Phantom 14 question

Hi All-

I'm a new sailing kind of guy and I bought a Phantom 14. Its been great sailing but I have a couple of questions. I have found that the boat takes on some water. I see it dripping out of the bailer and to a lesser degree, out of the daggerboard opening. It actually seeps into the cockpit and I've just been toweling it out. After sailing yesterday, I took the plug out from below the handle at the bow, turned it over and it dumped out a fair amount of water. Is this a major deal? I hadn't emptied it before sailing yesterday so it may have been accumulating. Could it be the bailer?

Second, I can see where the previous owner had done some repair where the deck and hull meet. There are places where that's not water tight. Could that be the source of the water? How is the best way to repair this? He had used something like an epoxy and the covered it with a decorative vinyl strip around the whole boat which looked ok but was likely to add some water tightness.

Thanks in advance for your advice!
 
Some follow up info: I would estimate the water to have been around a gallon. Also, I'm totally inexperienced in the ways of fiberglass and epoxy...
 
A gallon would be a lot of water for a one-day sail. :( Condensation over weeks of (especially) outdoor storage can account for accumulating water inside the hull. Check it again after your next sail.

Repairing fiberglass is mostly about sanding (a lot!) :eek: You'll need a few throw-away "flux" brushes. It can be fun, even starting out, and it's likely you'll find (or devise) more things to repair—or make from scratch. Just read the simple directions, and use "slow" hardener at first, and for the bigger repairs.
 
I'm suspecting that it was more than 1 day's worth; it was my first time to turn it over and drain. But I've only had it out 5-6 times so far and maybe 15 or so hours of sailing. I'm going to get some of the West System's Six10 for sealing around the deck/hull joint. Still not sure about the bailer. Is there a way to change the bailer out?
 
I just bought an old Phantom 15 in May. After storing it in the garage while repairing the trailer, the hull gained a ton of water inside the hull. I just emptied it tonight using the drain plug. Is the hull designed as a breathing hull and thus the condensation buildup? Is that a real thing or do i have some other problem to worry about? Thanks for any help on this old thread.
 
Most water gained in storage is due to overnight condensation. (Unless water is leaking from foam flotation).

There's not much you can do, except maybe running small fan 24/7.
 

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