Where has all the water come from?

[CaptainPhaff]

My 535 does the same and it is rain water that seeps in under the cover from behind the screen above the cabin door and down off the side of the cover through the fishing rod holders towards the back end of the two sides (if that makes sense). I put a washing up bowl under each one and they fill up every few days when it rains hard. There would be a good couple of litres in each I would imagine. David

[IlsonMark]

I also tend to have a problem with water getting in, but I think I'm more or less on top of it now. If the boat is out of water, quite often if I simply change the angle of the boat on the trailer more water appears. It can generally flow freely from the cabin area, under the floor in the cockpit. So anything from leaky cabin windows to rain getting in through the cover will potentially cause it. Nothing really to worry about, just make sure that you pump it out every so often.

[CaptainPhaff]

You should be ok mate. A lot of Shetlands are kept in the water and they seem to be okay. I have taped over (insulation tape) the rod holders on mine and that has made a massive difference. You could also tape the cover to the boat if you are going to leave it in the water for any period of time. Do you not have the option of keeping it on land? They are dead easy to launch and recover with a half decent trailer. Would also be way cheaper I would have thought.

[IlsonMark]

There's no chance the boat will sink from taking on rain water. To put it into perspective, I once went out to sea with a hole in the bottom of the boat. Obviously I didn't know about this, but it was caused by the way the previous owner had screwed the cockpit floor down. A screw was actually poking through the bottom of the boat. Anyway, it still didn't sink, and performed as normal.

As for window leaks. This is still the primary reason for leaks on my 535. I've used some of this to good effect - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Captain-Tolleys ... B003T6EJ9A, but I still have to put buckets underneath the joins in the window seals in the cabin overnight to catch any leaks!

[vreagh]

Hi, when fitting a new seacock for the engine in my 535, I left out a 1/4 inch bolt. It took a fortnight before the harbour master noticed the boat was lower than usual. I think the water rose on the tide ,and drained when it ebbed. As this happen years ago, I couldn't claim "another senior moment". Regards. Keith