hull drainage

daveredmon

New Member
I'm getting between a pint and a quart of water draining from the butt plug of my Catalina EXPO 14.2 as I take the boat up the ramp after sailing. Is that normal / average? Not sure where it's coming from, other than some condensation. But in this cooler weather, that's not a probable source, right? Recently I patched a small hole (using fiberglass and Marine Tex) in the side of the "well" that houses the base shafts for both the mast and the Hoyt boom.

Dave in Kansas
 
Seems like a lot to me. I rarely get any water at all from the drain. A leak in the centerboard trunk is always a possibility in boats with a CB. I'm not sure about the best way to check for that on the C14, so I'll defer to others about that. Another possibility is that water's coming in between the deck and the hull (more likely in rough water).
 
Dave, does the amount of water you find change in any correlation with how rough the conditions are? Perhaps this could help you narrow down the source; that is, whether the water enters from below or above the water line.

Also, do the Expo's have the Mod 3 type cubby; and do they have the fiberglass baffles inside the seat void (approximately below the gib sheet cleat area)? These baffles stop all of the water that I find in my cubby area from leaking back to where it would drain out the plug.

I left my Mod 3 in my slip all summer -- found about a 1/2 cup of water in the cubby and absolutely no water came out of the drain plug at the end of the season.

-- Ed
 
Reply from Catalina--hull leakage

Dave,
The centerboard trunk and construction methods for the Expo 14.2 and Capri 14.2 are very similar. Your Expo has an additional connection between the hull and deck forward where the mast / boom step plate fasteners are drilled and tapped into an aluminum plate. The aluminum plate is glassed into a fiberglass part that is glassed to the hull before the boat is decked. You might check along the centerboard trunk flange to make sure there are not any voids there. You can remove the 4 bolts holding the centerboard brackets in place and lift the centerboard out of the trunk. If you have a dentist's mirror or similar and a flash light you can inspect the seam from above or another alternative is to roll the boat over on saw horses or two large rolls of carpet and inspect from below. If you find any voids or possible leak locations use your finger to apply some 3M 4200 to reseal the area.

Good Sailing,


Kent Nelson
Engineering Department
Catalina Yachts
21200 Victory Blvd.
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
(818) 884-7700 ext. 237
(818) 884-3810 Fax
[email protected]
www.catalinayachts.com
 
I have a mod 2 and have the same problem. I haven't been able to identify it yet. I really thought it might be coming through all of the deck fittings and screws through the teak, but seems like a lot of water to get through there. Only reason I thought this is that it seems to get more water in it after it has rained.
 
I had a similar mystery and I agree with Bill, the drain plug itself. I put some teflon tape around mine and have not had a drop inside since. Easy fix if you are lucky.
 
bilge/hull leak-drainage

Thanks for the Teflon tape tip. I replaced the O-ring on the screw-in plug recently because it had split.

Dave in Kansas
 
Dave,
If you do have a leak around the drain plug or centerboard trunk, it might be ridiculously easy to find out where. Instead of draining the hull after your next day of sailing, park the trailer on a level spot and look for some dripping underneath. After all, what goes in must come back out again.

Good Luck!
Jim
 

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