Condesation on Keel??

[Keith]

Hey all,

So I'm getting my boat in shape after 3+ years on the trailer and am dealing with a moisture issue.  I had a leak at the stern pulpit and one of the cleats and a fair amount of water (at least 12inches) accumulated in the bilge, probably there over the whole western Massachusetts winter (ie. well below freezing).  So now I'm noticing moisture at the bottom edges of the quarter berths, right over where the concrete keel is.  So my initial fear was that freezing bilge water had caused a crack in the fiberglass between the bilge sump and the encapsulated concrete, allowing water to saturate the concrete, which is now wicking up to the cabin wood.  I don't see any damage in the bilge, but I also don't have a good view.  I haven't pulled the carpet up to inspect the fiberglass floor over the concrete yet.  I have no leaks higher up that are running down to the carpet.   

So while looking at the boat today I notice that most of the external keel where the concrete is is wet.  I think "Is water leaching through the fiberglass from a saturated chunk of concrete to the external surface???"  But then I wonder if maybe it's just condensation.  We've had tons of rain this spring/summer and some unseasonably cool weather, especially at night.  Might the concrete have cooled enough at night to then condense the moist air during the warmer day?  Anybody ever noticed this while their boat was on the trailer?

Thanks ahead for any insight.

Cheers,

Keith

[skip1930]

Winter storage let her breath, move some air in and out from the interior.
Park it inside if you can.
Don't wrap the boat up in plastic as water vapor can't escape.
Leaks from fittings on deck must be re~bedded. I'd use 3-M 5200 slow set.

skip.