mid ship bilge and hello from Australia

Greetings from Down Under

I am on the Gold Coast in Australia and own a 2001 340 fiesta vee. [Purchased late 2015.]

Never owned a boat before and it’s been a big learning curve , lots of problems / money but have enjoyed the whole deal.

Just when you think the whole thing is close to sorted along comes another problem and would appreciate your help / opinions.

Our marina gets lots of marine growth on the hull and I use a diver every few months to clean the hull and drives [ I slip the boat and anti foul it also].

I had just fixed a fresh water leak in the rear bilge which I traced back to leaking back sink tap , replaced it and all good, then had the driver clean the hull and drives and then noticed a salt water leak in my back bilge .Then noticed I had more salt water leaking very slowly in the mid ship bilge!.

I monitored the back bilge leak and am  getting  about one and a half us gallon over 7 days.

The mid ship bilge leak is a real mystery , maybe about a quart in your terms, as soon as I clean it out it just pools up again overnight. Seems to be coming from forward as I can feel water pooling in front of the mid ship bilge area. The water seems to be seeping between the glass structure and the epoxy paint layer on top of structure. Have checked the seacocks for aircon and toilet] and cannot see any leaks.

Some questions,

Where would the water in mid ship bilge be coming from?

Would this water be making its way to the back bilge area? [I can see a water trail just near the start battery on the starboard side in the back bilge..

Could the diver dislodged something and caused a small leak.?

Both transom shields were replaced December 2015  and recently I had three mechanics check out the engines , transom shields and bilge but they could not see any direct leak from engines  or transom etc.

I really enjoy the forum and look forward to keeping in contact.

Regards  john





"festina lente" - 2001  340 FV

Best Answers

  • downunderdownunder Member Posts: 29 ✭✭
    Answer ✓
    thanks for your replies, much appreciated.
    I am really puzzled where the water in the mid ship bilge goes to?
    I have a bilge pump there and its working but never seen or heard it pumping out any water etc. Fast as i take it out using a towel it just pools up again but only gets to about one inch deep max.
    i will put up some pics sunday evening your time.
    "festina lente" - 2001  340 FV

Answers

  • Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2017
    I have the same hole under the stringer
  • downunderdownunder Member Posts: 29 ✭✭
    thanks for your welcomes and comments.
    have done some more follow up, put some cooking dye in mid ship bilge and got traces appearing in aft bilge . I started looking at water pooling forward of mid ship bilge. Took a pic and then took the table base off and can clearly see water down there and so put my phone down and took another pic. Looks like the angle the boat is sitting at is not really helping drain things to midship bilge area. I checked under the sink and no leaks.So still not sure of source of water. Have rechecked the sea cocks and shower box . Getting a shipright to have a quick look at it tomorrow.

    "festina lente" - 2001  340 FV
  • downunderdownunder Member Posts: 29 ✭✭
    hey apologies for size of those pics,
    i had another "expert" look at the leak the other day, he turned off the sea **** in the aft [engine bilge] I got down there today and managed to open it again, what a mission!! never realized what gymnastics are involved in owning a boat!!
    john

    "festina lente" - 2001  340 FV
  • Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You need to get a hot tub as well and do yoga
  • MarkBMarkB Member Posts: 3,960 ✭✭✭✭✭
    As others have stated, the mid bilge will overflow to the aft bilge for safety. As per your picture it will fill up to the overflow point and then the level won't change. Finding the leak is annoying, but as Handy says, you have to completely dry the area with paper towels (brings a few rolls with you). And be quick to see where you discover a stream of water, using your phone to help.  I've had my aircon water pump leak (at gasket), and strainer leak (wasn't closed properly after cleaning). It only takes a few drips a second to fill a bilge pretty quickly.

    Boat Name: King Kong

    "Boat + Water = Fun"

  • reneechris14reneechris14 Member Posts: 3,134 ✭✭✭✭✭
    What about some powder or something to make the leak more visible. I mean not a bunch to mess up the pump. Just to help trace it.
    2005 Rinker FV342  Pawcatuck river,Ct
  • downunderdownunder Member Posts: 29 ✭✭
    well after lots of looking and using the wet and dry vac, i have located the source of the bilge leak.
    It is in the aft bilge, in front of the starboard engine but high up in a top corner section.
    here is a pic and you can see the trail. A local mechanic says its from a separate compartment and he thinks it is coming from the swim platform support where it joins the hull . Any thoughts?
    "festina lente" - 2001  340 FV
  • Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    That looks opposite to where the platform is mounted.
  • davidbrooksdavidbrooks Member Posts: 1,339 ✭✭✭✭
    On my 342 i have one on both sides.  I always thought that was the overflow from the mid bilge area. Swim platform is just attached with bolts through the transom wall.  Pretty confident it isn't from that.  
    It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere!
  • IanIan Member Posts: 2,774 ✭✭✭✭
    Yep, I agree with Handy - unless your engines are in backwards :smile: And David - this seems to be the forward overflow into the aft.

    Regards,

    Ian

    The Third “B”

    Secretary, Ravena Coeymans Yacht Club

    https://www.rcyachtclub.com/

  • downunderdownunder Member Posts: 29 ✭✭
    thanks for replies, nope engines are not in backwards lol probably my brain is from too many beers!
    when you say the forward overflow into the aft , do you mean forward from the bow area?
    Its getting late over here [ 11.30 pm] so will catch up tomorrow.
    plus just to confuse you we are coming into summer!
    I am taking the boat out tomorrow and will keep looking.
    cheers
    "festina lente" - 2001  340 FV
  • Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Maybe water tank or hot water heater??
  • davidbrooksdavidbrooks Member Posts: 1,339 ✭✭✭✭
    Water tank and hot water heater sit on a ledge, no drain through the fiberglass to the bilge.  I really do think that these are drains from the forward compartments into the engine bilge area. Unless water flows backwards in Australia i would of thought that engineers would want all bilge to flow to the back to get as much pumped out as possible.
    It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere!
  • Liberty44140Liberty44140 Member Posts: 4,318 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Do you have V-Drive/Inboards? not stern drives? If so then that could be the inside of the transom in the pic. 
    07' Cruisers 390 (Previous Rinker's: 06' 342EC & 01' 310FV)

  • MarkBMarkB Member Posts: 3,960 ✭✭✭✭✭
    If I'm looking at that picture right, your gas tank is behind that separation wall, and there is a drain hole right there where the water is. That is likely how the water gets from your mid berth sump to your engineer compartment. I'm putting my money on something in the mid berth. Either the aircon pump/line is leaking, aircon condensation, shower sump is leaking, rain water getting in, or sea cocks are leaking.

    Boat Name: King Kong

    "Boat + Water = Fun"

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