J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Water in Bilge

I have experienced an unusually volume of water in my bilge after typical race night
>I would empty the bilge pre-race only to find it half full with dark dirty water / and an impression that it comes from the aft hidden bilge (to be confirmed)
>there is no water accumulation between races when at the dock
>there is no water coming when running the engine (in neutral) at the dock....thought it may be a leaking hose
>there is no apparent oil, anti-freeze nor fuel in the water....but it is much dirtier that lake water / with brown sediment

A normal sail night is 10-15 min motor out / one hour race / motor back

Any thoughts where this water may be coming from?
My next step was to go out and strictly motor around with the engine cover off and make observations

Appreciate any theories

Taras

Keeping dirty water in the cooler that drains to the bilge sump to maintain your cold beer? :-)

Actually, it may be the hidden bilge - look where the bilge pump hose runs aft and see if there is evidence of the hose breaking down. That was a problem on Rhapsody and other J/30s as reported on this forum.

Mark Rotsky (Nemesis) and I have started using a long drill to put some holes from aft of the center bilge section into the hidden bilge. I got brown slime and have used wicking material and heat to draw the moisture out when the boat is on the hard. I put corks in the holes for the sailing season. This is a temporary fix until I ultimately tear apart the hidden bilge and properly fix that area.

I could phathom that, but where is the original bucket and a half of water coming from that flows trough the hidden bilge to the bilge?
It was choppy last night's race,..so it could have been old water that was in the hidden bilge to start with

It is probably water that has been moved due to boat heel & pitch from the hidden bilge that is saturated. You are seeing what I saw on Rhapsody.

Thanks Bill

Went to the boat today for a serious inspection
It appears that the water is coming from either the port side weep hole or from the hidden bilge
What on the port side could take on water? All the water tanks are good (remember the water is brown)
???
Taras

I am almost ashamed to admit it but 2 years I did something not smart, replacing my propane hose - that brought me in somewhat similar experience (clean salt water, not oily though - i tasted it was really puzzled:-).
J/30, model 84 and after, have a propane locker starboard size of the cockpit. The copper 'through-hull' was actually at the bottom of the propane locker - which happen to be under the water-line on port tack.
I had just removed the original sealed locker-through copper tube by a loose not sealed traditional propane hose. It took me a while to find it out... went to all hole, seacock, water tank, anchor drain, stuffing-box... my wife found it...:-)

Taras,
Could your brown sediment be rust?
When I got Foot Loose a few year back, one of the chain in the locker has gone to rust clogging the anchor locker drain. If your drain which goes though a small hose inside the hanging locker is porous or split... that might be it... just a possibility...

Is the prop strut faired over properly? I used to get BUCKLOADS of water into the bilge that came through the strut mounting bolts. All fixed by glassing over the strut base.

Resurrecting this thread after a few years. I found something that contributes to water in the aft section. After a big rain, I was seeing water accumulate in the aft bilge.

It appears that the deck seam joint is the source. Since the deck was put on with 5200 and screwed down when built, it is probably the 5200 that has broken down.

I found that by taking a pliable caulk (Not 4200 or 5200) and applying a bead along the exposed areas of the deck joint, it fixed the problem. If there is an opening at the ends of the teak toe rail, be sure to close up those gaps.

Now if we could just stop the water that comes down the mast!