Trojan Boat Forum

I recently found oil in the water in the forward bilge
after exposing the mid cabin bilge I found it had remnants of some pretty nasty water
about 3 or 4 inches deep
I'm guessing it ran forward under the fresh water tank to the forward bilge albeit at
a very slow pace
the engine bilge recently experienced an excessive amount of water (that problem has been resolved)
is there a way for the engine bilge water to get into the mid cabin bilge?
If so how? I can see no path
thx

On the EXPRESS hull here are 3 separate compartments

The lazarette/fuel tank area and engine room each have liners

The keel allows bilge water to flow from the forward bilge area (under the salon floor) to the aft bilge area (lazarette/fuel tank)

The engine room bilge connects to nothing

This applies to the Express based hull - unknown if the mid cabin is the same, since your boat is absent the liners and has a completely different stringer arrangement

Perhaps someone can chime in here

RWS

mrrudely wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2020 10:43 pm I recently found oil in the water in the forward bilge
after exposing the mid cabin bilge I found it had remnants of some pretty nasty water
about 3 or 4 inches deep
I'm guessing it ran forward under the fresh water tank to the forward bilge albeit at
a very slow pace
the engine bilge recently experienced an excessive amount of water (that problem has been resolved)
is there a way for the engine bilge water to get into the mid cabin bilge?
If so how? I can see no path
thx

Don’t be surprised if the bulkhead between the engine compartment and the forward bilge is allowing water to seep through.

Comparing the express to this boat is a waste of time. They share little to nothing beside the hull design.

You can also have water entering through the lumber holes in the engine compartment stringers and traveling forward into the forward bilge compartment.

Have you checked your stringers for an sign of water penetration? Moisture meter...hammer test...limber holes?

so after drying out the forward bilge and the mid cabin bilge last night
this morning I checked and found about one inch of water in the forward bilge and the mid cabin was dry
after a short cruise I found water in both the forward and mid cabin bilge

am I correct that the mid cabin bilge is connected to the forward bilge at the keel under the fresh water tank?

so my new theory is that water is getting from the engine bilge to the forward bilge and then to the mid cabin bilge
is this possible?

not understanding what to check for regarding the limber holes
also if the stringers are taking water somehow from the engine compartment to the forward bilge how is it possible
that the water would be so dirty and oily?

thx

express hull experience here

i'm on a boat lift behind the house

once a year or so I remove the aft transom hull plug and flush clean water and DAWN soap from the fwd bilge all the way out that plug

REmoves some trash ang junk as well

perhaps if you are hauled once a year, this could be done too.

RWS

mrrudely wrote: ↑Mon May 18, 2020 1:03 am so after drying out the forward bilge and the mid cabin bilge last night
this morning I checked and found about one inch of water in the forward bilge and the mid cabin was dry
after a short cruise I found water in both the forward and mid cabin bilge

am I correct that the mid cabin bilge is connected to the forward bilge at the keel under the fresh water tank?

so my new theory is that water is getting from the engine bilge to the forward bilge and then to the mid cabin bilge
is this possible?

not understanding what to check for regarding the limber holes
also if the stringers are taking water somehow from the engine compartment to the forward bilge how is it possible
that the water would be so dirty and oily?

thx

A couple of things here...

1. There is not a passage between the engine compartment bilge and the forward bilge.
2. There is a passage under the fresh water tank that connects to the bilge area accessible in the aft/mid cabin.
3. The bulkhead between the engine compartment and mid cabin/forward bilge is supposed to be solid. At this point it may not be. That means, as water comes into contact with that bulkhead it may seep through.

I'll try to get some pictures of the limber holes. They are the drains drilled into the stringers. These are notoriously faulty. They had a small pipe secured with caulk. Over time they loosen and allow water to enter the stringer. You'd be surprised at what rotting wood filled with oily, gassy water might look like as it seeps into another area of the boat. take some pictures of the engine compartment and the forward bilge and post them.

if you arent sure how to post pics, there are a few ways to do it. my preferred way is by hosting the images on imgur.

thank you
very helpful!
I have seen some posts about those limber holes
I have a leak in the port propeller packing (repair scheduled) and quite a bit of water continues to flow in
it seems to collect under the engine until there is enough to flow through the limber hole
close to the battery box and then trigger the bilge pump
I suspect that may be the problem
two things:
1. I cannot see where the water is entering the forward bilge (I think I can rule out the engine bulkhead) and
2. Unless you are a contortionist how do you seal that limber hole by the battery box?
thx
rr