Water in bilge
Printed From: myHanse.com
Category: Hints & Tips
Forum Name: 300 / 301
Forum Description: 300 & 301 Hints and Tips
URL: https://www.myhanse.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=9732
Printed Date: 27 March 2026 at 01:44
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Topic: Water in bilge
Posted By: CuttyStark
Subject: Water in bilge
Date Posted: 19 July 2016 at 23:10
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Cutty Stark is 14 years old now and has always had a perfectly dry bilge, recently I noticed a small dribble of water in the bilge around the keel bolts. I checked the sea cocks and sail drive seal for dampness and found none. I emptied the fresh water tank and sponged out the residual water left in the bottom I checked all the other accessable bilge compartments for signs of wetness, none. I lifted the table/floor in the saloon and built an moat round each keel bolt with plastercene to see which if any were leaking and found none were. i tasted the water and found it to be salty but not as salty as the sea. I thought this might be explained by the fact I had recently spent a week in fresh water. Then I noticed the water was weaping into the main bilge from a large lump of sicoflex sealing the two bilge pump pipes as they entered the bilge from a totally inaccessable part of the bilge under the floor between the gally and the heads door. I poked a small hole in this seal and out poured the water, about 5 bucket fulls in total over 4 days, I didnt want to rip off al, the sealer in case I couldnt stop the flow and so managed it. Eventually it stopped and I took all the sicoflex off. I sllid a narrow sliver of wood into the gap between the pipes and the hole and found that it went down an unexpectidly long way and was wet when pulled out. I slid a small plastic syphon pump into the gap and quickly pumped out another half bucket full of water from this unaccessable part of the bilge which seems to be as low or lower than the lowest accessable part of the bilge where the bilge pumps are. The bilge pumps dont go there though but it seems that over a period of time water from somewhere certainly does. I have since discovered that another owner had the same issue when his boat was around 14 years old and thought I would flag it up. I will now lift the floor and table every couple of years and pump out this hidden void ! |
Replies:
Posted By: Bitbaltic
Date Posted: 23 July 2016 at 21:04
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Hi, I am interested to know what is/was going on here, but I am struggling with this bit: "totally inaccessable part of the bilge under the floor between the gally and the heads door." Between the heads door and galley my 301 has a liftable floorboard. I haven't had it up since survey so can't remember what's under it but it sounds as though your boat does not have this? Is your boat fin or wing keeled? |
Posted By: CuttyStark
Date Posted: 23 July 2016 at 23:37
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Hi Bitbaltic, My boat has a deep fin keel. when I lifted the floor between the Galley and heads door I found a shallow tray which is part of the interior moulding just a few centemetres below and no way through it. It would seem that there is a fairly deep void below this tray. |
Posted By: samuel
Date Posted: 24 July 2016 at 07:45
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Cutty Sark Instead of going to the trouble of raising the floor every so often may i suggest you determine where the deepest part of the bilge is & then drill a 6mm hole in the floor on one of the veneer lines ( so it does not show so much) The should be big enough to take the hose of an oil extractor that you use to empty the oil from your engine sump. If the hole is a tight fit to the hose it will hold the pipe vertically. Because the hose is small it will get virtually almost every drop of water from the bilge unlike a large hose that will leave an inch or so behind. uUsing this method you could empty the bilge every 2-3 weeks & get the whole area a lot drier than if you left a lot of water in there for several weeks. You could also monitor the flow more regularly. It is fairly easy with the type of vacuum pump with a bottle that collects the residue, but the type that collects the residue into a container is fairly good & smaller for stowage ------------- Daydream Believer- Hanse 311- No GBR9917T- Bradwell Essex |
Posted By: CuttyStark
Date Posted: 24 July 2016 at 08:45
