Hello all....I'm working feverishly to finish much needed improvements so Jenn and I can cut the cords for the winter.
This brings me to a few more questions. How many have opened up the "air tight" floatation compartments aft? I cut out the rotted bulkhead installed over the tank. This enabled access to the screw hatch just forward of the rudder arms, on the top of the tank. After some spray lubrication, I was able to remove the hatch and found over 20 gallons of water!!! Any one else found this? I was initially worried, but after removal of the water, there has not been any new intrusion into this tank. But, being the nervous type, I also opened up the sealed tankage under the aft berth and found no water there either. Yea!! I still get some intrusion of water from the hull to deck joint....not sure where yet, but I get it everytime it rains. This intrusion can add up to quite a few gallons over a period of time. Might have to replace the rub rail someday to stop this.
So this brings up another question, does anyone have drainage holes out of the area where the rudder arms intrude into the hull? I have none, and I think that this is the origin of the water in the tank. My bulkhead up there was also rotted out and anytime it rains, there is water on top of the tank....I presume to drain past the hatch into the tank.
Chris, I am still thinking of drilling the drain hole in the cockpit. Where is this hole located? closer to the engine compartment, or in the middle or closer to the cabin?
more to follow..
Terrt
more Quest 31 questions
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classicone
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ChrisH
Re: more Quest 31 questions
Terry,
Firstly the aft 'watertight' tanks. Haven't looked inside these, maybe I will now! And the for'd ones. From memory, the space under the arm that connects the rudders to the transverse steering rod is open to the outside at the level of the top of the top rudder bearing. The area of all the actuating rudder gear is a separate area from the inside of the boat formed by the GRP mouldings. We haven't had water penetrating in through there. We have a 6in. hatch in front of each rudder arm for access purposes - but you need 1in dia arms with universal joints and superman strength built in to work in there!
Haven't had rain penetration through the deck to hull joint - but have had massive amounts in the past through window to cabin side joints. Solution was to use a special mastic to a minimum of 6mm bed thickness to allow for the differential expansion of 10mm thick perspex windows relation to the cabin top. We put the mastic on, fitted the window but left all the bolts slack until the mastic has cured. A very messy job, other than stopping the water ingress absolutely nothing to recommend it as a pastime.
Our cockpit has an area under the cockpit floor covered by a wooden grating (which is coming apart and is another winter job!). This is over the centre narcelle. In the for'd part of this area a fuel tank had been created, only about 50 litres (about 11 or maybe 12 UK gallons). The after part is just a space in which we can use to store say a bucket and sponges or similar - it's not very big. Maybe I could stow the outboard 1 gallon fuel can there. At the aft end of this, immediately for'd of the engine bay, is a large cockpit drain, from memory again about 1 1/2 to 2in dia. This is part of the hull in that it is formed from GRP and not only goes down but discharges in an aft direction. It is a mixed blessing as yes, it gets rid of water draining into the cockpit, but if we have a fuel leak on the pipework and valves coming from the fuel tank that drops into the sea too ' - doesn't go down well with some harbour officials, as well as anything else small that drops into the 'well'! The after deck has a drain at each corner of similar size to the cockpit drain and again is a mixed blessing, shedding water well but I can guarantee that if I am working there anything I drop is 100% for sure to make a beeline for the nearest drain and drop into sea.
Chris.
Firstly the aft 'watertight' tanks. Haven't looked inside these, maybe I will now! And the for'd ones. From memory, the space under the arm that connects the rudders to the transverse steering rod is open to the outside at the level of the top of the top rudder bearing. The area of all the actuating rudder gear is a separate area from the inside of the boat formed by the GRP mouldings. We haven't had water penetrating in through there. We have a 6in. hatch in front of each rudder arm for access purposes - but you need 1in dia arms with universal joints and superman strength built in to work in there!
Haven't had rain penetration through the deck to hull joint - but have had massive amounts in the past through window to cabin side joints. Solution was to use a special mastic to a minimum of 6mm bed thickness to allow for the differential expansion of 10mm thick perspex windows relation to the cabin top. We put the mastic on, fitted the window but left all the bolts slack until the mastic has cured. A very messy job, other than stopping the water ingress absolutely nothing to recommend it as a pastime.
Our cockpit has an area under the cockpit floor covered by a wooden grating (which is coming apart and is another winter job!). This is over the centre narcelle. In the for'd part of this area a fuel tank had been created, only about 50 litres (about 11 or maybe 12 UK gallons). The after part is just a space in which we can use to store say a bucket and sponges or similar - it's not very big. Maybe I could stow the outboard 1 gallon fuel can there. At the aft end of this, immediately for'd of the engine bay, is a large cockpit drain, from memory again about 1 1/2 to 2in dia. This is part of the hull in that it is formed from GRP and not only goes down but discharges in an aft direction. It is a mixed blessing as yes, it gets rid of water draining into the cockpit, but if we have a fuel leak on the pipework and valves coming from the fuel tank that drops into the sea too ' - doesn't go down well with some harbour officials, as well as anything else small that drops into the 'well'! The after deck has a drain at each corner of similar size to the cockpit drain and again is a mixed blessing, shedding water well but I can guarantee that if I am working there anything I drop is 100% for sure to make a beeline for the nearest drain and drop into sea.
Chris.