water traped in hull.help!!

iv water traped inside the hull of a 17 foot dory it has a cathdrul hul.i cant find where it got in and theres no sign of damage on the hull.any ideas how 2 get it out and whys it in there. any ideas would be great.

Hi asarmstrong

Where is the boat lying, is it on a trailer. Is the bow pointing up or down.

I remember going to look at a shetland a while back, she had been sitting on the trailer with her bow pointing down, so any rain that fell was all lying up the front, The cabin was a mess, the boat had been lying in that shape for about two months. Just a thought!!

[JimC]

I'd say you could end up drilling a hole in the transom and draining the hull over time indoors. You can then replace the hole with a bung! otherwise you'll be lifting a section of floor. If the boat is foam filled you could have more serious difficulties.

You could pressure test the hull afterwards if you cannot find the source of the ingress

Last edited by JimC on Fri Nov 23, 2007 12:24 am, edited 1 time in total.

has the boat got a anchor locker on the bow if so it may be getting in from there on the warrior 165 i had water got in from it and i had to take out the bungs once in a while to let it out.

What is the hull made of? And where was she anchored/moored? I was told when buying my boat that you can get water in the hull thru' osmosis, if she's on the water all the time. If not, then it might just be rain.

If you've access to the flooded area, an automatic bilge pump might be an option.

thanks for all the feed back lads. the water got in one wkend i went to do the "powerboat level one course" in Blessington lakes. I found water lying on the deck on the 2nd morning, the water may have got in through the floor.
Could I pump air in through the bung hole to identify where the crack is?
Does anyone know if there is foam in the hull? If the foam is saturated would a de-humidafier draw the moisture out of it?

It’s hard to know if there is foam in you hull without physically checking. You say it’s a dory, is a Wilson/Pilot or suchlike?

To check the integrity of your floor pour soapy water onto the floor. Pump air in through the bung and check for bubbles. This will only work if the inner area is meant to be sealed. A dehumidifier should eventually take out water…eventually.

If there is a bung why will the water just not flow out?

Try take some pictures and post them up.

i agree with jim from cork just drill a hole in the transom and replace with a bung. if you start cutting floors you could run into serious money.