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Hi Samuel, Thats prretty much the plan. rather than drill any holes though I'm thinking of inserting a piece of thin plastic pipe into the this void through the same hole as the bilge pump pipes and leaving the end in the bilge under the inspection hatch in the saloon, I can then periodically attach a pump and suck out any water. |
Posted By: H8jer
Date Posted: 24 July 2016 at 09:17
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Hi all I had a leak for some time until I discoved that it was the exhaust hose that leaked. The bend of the hose had great impact on the lifespan of the hose. This leak did produce only a small amount in the aft storage. But this could go forward to the bilge. Changed the exhaust hose with a new 4.5 meters hose. But yes. A boat should be build with access to all areas... ------------- Hanse 370#487 30HP 3-cabin |
Posted By: samuel
Date Posted: 24 July 2016 at 13:33
The reason one goes in vertically is that the end will not flap about & you get more out. If you just lay the pipe horizontal it may not sit dead flat on the bilge at the lowest point, ie it may be 2-3 mm up off the GRP. then with the 6mm diam of the pipe you cannot suck less than 9mm of water before you suck air ( I experimented in a part of the bilge with the floor removed) If you go vertically with a square end to the pipe you can get down to 1-2mm of water remaining which on the shallow bilge of the type we have this equates to quite a lot of water If you do not like a small hole showing (mine is in the middle of the saloon & I never notice it) you can get a plastic screw cap & place over it. Alternatively, countersink the hole & screw a 6mm stainless steel machine screw into it & make it look like a fixing ------------- Daydream Believer- Hanse 311- No GBR9917T- Bradwell Essex |
CuttyStark wrote:Posted By: CuttyStark
Date Posted: 24 July 2016 at 14:20
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Thanks Samuel, good points I'll follow your recommendations. |
Posted By: holby
Date Posted: 14 December 2016 at 23:52
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Totally agree with Samuel's approach.. Now about the water, my 301 was born Jan 2000, and I Lund that water was in this area, plus some in the bilge, and when on a heel, this water would come out of the bilge via the gap between the floor board and the grip floor. It would lay at the base of the moulding for the saloon bunks and the floor... I pumped out all the water, cleared out all the sikaflex from between the hoses in the bilge pumped out the water in this compartment, and dried of the boat with a dehumidifier.. next time went out but turned of all the seacocks for the toilet and the vanity basin. Still had a dry boat, went out again but with the seacocks open, I then had a wet boat. So now I always turn off seacocks for the toilet, and since ( two seasons) still got a dry boat... I have not checked but I presume in the hoses for the toilet there is behind the panel an anti syphon, I sure somebody will confirm or refute this. I understand hat sometimes this stops working, so I am then assuming that water is feeding back. Either way by turning of the seacocks I keep a dry boat now..😄😄😄 ------------- Hanse 301, tiller steering, Volvo 2010 (10hp) 
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Posted By: samuel
Date Posted: 15 December 2016 at 05:37
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Dave I replaced the toilet hose on my boat last year due to calcium build up.( Job was a nightmare as the hose had been fixed in place behind the panels with cable ties & was very rigid with age) however, I can confirm that there was no anti syphon. Athough I do not, as you know, have a 301 ------------- Daydream Believer- Hanse 311- No GBR9917T- Bradwell Essex |
Posted By: holby
Date Posted: 15 December 2016 at 09:08
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Samuel, It would seem logical that there is no anti syphon then on the 301. So then it does make it imperative then to turn the seacocks off, every time? Cheers for your info. ------------- Hanse 301, tiller steering, Volvo 2010 (10hp)
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Posted By: mjo
Date Posted: 29 January 2017 at 08:17
Samuel, how did you manage to get the hose out in the end? I am in front of the same problem. These things in the 301 are enraging me!  Currently I am struggeling with servicing the Harken 16 winches, which have been removed completely for maintenence... What did the designer smoked?Best Martin |
Posted By: samuel
Date Posted: 29 January 2017 at 08:35
