[C320-list] Hi all - question about water in the bilge

[Christian]

"This is our first sailboat in over 20 years and we are very rusty so
please pardon the incorrect verbiage/terminology."
Welcome back to the wonderful (and sometimes unwonderful) world of owning a
sailboat.  The 320 was our first boat, this next season will be our 6th
season of owning, and we love ours more every year.  Hope you enjoy yours
as much as we love ours.

My hull is only 20 builds later than yours, so chances are we have very
similar everything on our models.

On my engine tray, some of the caulking around the pass thrus to the bilge
have rotted, so I have gotten water from the engine compartment to the area
you described behind the bilge, with no water in the tray, when she's been
rocking on the water.  It's a real PITA vacuuming out that water there too!

For all my perkins parts, I have found everything I have needed from
TransAtlantic Diesel (https://www.tadiesels.com/) as well as had excellent
customer service from them.

TBH, even though parts can be a bit harder to find at times, that Perkins
engine is a work horse, and my favorite of the engines Catalina used on the
320s.  Mine had about 250 hours on her when we bought, and the only thing
I've had to replace since owning is the fresh water thermostat and the
fresh water pump (previous owner let old impeller fins collect at the raw
water heater exhchange, blockinging flow, I didn't know this, and on our
maiden owning sail across lake Michigan on delivery over heated the engine
and melted the wax in the thermostat).  They are great diesel engines, and
you should have many happy hours out of yours.

I'm not a boat expert in any fashion, but I've learned the basics around my
320, and if I can help in any way, don't hesitate since we have such
similar manufacturer numbers, likely very similar builds.
-Christian Caperton
1994 C320 #138 "Canuck" Monroe Harbor, Chicago, IL

On Thu, Jan 13, 2022 at 3:11 PM David Wellerstein <dwellers at mac.com> wrote:

> This is great, thank you for that.
>
> I had a TON of work done to the engine including a new salt water pump,
> new hoses, a new exhaust elbow, +new rocker arm assembly and more.  Finding
> all the parts was difficult.  I really wanted to make sure it was in as
> good shape as possible and even though it only had 500 hours on it, it
> needed a lot of stuff.
>
> Funny thing is, there is no water under the engine or under the packing
> gland/shaft.  I’ll run the engine in the slip and check around though.
>
> This is our first sailboat in over 20 years and we are very rusty so
> please pardon the incorrect verbiage/terminology.
>
> I really appreciate the feedback!!  Thank you!!  It’s good to know I’m not
> alone.  :)
>
> —David
>
> David Wellerstein | dwellers at mac.com | 925.301.6581 (m)
>
> > On Jan 13, 2022, at 12:54 PM, Christian <ccaper at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > If salt water, and its coming from the section behind the bilge pump, I
> > would suspect any component of your raw water cooling system.  Is the
> water
> > more noticeable when engine running? Check if your raw water pump is
> > leaking, crack in hose on any component of your raw water system (thru
> hull
> > to pump, pump to heat exchanger, and the exhaust elbow to your aqua
> > muffler, and around the perimeter of your aqua muffler).  Are you seeing
> > any water in the pan beneath the engine?  Another thing to check is your
> > raw water vent loop anti siphon.  On a Perkins '94, the vent loop is
> > usually attached to the engine compartment fiberglass just port of the
> heat
> > exchange unit.  Your duck bill might have gone bad, and spraying water
> > while engine is running (this is an especially bad mounting place imho
> for
> > salt water sailing, as the this is near some electrical wiring, hastening
> > corrosion if spraying salt water).
> > -Christian Caperton
> > 1994 C320 #138 "Canuck" Monroe Harbor, Chicago, IL
> >
> > On Thu, Jan 13, 2022 at 2:43 PM David Wellerstein <dwellers at mac.com>
> wrote:
> >
> >> Hi there,
> >>
> >> I am not sure if this is going out and to whom, but I thought I would
> give
> >> it a go.  I am a member of the 320 association.
> >>
> >> We recently purchased a ’94 C320, hull number 118, and after a lot of
> >> updating to the Perkins diesel, batteries and many other things, we are
> >> ready to sail here in the SF Bay!
> >>
> >> The current annoying issue is water in the bilge that seems to be coming
> >> from the area under the sole immediately behind the section of the bilge
> >> with the pump.  I’ve removed the sole (the dining table included) piece
> >> that reveals that section of the bilge.  I can post a picture but
> there’s a
> >> hole that leads to the pump area.  The water seems to be seawater but I
> can
> >> not figure where it’s coming from.  We recently replaced the dripless
> and
> >> had all the thru-hulls checked at a recent haul out.
> >>
> >> I’ve vacuumed out all the water but it returns.
> >>
> >> If this is the right place to send questions, I’m sure I will have
> >> others.  We are really excited to get going and love the boat so far.
> >>
> >> Thank you!
> >>
> >> —David
> >>
> >> David Wellerstein | dwellers at mac.com | 925.301.6581 (m)
> >>
> >>
>
>