Sunday, May 30, 2010

Water problems

This narrative starts with "Spring Cleaning" below.
Under the boat there was some seepage in the front of the keel trunk where the keel had impacted it. I drilled a 1/4" hole forward of the trunk and a small amount of water came out. I drilled another hole next to the trunk where I figured the forward rib was and water poured out! That was when I realized that the cabin floor had a space under it. "Duh!" Did another hole on starboard side. More water.

Putting it together, water was seeping in at the front of the keel and accumulating under the floor. It then seeps up through the keel trunk/rib joint accounting for the mysterious appearance.

So, I put a layer of fiberglass on the front of the keel trunk and added a strip of high density foam to reduce the impact of the keel. I then reinforced the forward edge of the keel trunk further from the inside. I drilled a 2" hole in the cabin floor just forward of the trunk. A 2X5 piece of aluminum flashing was fashioned into a u shape to act as a dam and thickened epoxy was put against the trunk. Then I put thickened epoxy over the rib/keel joints.

I still have to figure a way to access the space under the floor to remove any future water that might get there. I attempted to put a small inspection plate in the center of the cabin floor and found out there was a reinforcing rib there. I also found that some of the fiberglass hadn't been saturated with resin when the boat was constructed. The floor and bunks and head are all one big molded unit that also serves as flotation. Air leaks would not be good! I am thinking of a water storage tank deck plate. Ideas would be appreciated.


2 comments:

  1. I am just about to start a similar Newport Lockley 16 project with a buddy here in Virginia Beach. The previous owner reported the same problem, saying, "I tie it up at night, and in the morning it's sunk!" He couldn't find the leak after many exterior fiberglass patches, which is why he gave us the boat. I haven't had time to explore the keel trunk thoroughly yet. Just know that we value your experiences and will share any insights. All the best! -Chris

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  2. Storm,

    I had the same problem that i repaired last year. I wrote about it last October. http://luckydog-newport16.blogspot.com/2009/10/update.html

    Best way to access it is to cut out the floor.

    Paul...

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