Ideas for where a leak may be

Orangebug

New Member
Hi,

First of all, hello from the UK! I'm not sure but I may be the only forum member from this side of the Atlantic.

I bought a Sunfish late last year and have finally got around to working on her. I fitted an inspection port and found around 1/2 inch of water in the bottom. I used a sponge to get this out last week, but every morning I find a small puddle of water in the bottom. My question is this - is it likely that this water is just seeping from various places in the hull or could it be rainwater getting in from somewhere? This being Britain and August, it is raining nearly every day...

I've replaced and sealed the drain plug, sealed the coaming and I'm happy that the inspection port is water tight.

Thanks,
Nick
 
Yes, a leak test is the way to go. In addition, a Sunfish is a bit 'compartmentalized' because of the internal foam supports, the cockpit and the cubby. Water accumulated in the stern area needs to find its way to the area where you have installed the inspection port (presumably somewhere near the daggerboard?).

When I had a leaky Sunfish, I used to angle the hull various ways to get the water to puddle where I could remove it. This took several days.

PS: There are active Sunfish fleets in Italy and The Netherlands, but I don't know if anybody there reads the forum.
The 2010 Worlds will be in Italy; you can be part of it, holding up the UK colors :) ....
 
If it has been raining before you find the water, it's probably a leak from the inspection port or the mast step (if not covered) or somewhere in the deck/hull joint under the aluminum trim strip. Otherwise, it could be water draining from a saturated foam block or foam adhesive. Other sources are also possible.
Do a leak test.

Fred
 
If it has been raining before you find the water, it's probably a leak from the inspection port or the mast step (if not covered) or somewhere in the deck/hull joint under the aluminum trim strip. Otherwise, it could be water draining from a saturated foam block or foam adhesive. Other sources are also possible.
Do a leak test.

Fred

Thanks for all the advice from everyone. I'm thinking that the mast step is the most likely spot as the fiberglass looks quite worn and the boat isn't covered. Given that there was some water in the hull, it could also be water draining from one of the foam blocks. The amount of water is pretty small, so I'm going to leave the potential repairs for a couple of months. I'll get on with the leak test asap though - be good to know where the problem is.

I finished my repairs on the rudder and daggerboard today, and while the daggerboard doesn't look too stylish now, it certainly isn't going to fall apart anytime soon. I've got the sail and rigging up on her, and it looks like I'm ready to take her out for the first time later this week. I should wait, but I don't want to lose what is left of the summer! I sail at a very small, shallow lake, so if anything should go wrong I can pull the boat to the shore. I've just got to enlist my friend's help to get the boat on the top of my car - British cars being a lot smaller than those in the US, it may look a little odd!

Wavedancer - A holiday in Italy sounds like a plan for 2010, but I think my wife may be suspicious if I insist on taking the boat with me. :)

Thanks again everyone!
 
I have the same problem with mine.. i have kept mine covered with a tarp for the last two weeks and still find water on the bottom every day. I suspect that the leak is somwhere along the rub rail but I have yet to find it... so what i have learned is that even if you keep your boat out of the rain there is a lot of water that still inside the boat!
 
I went out for a sail sunday and noticed water getting in the bottom of the cockpit and in the mast step. It fills up about 3 inches and stops. I guess the bailer is letting water in.... I've got alot of repair to do in the winter...
 
Wavedancer - A holiday in Italy sounds like a plan for 2010, but I think my wife may be suspicious if I insist on taking the boat with me. :)

To keep peace in the family: you don't need to bring your fish to sail in the Worlds. New boats are provided, with all that comes with them (for a fee, of course). And Rome isn't too far away from the site :).
 

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