Good point, Mark. I squeezed back in that space yesterday to unbolt and remove my original fixed motor mount. It's definitely a tight fit! I'll get in there again and check out Sapphire's cockpit drain fittings and signs of leakage. Thanks!
Gordon On Oct 20, 2008, at 10:50 PM, Roberta Dvorscak wrote: > One important area to check when there is mystery water in the M17 > bilge is > the cockpit drain hoses and more particularly the through hulls to > which > they attach. When I first purchased my M17 I had unexplained water > in the > bilge. I wriggled back under the cockpit with a flashlight to > investigate > with the boat at the dock. I found a tiny bit of water dripping at the > outlet end of one of the cockpit drain hoses and when I grabbed it > to check > more closely I stuck my thumb right through the metal nipple that was > glassed into the hull as the attachment point for the drain hose! I > quickly > got the boat on the trailer and home for repairs. Since those > outlets on the > M17s are below the waterline a failure far from shore could be a > disaster. > The repair involved cutting out the old through hulls and glassing > in some > new 1-1/2" stainless steel tubing in their place. I was a total > fiberglass > repair novice at the time but it was doable with a little research > and slow > steady work. It was especially helpful that it didn't have to be > cosmetically perfect, just strong. Check it out closely now, and > make it an > annual winter maintenance procedure to check those. You'll be glad > you know > the condition of the darkest recesses of your vessel. > Mark Dvorscak > Former M17 owner > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of > Gordon > Gilbert > Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2008 9:46 AM > To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats > Subject: M_Boats: Bilge full of water > > I was just cleaning out my M-17 for the winter and I was surprised > that the bilge was about three-quarters full of water. A small amount > of water may have run in after spurting through the centerboard > pennant hole (I generally keep it plugged, though), but I doubt that > would have been enough to nearly fill the bilge. Also, the portable > hand pump I had sitting partly in the bilge had a bit of rust-colored > slime on it, suggesting that maybe the water came through the keel. > > I had the boat's keel trunk and centerboard worked on last winter to > relieve a sticking board. When the shop first cut a hole in the keel > to check for rusting ballast, they mistakenly cut partly through to > the bilge on the first try (about a 2.5" diameter hole). Of course > they reglassed everything, but I can still feel the cut round hole at > the very bottom inside of the bilge right where the keel trunk is > walled off. > > My questions are: > > 1. Does anyone else get much water in their bilge? I assume a > completely dry bilge is the norm. I kept my boat on its trailer > during the season, with the exception of a couple four- to five-day > cruises. > > 2. Does anyone have suggestions on how to ensure a dry bilge in this > situation? I suppose I could cover that hole area with a layer of > thickened epoxy, but it's a tough area to access and clean and see > what you're doing. Again, I'm not certain that the water came through > this previously cut area. > > Thanks in advance for any suggestions! > > Gordon > M-17 #377 "Sapphire" > Milwaukee > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com > Version: 8.0.173 / Virus Database: 270.8.1/1732 - Release Date: > 10/18/2008 > 6:01 PM > > > > _______________________________________________ > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
