Forward Bilge... water...

[Hai]

Does anyone know where all the water accumulated in the foward bilge comes from? It's like permanently filled. Water should remain on the outside.

[zinbaad]

Might just come from the anchor locker, The banana wh =o installed my winch ran all wires through a hole at the lowest point in the anchor locker without sealing up,

[Pitou]

Does anyone know where all the water accumulated in the foward bilge comes from? It's like permanently filled. Water should remain on the outside.

Gunnel mount rod holders can be another culprit along with deck hatches. Here is a link to installinga a forward bilge .... http://albinowners.net/aog/viewtopic.php?t=785

[Hai]

thanks for te response! i've eliminated those causes. all the gunnel mounted rod holders have tubes that leads to overboard drain. ditto the anchorlocker. it happens even on a nice sunny day whilst tied to the docks. anyhoo, i've sprinkled talcum powder inside the hull... hopefully, i'll be able to see signs of the offending source of seepage. i'll keep post if i can find results.

just a thought though, the pipe from the bilge pump leads to the overboard drain abovewaterline on the stbd side... could water be coming in from the outside through it?

incidentally, when i checked with a mech re the water... the response was: if there isn't water, it isn't an albin.

[jcollins]

Hai,
It is common for the 28's to have a few gallons of water in the forward bilge. This has been discussed quite a bit in the forums. Some owners have added a second bilge pump, others use a shop vac, and others, such as myself, just keep an eye on it. If it's not rising your o.k.
You should not have water entering via the bilge pump hose. You should have a vented loop.
Use the search function to see proper set up.

[Hai]

packing, packing, packing.... sprinkled talcum powder all over, no trace of leaks... checked the shaft packing, AHAH! drips when underway. the rudder's packing as well. was told by professional, water ingress through shaft is a design characteristic of most shafts, it's 'lubricates'... sounds like a design flaw to me, but funnily enough, i believe him.

on another note, peeked through the arrow shaped cover in the forward bow thruster compartment, forward of the bow thruster, there's a triangular depression that traps water, does anyone think it's a good idea to mix filler and and some kind of liquid that hardens (eg: epoxy/resin etc) to fill the hold up so no water accumulates there?

[Russell]

Hai, the shaft should leak a drop of water every 10 to 20 seconds when operating and none at rest. If it leaks excessively you may need to tighten the packing gland. The rudder packing gland can also be tightened. If tightening does not help the packing material may be worn out. If you repack use a Goretex packing material and it will be leak free: http://www.gfopacking.com/?gclid=CKC0o9 ... gwoduQy4qA
Very light microballoon fairing material is made by West Systems that mixes like epoxy and can be shaped and sanded after it is cured. There may be other products that are cheaper if weight is not an issue.