Lazarette Leak + Cabin Leak, short & long term fix?

[watanaka]

I recently bought a used boat and as usual am having way more problems than I ever new possible.

I found out right away that the boats lazarette begins to fill up with water when underway. Not sure if it is a rudder packing issue or what, different people looking at it say different things. About 1-2 liter an hour. Installed a bilge pump back there, and they seem to fail pretty fast, so I'm about to go buy 15.

Anyway, then, in the aft cabin, the areas under the floorboards fill up with water. At first I thought it might be a leaky lose. But the water seems to seep right through numerous small cracks (pic attached). Also at perhaps a liter or two an hour. I can see someone has been dumping some kind of sealent back there to try and fix it and it just goes bad again.

It is fairly likely that, since the bilge pumps dont drain all the water from the lazarette, it is leaking through cracks, and making its way somehow to through the cracks to under the aft cabin. Also, when the laz had about 5 gallons back there, the rate of fill in the aft cabin was faster.

So question is what are my short and long term solutions to this?

Is there some kind of sealent I should use to coat the entire bottom of the lazarette and under the aft cabin floorboards? Or is this a horrible idea because it is going to push the water somewhere else and I don't actually know the cause of all of it? Insights? Suggestions? Thanks guys.

[HappyMdRSailor]

This doesn't sound good at all...

You picture didn't post, so try again... I have a hard time believing that "tiny cracks" are the source of your water...

Are you talking about cracks in the hull interior???

[Terra Nova]

Sounds like you didn't bother hiring a surveyor prior to purchase. So now would be the next best time.

[roverhi]

If the packing gland for the rudder is leaking, you should be able to pin it down. Often packing glands don't leak till the shaft that they seal is in motion while underway. Congratulations on getting to hang out in the lazarette or other areas of the bilge while underway. You need to find the source of the water.

Slapping sealant on the outside of a leak seldom, if ever, provides a permanent fix and creates a helluva mess that has to be cleaned up before you can do a proper fix.

What the boat really needs are limber holes so the water will collect in bilge sump, not be isolated in small pockets throughout the boat. You didn't include the boat in your bio so we can't giver you boat specific help.

[watanaka]

First picture is of the laz. I put in some paper towels after drying it out.

I did hire a surveyor. Wayne Canning out of North Carolina. Avoid him at all costs.

This laz was previously super rusty. Used a reducing agent + rustoleum primer and paint. Already starting to look bad in there. The paper towel on the left stays fairly wet even at moorage. Not sure what is going on back here. I can tell a lot of half assed fixes have been done, is all.

Second picture is under a floorboard in aft cabin, a few feet below and forward of the laz. This area also slowly fills up with water, depending on how full the laz is. Seems to just seep in from the sides. Unfortunately there is no hole here for it to drain into the bilge.

My only immediate solution is to put some sealent in the bottom inch of the laz or so, so hopefully to prevent the dregs of the bilge water stop leaking into the aft cabin. Any water that does make it down there will just be vacuumed up every few hours.

I am in Cancun, Mexico now, and Colon/Balboa, Panama next. I am OK to hire a professional to fix this for good. I would want to hire the right person and am not sure what to even say besides my boat is leaking. That is how little I know about boat construction at the moment. Can anyone give me an ideas of what a proper fix is going to entail so I find the right person for the job?

[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by watanaka

...I am OK to hire a professional to fix this for good. I would want to hire the right person and am not sure what to even say besides my boat is leaking. That is how little I know about boat construction at the moment. Can anyone give me an ideas of what a proper fix is going to entail so I find the right person for the job?

A marine surveyor will know just where to look for problems typical of a boat of this type, more info of which might bring help; for instance, post a copy of the entire survey, including boat's technical data, description, equipment and all survey recommendations.

Most any boatyard manager could diagnose this. And there are many independent's whose skills are very broad.