I have one!
The bilges under the rear berths seem to have filled up quite significantly in Pilchard.
The leak appears to be coming from the join in the main structure underneath the cockpit seat on the starboard side. my guess would be that this is leaking from a a deck fitting somewhere and tracking over the ceiling liner in the main cabin reaching this point and leaking in.
Any ideas especially about a remedy?
Good trick for finding trickles:
Take a dry marker pen (water soluble not spirit marker).
Draw a line around the GRP below where you suspect the leak.
Wait
Water trickle will smudge the line.
Dave.
Dave Newton Sailbadthesinner
If you can't get to the underside of fittings jet wash each one in turn with someone watching inside.
You may find you create a new leak as well but if it fails quickly with a jet then the sealant was probably going to fail soon anyway.
Dave.
Dave Newton Sailbadthesinner
Hi Rod
From your description of the location, I would suspect the bolts holding the tracks on the cockpit coaming. All of the bolts holding fittings to the deck can slowly work loose over the years.
On my X I once found a substantial leak via the bolt that holds the block the centre board line runs round at the fore end of the starboard jib track. That block and bolt takes a lot of strain! After removing and re-sealing it I checked all the track bolts and all were a bit loose, so I worked my way round all of them. I didn't take them out, just removed the ceiling access plugs and tightened them with a socket and screwdriver. Did the same with the hatch guides.
I also had trouble with water running down the motor control cables from the controller, which of course went straight into the aft berth. It took sealant applied where the cables go through the grommet in the side of the console to sort it.
Hope that gives you some ideas. See you tomorrow!
Rick Jones (Treasurer), former 26X & 19 owner, Isle of Wight
Probably not appropriate for you issue but thought I'd share what a fellow sailor did when he wanted to find a leak in his boat. He cut a piece of ply to fit in place of his top weatherboard, drilled a hole in the centre of it to allow a garden leaf blower to fit through, sprayed soapy water over the whole boat or where the suspected leak was and then started the blower! This effectively pressurised his boat cabin to perhaps 2 atmospheres and you can bet your bottom dollar, if there was a leak he's find it. Might have created a few more in the process mind...
I've used the soapy water thing on a dingy but found it too hard on the mac. I had similar and found it was the seal between upper a d Lower moldings. I used creeping cracking cure or equivalent along the rubbing strip and found a place where it disappeared then kept adding till it stopped. Still OK after 3 years. Bjorn stripped a his black rubber off and resealed but can be a big job.
R
Rod, just a few diagnostic questions.
1. Is this a recent problem? Ie when we're the rear bilges dry?
2. Is the boat in the water?
3. What makes you think the leak is from a deck fitting?
I have a leak since putting mine too n the water so I share your interest.
MacGregor 26M 2009 - Sky's the Limit - Suzuki DF50