More like pissah in the wind ...

Keep in mind, we were not sailors before May of this year.  We decided to jump into the deep end and bought a largish vessel for us newbies.  We can't rightly lay claim to being sailors even now but, we can at least motor out of the docks, set sail, move under the power of the wind, motor back in and park the boat at the dock without taking out any of our neighbors boats or the dock itself!!  Hats off to our Learning to Sail instructors at ACSA, thank you!

On to the matter at hand.  Unfortunately, not very long after taking possession of our 1989 O'Day 272 LE, I discovered the bilge tended to fill, what seemed to me, rather quickly.  If it was rainy, even faster.  If I did not pump the bilge manually every few days the bilge would fill nearly to overflowing. When we were gone for a week, it did fill to overflowing and it was not especially rainy.

As a short term fix I set about configuring a 12v automatic bilge pump and diverted the water into the galley sink after opening the sink thru hull valve.  A goodly storm undid my bilge hose prop job resulting in the hose just emptying into the galley and back into the bilge, keeping a cycle going until it killed the house battery!  Needless to say I did a much better job of fixing the hose into position with the help of a locking strap or two.    

So, back to the leak search.  I started looking in the obvious places (to me, being new to sailing) like seals around windows, thru deck penetrations like stanchions etc.  And while like apparently all sailboats, due to flex (which eventually causes leaks) especially in hard weather, I did find trickles here and there.  A dock mate (thanks Jim) pointed out that was not likely the problem, given the shape and history of the vessel.

Next I looked at thru-hull penetrations. All of the ones below the water line, with valves, to be specific.  I recalled opening the head thru hull valve when experimenting with the head flushing mechanism and recalled I had not closed it after my research. I had another avenue to pursue. 

A little more Googling turned up another likely culprit in the form of a possible leaky stuffing box.  I understand the concept but having never seen one pointed out I did not know how or where to look for such a leak. I finally decided to RTFM (read the "friendly" manual) and study all the the thru hulls including the stuffing box.

Today I ventured back out to see all of the valved thru hulls myself and be sure the ones that should be closed were indeed closed.

engine intake - open - check

galley sink drain - open - check; this is where I diverted the automatic bilge pump water

head intake - open - closed it and left the head pump valve flipped to dry (head is new and not used)

What's left?  Ah, the stuffing box, but how to get at it?  I figured it was behind and below the engine so I pulled everything out of the aft-berth including the mattress, pulled off the ladder, looked around, saw a panel where the aft-berth mattress was, being held in place by the rear panel of the engine cabinet.

Looking further I found 5 screws that hold the port + stern faces to the engine cabinet in place.  I removed the screws and pulled the port/stern panel unit out to reveal the port and stern sides of the engine.  I was then able to lift away the remaining panel from the base of the berth and viola! the shaft and related accoutrements and ...

A River Runs Thru it!

Well not exactly a river, more like a drip, but a drip every 3ish seconds.  And that adds up!  This, matey, is why you should fix your leaky land side faucets and toilets!  And this while just sitting there, effectively sinking, right?  I  understand when used (and properly tightened) the shaft/box can be expected to leak a drop every 15 seconds or so.  But just sitting there?  I should not expect any, am I wrong?

So, 1 drop every 3 seconds is 20 drops an minute, right (60 seconds / 3 = 20)?  20 drops a minute means 1200 drops an hour (20 drops x 60 minutes).  1200 drops an hour does sound a bit much doesn't it? 

To put that into a different perspective, 1200 drops of water = slightly more than 2 ounces of water, every hour.  Now again, two ounces does not sound like much right?  But wait, 2 ounces every hour times 24 hours in a day is what, 48 ounces?  That's 2 cups shy of the 8x8 (64 oz) rule for how much water the average adult should drink every day (let's just say its a lot).  In other words, 2 cups shy of a half gallon.  

Remember, rain still adds to deposits made in the bilge.  Now we are talking about 1/2 gallon of water every day or nearly a gallon every two days, especially if it is raining.  It adds up!  In a week, that's 1/2x7 or 3.5ish gallons.  Which as I've said, rain aside, just about fills my bilge.

Now to the crux of the matter, please check out the video above and tell me what you see.  Focus on the bottom first big thing (from the left) that looks like a gear.  What is that?  What are all the parts and exactly what is leaking?  What does it mean?  Can I fix it as and where it is or do I have to haul out and bring in a specialist?

Many thanks for hints, clues, directions, references, referrals and well, what have you ...

Mark

Wicked Pissah