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Mjo It is a real fun game. The hose, having turned hard with age & being full of calcium no longer bends. So my solution was to pull on bits & cut into 225 mm lengths with a junior hacksaw & pull out piece by piece. One problem is that Hanse builds these hoses in before fitting the outer heads panels & cleverly fixes them with cable ties . This means you have to put your arm up inside & snip the ties with a pair of wire cutters. however, to make things more interesting for us owners they also fasten in a few wires behind the hose so if you are not careful you cut those as well !! so be warned When it comes to replacing the hose I sourced a hose clearly marked " sanitation hose" but without any wiring in it. It was also fairly soft & flexible. This has 3 advantages. First i was able to threadle it back into the space & get the required loop in it. Second , if I get a blockage I might be able to work some of the likely blockage points by squeezing it with some grips. Thirdly I will be able to disconnect it in the event of a blockage & shower myself in efluent (  )whereas before the hose was too rigid to get off the header tank.To be honest the best option is to wait until your boat is about 8-10 years old then go & see Inspiration Marine & get a new one & pass all the agro to someone else. Unfortunately i missed this point & am now too old to go down this route. When I did have the money & wanted to do it I felt that the new Hanse were so poor compared with the old ones I turned away. Now I spend my winters with my arm stuck up the panel behind the heads or my head stuck up the stern tube etc etc Have fun Samuel ------------- Daydream Believer- Hanse 311- No GBR9917T- Bradwell Essex |
Posted By: mjo
Date Posted: 29 January 2017 at 09:36
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Samuel, I understand you well, yesterday I really got enraged after facing the winch problem (for the starboard cockpit winch I really have to cut a hole in the aft cabin headliner to unscrew it, those winches never had been serviced before obviously for 18 years  ). Before i left I just wanted quickly dismantle the hose to get the exact length for the new one and realized, that Hanse built it in in that clever way ...But anyway, I still love moy boat and felt confirmed, that I have bought in the early begining an USB endoscope ( http://www.pearl.de/a-PX1280-1390.shtml;jsessionid=e284489BC5C1F193A62EA3F9A278E18E2?vid=917&wa_id=40&wa_num=3&utm_source=googleps&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=COmvvM6G59ECFQoA0wodm8cE8g" rel="nofollow - http://www.pearl.de/a-PX1280-1390.shtml;jsessionid=e284489BC5C1F193A62EA3F9A278E18E2?vid=917&wa_id=40&wa_num=3&utm_source=googleps&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=COmvvM6G59ECFQoA0wodm8cE8g ) to get a better view in Hanse's secret places... Thanks for your kidn and quick answer, enjoy you Sunday Martin form Hamburg |
Posted By: perry
Date Posted: 29 January 2017 at 09:52
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Yes my 301 'Bloto East' Cowes [ex 'Rioja'] fin keel had 5-8 litres of water under the inner moulding between rear of table and steps. As the boat moved it sloped forward appearing in the area under the inspection hatch in floor under middle of table, keeping the keel bolts wetted with sea water. In my first case on my first sail the water had come from the exhaust syphon valve leak which overflowed the catch bottle and then filled the bilge in front of engine to overflowing, then found its way heeling in a rough sea into the space between the hull and the innner moulding [the top of which you see when you lift floor between table and steps]. I drilled an 8mm hole at the front of moulding above the deepest part of the well formed where the hull is shaped to fair the aft end of keel. Pump out with vacuum pump used for oil changes. I did try sliding a 6mm tube in the gap between hull and inner moulding, but you cannot get the area dried out this way, a vertical hole in the front middle of moulding is the best way. More recently a tap was left on in the heads, and the water filled the heads to overflowing over the door sill!!, it found its way under the inner molding and filled the same space. On pumping with vacuum pump through 8mm hole, I found this flood was pure fresh hot water [from calorifier] , proving beyond doubt that the hull is not leaking. So now all stays dry in the hull except when crew try and scuttle her by leaving taps on! So take courage Hanse 301 team, take your electric drill, and drill a pump-out hole in the inner moulding but dont drill through the hull! ------------- Current Yacht Hanse 315 2007 Last Yacht Hanse 301 Round GB in 2017 |
Posted By: perry
Date Posted: 21 February 2017 at 17:05
