Leak in the Keel/Bilge - advise/help

[rudy]

it is quite normal to have some water in the bilge, rain water, minor leaks above the waterline i.e. hull/deck joint, hatches, scuppers etc.
i did some work in the bilge area below the bridge deck, installing an extra battery and some other small electrical issues and while i was
down there in the guts of my CP 23 sticking my head below the waterline(inside the boat) i cleaned out the bilge that had  about a couple
of quarts of dirt-water,  like a well behaved boat is supposed to have. now, when i launched her two+ weeks ago she was bone dry and
after i finished the janitorial job i did not think much about it, although there are no known leaks at present
i returned three days later, yesterday to finish the project and noticed that there was a little bit of water in the bilge not much just a wee bit.
it had not been raining, i did not go sailing, and no one had been on board. i sat there sponged off the little bit of water, towel dried it and
went on with my doing. as i worked away i placed some tools into the bilge and flashlight between my teeth. thank god i'm not a big guy.

after a break of a few hours i returned to finish up, collect everything i had left below. i descended ones more to the bilge aiming the
flashlight directly at the bottom of the bilge and at this moment  i saw tiny little drips of water right in the starboard corner of the bilge. right there
in the bottom corner of the aft part where the hollow-part /bilge begins.  i stuck my finger there. i could not believe it. little, minuscule driblets of water entering from the bottom starboard side of the bilge. basically the end, aft section of the encapsulated concrete/iron keel ? i
it's tiny but it is definitely a leak either from the aft/hollow bottom  part  of the keel. or the water finds it/s way through the keel because water may be trapped somewhere between the concrete and the glass/gelcoat. or i don't know...could it be a hairline crack in the aft-part of the keel?  the aft part of the keel is kinda thin, oil-cany.  anyone else experienced same problem?

can it be sealed from the inside temporarily. epoxy, glass or other...

now i am somewhat worried and frustrated. i had no groundings, and the boat sits straight on a flat wooden custom made plank on its trailer
during winter. i have a couple minor dents in the keel. though, surface/gelcoat damage that i sealed up last season before launching.
anyone out there had similar issues. any experts out there. any advise help is appreciated.

fair winds,

rudy

[millsy]

Rudy,

Can you determine if the leak is definitely coming from behind the FRP tabbing at the forward end of the keel sump?  It is unlikely that the sides of the keel molding are damaged or fractured enough to leak as you would have noticed this on the trailer (extensive surface stress cracking, delamination etc).  It is possible that, during construction layup, the laminate was not fully bubble-busted at the lower radius and water is leaking in through a weak spot.   You should try to pin down the leak further in the water but I think you will probably have to haul the boat to see where the water is leaking out. 

Chris, CP 23

[rudy]

Chris,

thanks for your reply. yes, the leak is definitely coming from behind the FRP tabbing at the forward end of the keel sump. right in the corner.
a minor leak as i said, i let it sit for a week to estimate the damage. less than i thought, a cup of water in a week. i marked the spot, placed a
a thick high absorbing carpet-like fabric to make sure. tiny hairline-crack? i presume. eventually, i will have to haul the boat to look at it from
the other side. rudy
   

[Bob23]

Hi Rudy:
   The bilge in my 1985 23/2 always has about an inch of water in it. No more, no less. I have an electric bilge pump so it's not a big worry. However, it is possible to sink a 23 if that bilge area were to be punctured. If a sizable hole were introduced, she'd go down. When I discoved this, I was not happy.
   Grounding and/or careless trailering could lead to a hole back there. I'd like to have a stainless steel cap made and epoxied on to prevent damage in the event of a grounding.
   The bilge pump does give some peace of mind, though.
Bob23

[rudy]

Hi Bob,

mine is a 23/3 1991 and that seems to be a vulnerable spot. the keel-cavity/glass of the bilge-sump is really thin around there. it would not have been that hard or expensive to reinforce that area...just my opinion. a stainless steel cap inside the bilge/sump and then glassed over? or did you mean a cap more like a shoe around the whole keel. seems like a big job. how about a couple of layers of fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin to beef up the whole bilge from the inside. would that work!
rudy

[Bob23]

   I was thinking of a stainless cap over the entire bottom of the keel. Yeah, does sound like overkill but I am a belt-and-suspenders kind of guy. At least over the hollow bilge area to prevent a sinking.
   I like your idea of reinforcing from the inside...maybe a project for next winter.
Bob23
BTW: Where do you sail?

[Craig Weis]

Leak in the Keel/Bilge - advise/help : This requires a good bilge pump.

a stainless cap over the entire bottom of the keel  A 'KEEL BOOT'. I cut mine from 6mm aluminium and glued it on with Marine-Tex two years ago. This allows Comfort & Joy to skip over the rocks without chipping the fiberglass keel. Just hang the boat from the hull bunks and pound three wedges 'tween the rollers and the keel to hold the 'Keel Boot' till the epoxy cures.

skip.

[Bob23]

Skipper:
   That's exactly what I had in mind. Maybe this winter although I'll stick with stainless.
Bob23