Water ingress solved

[Sabre27Admin]

jerryo
Ireland
70 Posts

Posted - 24/10/2010 : 21:55:59
After extensive and prolonged tests I am happy to say I have got to the bottom of this problem on Parvus.
It is definately bilge water which, when well heeled (not money) on the port tack slops up through small slits between hull and the seating unit in the saloon then runs down the hull and into the 2 midship lockers there.
This season there has been more bilge water than usual and I tracked this down to 2 places; first a leak in the cockpit hatch (rainwater) and a case of worn stern gland packing, allowing a drip every 30 secs or so into a drip every 3 seconds.
I have employed liberal use of a hose to test all deck fittings, windows and the rubbing strake- all perfect..

Happy days
sabre27
178 Posts

Posted - 24/10/2010 : 23:21:19
Yes, I’m sure that you have nailed the cause of this problem.

I have sealed off these lockers all the way around against the hull with GRP, not easy but very effective. No water in them since, (20 years or more) in any conditions!

The same treatment has been given to the locker space directly under the cooker, the adjacent chart table seat aft of the galley, both lockers under the quarter-berths and the two fore-cabin under berth lockers forward of the bulkheads. In short, almost all of the lockers abutting the hull are dry!

We have a policy of pumping the bilge every time we leave the boat to go home after a weekend and regularly when cruising. Ten strokes after any water is removed. This will also prevent any possibility of a Butane Gas build up over time.

Flexible water tanks can cause a lot of these problems, a difficult thing to diagnose and eliminate completely. It is possible to have tanks made that will not leak, but this will come at a high financial price, and in time to design, build and install!


Paul Howard. S27OA Technical Officer.