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Deep Keel 301: I drilled the floor some time back and sucked out a lot of water. Someone requested a photo of exactly where to drill. I finally got a couple of photos. I drilled about 12mm diameter, as shown and feeding my vacuum pump pipe straight down it seems to have got all water out. There is 70-100mm gap between the inter tray and the inner hull so little danger of puncturing hull!! And I will take no responsability if you do! and not realy necessary I cover hole with water proof duct tape.     ------------- Current Yacht Hanse 315 2007 Last Yacht Hanse 301 Round GB in 2017 |
Posted By: mjo
Date Posted: 22 February 2017 at 10:31
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I made it, Samuel! First I have looked with an endoscope for the cable ties. At least not visible. I assume, the tube got locked in my case behind the cover. I have connected the new hose with duct tape as extension to the old one. Parallel I pushed the new hose through the hole behind the toilet and pulled under the sink (while twisting this end in order to push it upwards where tehre is some more space behind the cover). So it worked in the end. (made me a bit proud afterwards  ).Helpful had been: - I sprayed from both sides PTFE around the hose behind the cover - removing the toilet pump to have more space to work. There was not too much calcium inside, but the intention of the whole story was, to get rid of the permanent smell. So I have used a more expensive one: https://www.svb24.com/en/sanitation-hose-with-barrier-layer.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.svb24.com/en/sanitation-hose-with-barrier-layer.html Have a nice day! Martin |
Posted By: Bitbaltic
Date Posted: 28 June 2017 at 21:24
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Well now it's my turn to join the list of 301 owners who have found this void full of water. We had a failure of the heads outlet seacock which kept leaking whether open or closed. Boat has been out of the water to have all the (original non-DZR) seacocks replaced with DZR type. Anyway, the leak from the seacock got in between the hull and inner moulding and, just as for others, appeared in the bilge inspection area beneath the saloon table by flooding through the bilge pump limber holes between the bilge "proper" and the hidden compartment which, of course, it had filled to the brim. Marine engineers drilled a hole following the pictures provided by perry and pumped out about six litres of water.  ^Water pumped out  ^ New "inspection hole"- for periodic pump-out. ------------- Hanse 301 'Karisma' | https://sailingkarisma.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow - https://sailingkarisma.wordpress.com/ |
Posted By: Taylor
Date Posted: 14 July 2017 at 20:06
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Mark us down as another one with water in the cavity. Only about 4 litres of very mucky water. ------------- Hanse 301 Bluenote 11 |
Posted By: perry
Date Posted: 15 July 2017 at 09:27
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Water in space under floor again: Bloto has had another problem with water under floor; We are currently in Brixham heading back to Cowes. We are in the last few miles of circumnavigating GB but thats a long story. Back in April we were sailing up the North sea about to go outside the Farne Islands and the rocks around them; when we suddenly noticed water in coming into boat. We had no sailing wind and were motoring, thinking we had lost engine coolant I cut the engine and panic set in. As we were being drawn onto the Farne rocks by strong Spring tide. I quickly found that the water was not coolant but hot water from the calorifier. Restarting the engine we motored into safe water. We had had full tanks so we had to pump 100 litres out of the bilge. Having expected on this trip to do an engine oil change I had my trusty vacuum pump to suck the final litres from the under floor space. However despite my best effors it took some days of rough seas and vacuum pump to finally get all water out, and dry bilges. Now, the calorifier had been badly installed with only short hose tails on all 4 pipes [in and out hot and colds] and only single hose clips fitted at the very end of the hose tails. The situation caused by the hose off would have been a lot worse had it been the engine coolant pipe fail, which would have put us into engine overheat and other dire consequences. So Guys check your calorifier hoses and joints this simple non safety critical [the calorifier] item could lead to a real safety issue. Further the engine coolant hoses must be of a specification to withstand at least 97 deg C coolant temp. So check your installations. Perry ------------- Current Yacht Hanse 315 2007 Last Yacht Hanse 301 Round GB in 2017 |