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E 28 - under anchor locker bilge pump project.

DanielW

E-28 Owner
Hi all

I'm going slowly insane with this leak.

When I bought the boat she had been stored for some time and there was water in the void under the anchor locker which had seeped through and spilled over into the front storage compartment under the V berth. Not that unusual, this is a boat after all and as we all know, most boats leak and this appeared to be her only leak (after two years I know it is, phew!).

After much sealing the leak reduced, but was still there and so I undertook the mammoth job of removing the anchor bin, re-bedding the pulpit, cleats etc. Fitted a new anchor roller (a double roller - very nice) and re-fitting the bin with some heavy duty sikaflex (praying that I would never have to have it out again). Hey presto, no leak - for a while............

It's started again. It's very small and appears to be coming in at the front somewhere - cannot tell exactly where as the anchor bin is in the way. I have used a bottle of captain Tolleys (around the pulipt and anchor roller) and it has reduced to a small drip but when I leave the boat for a week (it's monsoon season here so it's raining a lot, every day) I come back and find a good half bucket of water in the void and my V berth cushions soaked.

So, I'm resigned to the fact that this leak is here to stay and am thinking of an alternative plan of action, namely, fitting a small Rule Auto bilge pump at the bottom of the void, painting the inside of the hull with waterproof paint and connecting the pump to the anchor locker drain via a Y shaped hose attachment.

Anyone undertaken such a job?

Good solution or total madness?
 

Don Smith

Member II
Don't give up yet on fixing the leak. When I purchased my '85 E26 it had a similiar leak in the bow area.

Like yours, a big source of leakage was the anchor locker. I pulled it out and rebedded it with Schedule 9500, which took care of the main leak. (Hope I never need to remove the anchor locker again, but I was ignorant and inexperienced and unaware that 9500 is a permant bond).

I eventually figured out that a small leak was coming from the base of the lifeline stanchion where the electrical wire for the bow running light passes through. My stanchion bases are closed like a can at the bottom except for the one where the electrical wire passes through a hole in the stanchion base. I'm not describing this very well. The stanchion base is bolted through the deck and then the stanchion is inserted into the base and held in place with a set screw. If your stanchions are like mine, I recommend that you have someone run water on the top of stanchion containing the electrical wire while you're inside looking for a leak. If it leaks, a simple, cheap fix is to coat the joint where stanchion goes into the base with clear silicone sealant, the kind recommended for fish tanks.

Hope this works.

Captain Don
E26 Gitana
 

u079721

Contributing Partner
I too would encourage you to not give up - at least not yet. I agree that all of the stanchion bases should be inspected, but I would add to that the bow cleats. My leak came from them, and was a ROYAL pain to reach, but I did it with a combination of universal joints and extensions. Be sure the drain hose is intact and not leaking too.

Good luck!
 

DanielW

E-28 Owner
Thanks guys, okay, I'll have one last bash at sealing the leak but in the event that I cannot stop it do you think my bilge pump idea is viable? My one concern is waves hitting the bow may force water into the anchor locker drainage hole - which will now be connected to the pump via a Y joint. I'm thinking that a suitably long piece of hose looped and held in place near the top of the void would be sufficient to prevent water working it's way into the pump and into the void. Or maybe there is a one way valve on the market that I could use?

PS: def not the anchor drainage hose or cleats, checked those. It will either be where the wiring comes in (I didn't check doh!) and at the front where the anchor roller is fitted. I noticed that after a few months of use the sealant around the roller was showing a very small gap - understandable considering the forces exerted there. I went round it with some sikaflex and it reduced, but I guess that the only way to really fix it would be to get the bin out again or "bright idea" cut a hole at the front of the bin fix and re-glass afterwards or put in one of those round access port thingys.
 

Emerald

Moderator
I think you really need to find the leak. The greater issue over time is going to be your deck core getting soaked, delaminating, and ultimately being a major repair.
 
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