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Hi again,

Whenever I take my 26M out for more than a few days, I always end up with about half a quart of water in the starboard bilge, just aft of center. (My 26M is slightly starboard heavy... I'm not sure why.) If in the ocean, the water is salty & if on a lake it's not. This has been going on since I bought it almost a year ago.

I've done a thorough seach & suspect that the souce may be two small holes, just above the water line & directly above each rudder bracket. These small holes came from the factory & I have no idea why they are there. If I'm straight & level the holes shouldn't be a problem, but if I'm healing either port, or starboard, these holes end up under water.

I'm planning on plugging the holes before I go out again to see if my hunch is correct.

Does anyone have an idea about this one?

Thanks,

Ray

I have an 05M and I have the same holes you describe.
Mine are sealed with some 5200 on the inside, from the factory I assume.
I have no idea what the holes are supposed to be drilled for, and have never read a solid reason why here.

I'd say seal them up and sail on.

Fellas,

Read this post. I asked the same quesion last year. Apparently they are drain holes for any water entering through the holes on top of the transom for the rudder lines. Sorry, but I already deleted the pictures off my photobucket account.

If these drain holes can leak into the bilge it seems like that would defeat the purpose. What would happen if you plugged them up???

I have never noticed any water in my bilges...

Jim

Hello, The mysterous water is always interesting to find. This is what I found.

Vent hole water left over. When pluged I have found that there is water left over. If not removed it will slosh into the boat. Turkey baster works great.

Anchor locker drain hose came off. Easy check is to pour some water into the chain locker and look to see if draining out. The hoses are not clamped and can and do come off by water pressure. Fix - remove V-berth cushions, remove the carpet piece on the end, remove all the foam and look and feel for the hoses. Any loose fiberglass in your hand will ich for a week or so.

Under the floor is a space of about 1 inch and can trap water. Check this before you go out.

The "Drain" hole in the floor drains in the bildge. I pluged this up right away and took out the carpets.

Sometimes the chainplates leak but you can tell that leak down the walls.

Water tankage leakage.

That is the most common. Check the stern through hull and the related hoses.

Good luck.

James V wrote: Any loose fiberglass in your hand will ich for a week or so.

Old trick - whenever working in or near fiberglass, first coat your exposed skin with talcum powder, particularly the sensitive areas like the insides of your arms. It clogs the pores and prevents the fibers getting inside your skin, as well as reducing moisture on the skin which allows the fibers to cling to you. Works a treat.

I traced some water in my bildge back to drain water, dripping down lines, from the cockpit controls into the rear birth, then down into the bilge. Good rain storm every week...it adds up...cup hear, cup there.

What am I and my boat missing?
The "drain hole theory" for the rudder lines has never made any sense , at least on my boat.
Mine has simple holes, maybe 1/8" or so, drilled into the hull a few inches above each rudder, and then both gooped over with 5200 on the inside.
There is no pipe, conduit, or anything steering the water to these holes from above.
For these holes to "drain" anything, I'd need about ten inches of water in the bilge back there.

Besides, the factory applied (?) goop would severely inhibit any draining action, based on my experience.

On a dark night, with all of the aft cushions and storage lids removed, a bright drop light inside the boat caused two points of light to be seen while standing outside the hull.
That's how I first noticed them.

Strange, very strange.

James V wrote:The "Drain" hole in the floor drains in the bildge. I pluged this up right away and took out the carpets.

If the M is the same as the X, this hole is not there to drain the floor into the bilge. It's purpose is that if the bilge starts to flood then the water will be seen as soon as it reaches floor level. If the hole is plugged then water flooding in from a hull leak could get much higher before it overflows the liner and is noticed.

I have so much stuff in mine, it would not take much more and when you are under way, the boats motion will change.

I just did not like cleaning the floor and having it drain into the bulge and having to clean that as well and it is hard to get to so I pluged it.