[Rhodes22-list] Center Board Well Leak

[Lowe, Rob]

David,
Interesting piece of detective work.  Thanks for taking the time to
share. - rob

-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of
david.walker5 at comcast.net
Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 3:43 PM
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Center Board Well Leak

Greetings to the list. 

I haven't been active on the list for a few years but have been actively
sailing my boat, Windswept, out of Salem harbor in MA. I re-signed up to
share with you all something I found this spring that I think should be
brought to all owners attention. 

For the 11 years I have owned my R22 (bought from Stan in 1998 as
recycled) I have been fighting a slow leak. Many helpful suggestions
pointed at rainwater leaks, which I did have and were mostly fixed.
However there was a consistent salt water leak that I could not find. I
pretty easily ruled out the thru hulls and was left with the centerboard
well. Two years ago I removed the cap and cleaned the mating surfaces,
replaced the fender washers and removed a small block that was through
bolted to the top of the cap (part of the 4:1 board raising tackle).
This didn't make any change. 

Last summer returning to the boat (at her mooring) after a weeks absence
I found water about a foot above the sole. The battery was under water
and completely shorted out. Its unclear whether the bilge pump failed or
the increasing leak rate caused the pump to discharge the battery.
Anyway, I limped to the local marina where I winter store, pumped out
the bilge with a home sump pump, had an emergency haul and had it
blocked for the winter. (I was pretty discouraged and was about to leave
on a 3 week trip). 

This spring I resolved to find the leak once and for all. When I opened
the boat I found a little rain water in the bilge but nothing was
leaking out. I filled the bilge to above the cap and a steady trickle
started to run out of the aft end of the CB slot. I lowered the water
with a pump to just below the cap seal and the trickle continued. I
lowered the water level to about halfway from the cap to the bilge and
the trickle stopped. Very strange. This eliminated the cap seal and the
pennant thru hull as a leak. 

I removed the cap (fun job) and carefully inspected the inside of the
well. At the aft end I found a piece of UHMWP in the shape of an upside
down V wedged from side to side at the top of the well. My guess is its
job is as a seat for the top of the CB when it is up to keep it from
moving side to side. The critical thing is that this piece was screwed
in place with long screws from the top of the piece, diagonally down
through the side of the well from inside to outside. The tips of the
screws were actually though the outside of the well about halfway up
from the blige to the cap. After years of the board banging into this,
the screws had loosened in the fiber glass and I could literally just
pull them out with my hand. These screws were loose in their holes had
provided literally two holes in the bottom of the boat. I took them out,
dried out the area, ground it down and patched with epoxy and two layers
of glass inside and out. 

My point in this post is that this may or may not have been done at the
factory and I'm not blaming anyone, but it was present in my hull. If
anyone has a slow leak in this area, it would be worthwile to check it
out, and if you pull your cap for any reason definetely check it. Now I
just have to finish all those pesky port light rain leaks!! 


Dave Walker 

__________________________________________________
To subscribe/unsubscribe or for help with using the mailing list go to
http://www.rhodes22.org/list
__________________________________________________