ChrisS
Member III
Water in foam part of keel?
Today I went down to fix a few small things, including a reinstallation of the bilge pump in the lowest part of the bilge, since the bracket that holds the pump was broken. When I removed the bilge pump bracket by unscrewing four screws, water started coming in, albeit very slowly. It tastes (somewhat) salty.
Looking in the manual, I can see the previous owner installed the pump over a foam section in the aft part of the hull, and I think he drilled into the foam.
it now appears water is either getting into the foam from beneath the waterline, or through the screw holes in the bilge.
So now I gather the boat is carrying around excess weight. What's the fix? What happens if I do nothing until the next haulout in a year or so?
Update: after a while, the weep really slowed down to almost mothing; I also took a piece of wire, and probed the screw holes. The bottom of each holes feels like solid fiberglass, but there is some water in there.
Today I went down to fix a few small things, including a reinstallation of the bilge pump in the lowest part of the bilge, since the bracket that holds the pump was broken. When I removed the bilge pump bracket by unscrewing four screws, water started coming in, albeit very slowly. It tastes (somewhat) salty.
Looking in the manual, I can see the previous owner installed the pump over a foam section in the aft part of the hull, and I think he drilled into the foam.
it now appears water is either getting into the foam from beneath the waterline, or through the screw holes in the bilge.
So now I gather the boat is carrying around excess weight. What's the fix? What happens if I do nothing until the next haulout in a year or so?
Update: after a while, the weep really slowed down to almost mothing; I also took a piece of wire, and probed the screw holes. The bottom of each holes feels like solid fiberglass, but there is some water in there.
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