Water in the the hull

[Dread425]

Hi

Have just become a new member. I have 2006 Shetland family four with a Honda 25 and is sitting on a braked Trailer. Very pleased with the shetland, easy to tow and slip.

Just winterising a few weeks ago noted water ingress coming from the battery compartment?

Have removed the table insert in the forward cabin and sucked out about a bucket full of water. Is it common to have water trapped in the hull? I know the hull is Pumped with polyurethane foam, but will water cause any detrimental damage or is it just a matter of draining/sucking out the water as and when it fills.

Note I have the jockey wheel right the way up with the hull bow at an angle so all the water drains from the upper moulded hull chine's to the front of the bow. After the water is drained I revert the boat back to an angle where the bow is angled higher than the stern so water drains off to the stern naturally.

If any one can put my mind at rest that having water trapped in the hull is a common problem.

Thanks

D Read

[Deaks]

Hi D

On my Black Hawk the main bilge, accessed through a hatch in the cockpit; runs forward and disappears beneath the cabin door.
I found to my cost that it links the to narrow void beneath the table mounting hole.
Lack of space when leaving the boat on the trailer overnight at a marina meant I was forced to park on an incline with the prow down.
Overnight heavy rain got into the cockpit, (through our elderly cover), ran forward and bubbled up through the table hole.
This resulted in four inches of mucky water in the cabin, which I'd re-lined in pale-coloured carpet only a few days previously. You live and learn.
With the prow elevated water poured into the table hole runs back into the main bilge. Try yours and see if it does the same.


Deaks

[Dread425]

Thanks Deaks for your reply, I have tried what you suggested and water is present in the table leg hole, have sucked out about half a bucket full of water, but it did not over,flow into the cabin.

Obviously the water is getting in somewhere, but what about getting it out? I do not want to keep the bow low for the water to drain into the table leg hole in the front cabin. Would it be best practice to fit a bung in the inner part of the fibre glass transom. In other words not the rear main transom but on my family four I have a gap between the rear transom and cabin floor where the cockpit self drains. I'm thinking of fitting the bung here at the lowest point. Would you agree.

Regards

Dean

[Coddy]

Hi Dean

From what you have posted I would suspect that the foam has started to absorb water. If I recall early boats were not filled using closed cell foam which stopped any water being retained in the foam.

If you can lift any of the floor sections or have any inspection holes I would check to see the condition of your foam because if it has drawn in water
1/ the boat will be very heavy and your fuel consumption will increase
2/ You may have a leak in the hull allowing water in or more likly condensation/rain running down into the bilge
3/ Trying to let it dry by tilting the boat will take months
4/ Rot could set into the stringers and supports

You could make a holes in the floor and fit waterproof inspection hatches tso a more thorough check can be made. Alternativly if you can get hold of an endoscope type camera with light you would be able to get a better allround view, these can be hired I think.

Hope it's none of the above as it will be a lot of work to resolve.

Dave

[rbmatthews]

Water seems to be a perennial problem in Shetlands. It leaks in through windows, hatches, the join between hull and deck, though the cabin door sometimes (when the cockpit filled up), and even through the bulkhead from the anchor locker. Over the years, we have gradually repaired each one of these in turn, and now, apart from a small leak through a crack in one of the windows which appeared last summer and I will fix this winter, I think we have just about sorted it. The cabin table socket has remained as dry as a bone now for two years, despite spending the summer on a mooring, and the winter outside on the driveway.

So it can be done, but it just takes perseverance.

[AntonL]

Hello Dean

There was also water in my Shetland 570, sometimes several buckets. My fear was that it came from the hull via osmose but it seems too much water and the hull is in good condition. Now the boat is on the shore and I found out that it is the rubber fender around the boat. I removed it and now I let it dry until spring. Mayby drilling some holes.
See the pictures.

Grtz from Anton (Holland)