker]

Hello,

I have been getting water in my forward bilge in the area where the shower drain pump is. I have checked and it's not coming from the shower draining into the bilge area. Would anyone have an idea where the water is coming from? Could it be from the through hole where the bilge pumps out the water?

prefer to find issue myself rather then pay.

My boat is a 1986 10 Meter Sedan

Thanks in advance for any ideas

[P-Dogg]

Are you sure that the water is coming from there, or could it be going to there? As far as I can tell, every Trojan sits bow low. Water that blows into the engine room events could end up in there.

I bet that your hull-to-deck joint has never been touched since it left the factory. Can you access the back of it anywhere? Feel the plywood joint backer. Is it wet especially after a rain, or black? Do you see black streaks running down the inside of the hull anywhere? If so, the deck joint could be the culprit. How are your shaft seals? Could it be fresh water?

As for water ingress to the through-hull for the bilge pump, unlikely. Follow the bilge pump discharge. It should loop up, and then down to the through-hull. If it doesn't, I would alter it so that it does.

See related post: http://www.trojanboats.net/wforum/viewt ... ead#unread

[Drafter]

I've been fighting just that battle for a year. Have the exact same boat. Both engine pan bilges drain both forward to the front bilge as well as aft and empty into the bilge under your generator. When sitting, the forward bilge is the lowest point in the boat and any main engine intake will drain forward. I think I've finally cured mine last trip to the boat but am not 100% certain until next trip up. Was pulling my hair out! Finally discovered the vent line fitting to the (supposed to be empty) holding tank was loose and draining in.
Disgusting! I assume this caused the pump out vacuum to not get great suction and get everything out. Kind of like using a straw with a split in it I guess....I still have obsolete factory thru hulls that may drip a bit. I've considered getting a bilge pump cycle counter to see if my pump is kicking on at all while I'm away or if what is in there is the slow and steady progression of a week or two worth of drips. I absolutely hate having any water in my boat, but that may just be the burden of owning a 35 year old fiberglass bucket sitting in the water 24/7. I would dry up each thru hull one at a time and just sit and watch each one for a while until it can be comfortably ruled out.
Please post it if you figure it out!

[prowlersfish]

Your going to get some water in the bilge . Just a fact of boating . Shaft packing is going to drip , a/c is going to drain and rain is going to get in through the back deck . While there are things you can do to reduce it you will never have a 100 % waterless bilge . Now things like leaky thru hull should be fixed .

[Laker]

Thank you for all the tips. Guess I have some investigating to do next weekend.

I will keep you posted on what I find.

Thanks again!!

[RichSchink]

All water drains to the bow on my 1974 F32 also. There are 2 large pumps with float switches up front. I guess that's why Trojan put the thru
hull drain plug in the bow!

[Laker]

Okay, I spent the last couple of weekends doing my fav job (waxing) all done looks great and ready to be put in.

Now for the water issue. I cleaned and dried out the forward bilge and also the storage locker under the rear deck as always seems to have water there also.

was beautiful all weekend and forward bilge and rear storage locker under the rear deck remain totally dry. It rained bigtime today so I drove out to check the bilge and locker and both had about 2" of water. This means the water is coming in from the deck somewhere.

You mentioned the deck joints, I'm thinking that has to be the issue as the boat is on dry land, no out side water hose attached, holding tank is empty.

How do I go about sealing the deck joints? would I be sealing all around the rail? top and bottom of the rub rail? Should I remove the rub rail and caulk the full length? what should I use to Caulk?

Thanks again for all the input..

[P-Dogg]

How do I go about sealing the deck joints?

You might also ask yourself what condition the hull/deck joint hardware is in. Can you see the plywood backing strip behind the deck joint anywhere? Is it moist at all? Are the hull/deck nuts dust, or laying in the bilge? Could it be blowing in through the engine room (or other) vents? Shove some toilet paper in the low end of the vents before the next rain and find out.

Still could be coming from the aft deck, though. Run enough water into the bilge where it would come in naturally from the aft deck, then see where it goes. Does it sit there, or does it run up front? If it runs forward, maybe that is your problem.

If the hull/deck joint is the culprit, I would pull the rub rail, unscrew the hull/deck hardware a few feet at a time, probably alternating sides, dig out the old sealant, then re-seal and re-fasten using new stainless hardware and treated plywood backing. Oh, and since it is well nigh impossible to block a boat without wracking it, do this while it is in the water so you don't mess-up the alignment. But I am a bit of a freak.

What most people would do is spend 20 minutes running a bead of sealant around the top of the rub rail, then crack a beer or three.

Please do let us know what you discover. The written history of the solution to problems is what makes this forum valuable.

[kcarpenters13ks]

Hello. We just picked up our first Great Lakes boat. A 1977 trojan F32. And of course, comes with a tons of questions. Probally came here as a guest and now as a member 20 times in our 2 months of taking ownership. Thankyou all for your sharing of knowledge, youve accumulated over your seasons. thankyou again. And will definetly will return any things we learn along our adventure.

[AwayOnBusine$$]

Welcome! Mine is a 75 F32. Enjoy.