Wet bilge on typhoon

[PortTack]

Hello,

I have a consistently wet bulge on our typhoon - I don’t see any evidence of the water coming in from above deck, and (by taste test), the water seems salty. I probably get 2-5 gallons every week or two. After a big rain, if I pumped the day before, I don’t see any excess, so I feel like it must be coming in from below the water line. Any thoughts? The old thruhulls from the little head were sealed by a previous owner, maybe they need to be cut out and fiberglassed over? Or, maybe the drains from the cockpit are leaking? But again, the water seems salty. Or, I’ve never taken apart and dropped the rudder, is there any part of how the rudder shaft comes through could be leaking?

[CapeDory22]

This is not likely to solve your problem, but maybe worth consideration... and this assumes you have a Weekender and not a modified Daysailer, as I understand that model did not come from the factory with thru-hulls.

When I launched this year, I returned a few days later to find about 4" of water in the cockpit. I had just replaced one thru-hull rubber hose and wondered if I didn't tighten properly? The week before, after washing the boat in the driveway, it drained just fine. I tried to run a snake, but the 90 degree turn in the thru hull/rubber fitting wouldn't allow it. So, I tried a small sized toiler plunger. It worked! Somehow there were air pockets, maybe, preventing the thru-hulls from allowing water to equalize. It would seem that this could be true for water ingress from the ocean side of your hull...

Perhaps worth a try?

[PortTack]

I have been having some cockpit drains issues, with them draining more slowly than previous years, partly due to the boat having a new spot in the yard that has more tree coverage. That could be it? But again, wouldn’t that result in fresh water in the bilge from rain not draining, rather than salt water? Yes, it’s a weekender. I don’t remember if the problem was present when we first bought the boat in 2019, since we sailed it twice that year before the end of the summer and then we didn’t put it in during 2020 (Covid).

[kenlury001]

I had a similar problem with small accumulation of salt water in the bilge. This was especially noticeable on a very windy day. Also if I sprayed water directly into the drain, I got fresh water leaking into the cockpit.
The problem was a leak somewhere in the cockpit side "nipple" .

After trying various fixes without success, I solved the problem thusly: I got a short piece of half inch wire reinforced hose and pushed it down until I felt it went passed the junction of the "tit" and the hose. Prior to this I covered the outside of the hose with caulk. After placement, I caulked around the top of the new hose piece.

Now I can even "power spray" directly into the drain to keep it clean and there is no leakage.

[sloopjohnl]

i have posted before somewhere about the fact that I got water in the bilge in my '76 Ty for a few years and could not find the leak. One day i shined a bright flashlight on the inside of the hull where the port thru-hull for the one cockpit drain came thru. it was wet with a very slow leak. that fall i installed a new thru-hull and ball valve (to replace the original gate valve) and did the same for the other thru-hull the falling fall as the other side was also showing a leak. the bedding of the thru-hulls had finally given up after 30 years and required a do-over.
not sure how old your boat is but take a look - could be your issue.

[hinmo]

I just bought a typhoon this past summer and have not floated her yet. The ball valves for the thru hulls were a mess and I replaced them.

Question: I failed to put thread tape/sealant on the threads valves and connectors. I tightened them the best I could with a thru hull wrench and appropriate tools. Do you think I should take them apart and put thread tape/compound on them before floating? Its not an easy task for me, but am wondering?

thx

[gonesail]

i have seen small leaks in thru hulls go away over time but have also seen NPT fittings leak when no thread tape or compound was used. your choice i guess.

[hinmo]

yuk. Probably worth the effort. She's in my yard on stands, so might be easy to get done vs a haul out

[keneasley]

I replaced 4 thru-hulls and seacocks on Felicity last year.

I went with Groco and followed the method used by Atom Voyager: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_eQkeXXl64

Marine How To also has a good explanation: https://marinehowto.com/replacing-thru- ... -seacocks/

You can see my project here: viewtopic.php?t=38881

Regarding sealing them up - I phoned Groco and discussed with them.
The key area to seal is where the thru-hull screws into the flange (base of the seacock/ball-valve).
This is because the threads are not tapered threads and won't seal out water without sealing compound.
I used sika-flex 291 on the threads that go into the Flange to seal them.
Do not apply it to the uppermost 1/4 inch or so because that could get into the ball valve.

Also make sure to use Sika Flex in the counter sunk area of the Flange Adapter too
and the base of the flange adapter and around the bolts etc
and lots of it on the Thru-Hull to fill in the gap between the hull and thru-hull

When tightening the thru-hull into the Flange it should be very tight but not too tight which could crack the gelcoat.

For the other threaded connections I used LockTite 572 thread sealer.
These do not have to be tightened as hard as the thru-hull.

It all worked out well and I have no leaks.

[warele]

Hello. I have a saltwater leak in my Cape Dory Typhoon weekender, and have heard (via this forum) that the fix is likely to be rebedding the thru hulls and replacing the seacocks. I can't do this myself and haven't yet found anyone in my area (Norwalk, CT) who is willing or able to do the job. If anyone knows of a good Fairfield County, CT, boat repairer, please let me know. In the absence of a repair person, I have a (probably dumb) question: what happens if you just seal up the thru-hull openings from the outside? Thanks for any help...

[Jim Walsh]

https://marinas.com/search?category=mar ... ty=Norwalk

These are but a handful in the immediate area. I presume you have a trailer, if so, the world’s your oyster. If you must have this done for you, you can get quotes until you feel comfortable. Prices will vary wildly from one place to the next. Just keep in mind that the lowest price is not necessarily the best, sometimes you get exactly what you paid for. Good luck.

[warele]

Many thanks. I've tried a couple of places for quotes but will add some of those in your post to the list. My boat is on stanchions in a boatyard, so local is best. Cheers--Leslie

[keneasley]

I had one thru-hull and seacock replaced by Norwalk Cove Marina a few years ago.
It was a small (3/4") fitting for the galley sink drain.
The cost was about $650 for labor and parts plus $500 for a haul-out and relaunch.
They used Apollo seacock and did not use a backing plate.
They would not give me the option of Gocco which I prefer because the seacock can be replaced while leaving the thru-hull in place.
It works well and a backing plate was probably not necessary because the hull is very thick there. They did very good work overall.
After that I tackled 4 other seacocks on my own. It is not very difficult work provided they are accessible. But it did take many hours.

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