Why is my 1993 Shetland 4+2 leaking?

[Edwardc999]

Dear All,

Please be kind to a newbie!

After some months of winter neglect, I found 4” of water in the cabin and also in the battery and fuel lockers. I bailed it out and 1-2 weeks later found another 1.5”. This seems more than could possibly have come in from rainwater.

Having bailed again, the water seems to be accumulating first into the battery (port side) locker. A couple of boat-savvy people have had a look and conclude that it is not coming in at the log/speedo point. I know of no other instruments that would pierce the hull. The boat has not been out of the water for years.

It is kept at Mallard Place, just below Teddington Lock in the tidal water. The mooring does not dry out and so the boat has not been in contact with bottom. Debris of various sorts does come down the river but there is a larger boat moored just up-stream which should shield it from the worst.

Apart from any general advice, my main question is whether there are hollow areas in the boat where water could have accumulated other than the fore and aft lockers. The floor feels solid. There are white bungs in the floor: what are they for? Should I take them out? Is there any point in my taking up the table sockets to look beneath? I suppose what I am asking is: are there central bilges in a 4+2 and, if so, how do you get at them?

If there is a crack, it could be quite small judging by the rate at which water accumulates. Should I take her out and take a look? Or is rainwater still the most likely culprit?

Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Many thanks

Edward Corbett

[admin]

Hello and welcome. we are always nice to newbies cos we have all been there ourselves.

My gut feeling is you should get that boat out of the water PDQ. Sounds too much to be rain or condensation.

If you can get the floor bungs and table holders out with out too much trouble I would, just to give you piece of mind. Sounds too much to be osmosis. You would, however be suprised how water can get in the minutest of cracks or drill holes.

It also might be worth giving Shetland a ring as they still manufacture 4+2's and could tell you the configuration under the floor.


Sue - ADMIN

[elkel]

Hi ed.i've also got a 4+2 which has water getting into the hull.
The boat is kept out of the loch(awe) between visits but when I go
back up there's usually water around the white plug. There is usually
water inside the hole. Rain water must be getting in somewhere.
When she's in the water there's no increase in water.i'm going to have to
try and dry out the hull and find the leak. easier said than done.
There also doesn't appear to be a drain plug. I'll watch with interest to
see how you get on.

[Dellquay]

Hi Edward,

Re the white bungs, if they are about 1.5" in diameter, they are plugs to fill the holes in the plywood deck where the foam is injected. Whilst there is usually gaps in the foam where it failed to expand fully when injected, it is at it's thickest at these injection points so taking the plugs out will gain very little.

Chris

[Edwardc999]

Dear Sue, Elkel and Chris,
Thank you for your answers - and the welcome.
If the centre of the 4+2 is filled with foam, does that mean that the only "bilges" where water can collect are the two fore lockers and the aft battery and fuel lockers? I suppose another way of asking the same question is: if you have a built-in bilge pump, where does it extract from? Or do you need two intakes?
I suppose I really need to sit in her during a rain-storm to see what is getting in before taking her out of the water to check the hull. Does that sound right?
Thanks.
Edward

[dellquay13]

Hi Edward,

there should be foam everywhere underneath the cockpit sole, the cabin floor and any lockers, cupboards or compartments that have the white bungs, but there always seem to be gaps where the foam solidified before fully expanding.

As for the leaks, why wait for heavy rain if you have a hose pipe, its always better to work on your boat in nice weather and you can be systematic and specific with the hose.

Chris

[guest]

Water will get in through the most unlikely places - we recently found that it was entering the cabin of our F4 through the cracked screw-hole of the anchor-locker cover hinges, would you believe, and dribbling over the front bulkhead and through the interior lining on the lip under the front window. Spent hours thinking it was a leaking window and trying to locate it, before the truth dawned. Fibre-glassed in the enlarged old screw-holes, drilled new holes for self-tappers, and problem solved! posting.php?mode=reply&f=6&t=1225# Persevere - you'll find the leaks in the end!

[trickytrev]

Hi there, If you buy some talcum powder ( not the can type but the one sold in a plastic squeeze bottle ) Gently spray a line around the inside walls of the boat as well as the floor area. Connect a hose pipe to a tap and give the boat a thorough soaking. Leave it for a couple of hours and then have a look to see if and where the water is coming from... If that fails at least your boat will smell as fresh as a babies bum..

[Edwardc999]

Thanks to Chris, Trev and Guest,
In fact, there is no mystery about where some rainwater is getting in; there are some obvious drips. The issue is whether it could account for the 4" in there after the winter and the 1.5" that returned a couple of weeks after being bailed out. Or whether it is getting through the hull.
So the rainstorm or hose solutions seem best. Being in there when it rains heavily would give me the best appreciation of just how fast water is penetrating, I suppose. I will let you know the result.
Two questions please: can water falling into the fore lockers reach other parts of the boat normally? What is the catchment area for water collecting in the aft battery and fuel lockers?
Many thanks for your continuing help.
Edward

[Edwardc999]

Dear All,

The hose revealed that one of the cracks in the forward cabin window is letting in a lot of water. Probably the answer to the leakage.

Are window cracks fixable or is replacement the only sensible option? The loo porthole is also letting in a load of water, presumably due to a perished seal. Any advice on replacing those or is it straightforward?

Many thanks,

Edward