We all have probably seen it, we all have probably passed that little pool of water down in the depths as “normal” heck it’s a boat that’s what the bilge is for and why we all have Bilge pumps! Most of us pass it off as rain water that got in. Sometimes the cause is more sinister.
We all rely heavily on those little 12v pumps sitting happily in the grease and grime year in year out expecting that little pump to take up any water that makes its way down to the depths of the boat. But are we relying on it too much? What if it fails? Where is that water really coming from?
This year we purchased a used boat and went through a full mechanical inspection and passed, all boots OK. Many happy hours boating followed until one sunny day docked at Narrow's Lock on Big Rideau Lake. We noticed over a course of a day the bilge pump running twice! Hmmm hot week no rain, worth investigating. It did not take long to locate the source of the tiny damp trickle. On both sides the steering pin seals were letting in a tiny amount of water. The Pins are made of steel and in time rust, creating pitting and wearing the bushes which in turn creates this leak.
Interestingly this leak is extremely common on all outdrive boats, an overlooked service item that can easily have a catastrophic outcome. The remedy is not the cheapest but the results of leaving it too long can be worse. This brings me onto the thought of leaving this little ignored weep to the trusty Bilge pump to mop up for us and the longer term damage water has on the structure of our boats.
Even if the Bilge happily carries on being bailer for your boat, water constantly in the hull is not a good thing. Boats cores are made of wood, the meat filling in fibreglass sandwich. Over years the water will find its way into the tiniest of pin hole in that sandwich and once in it is trapped. During the winter this moisture freezes, in doing so it breaks up the wood in the hull and weakens the hull. Stories of large chucks of a boats hull being replaced due to a damaged wooden core are not unheard of.
Sounds all scaremonger doesn’t it? But is it? Due to ignoring what is a service item, we are leaving our treasured boats at risk of bilge failure and long term hull damage due to constant exposure to internal water.
So what is the cure? This year I found both ours leaking so we commissioned Lens Cove to do a complete transom rebuild, if you are doing the steering pins you may as well do the gimbals unless of course done recently, however we went one step further and I do advise anyone looking into this service fix to do the same.
As I mentioned before the pins are made of steel, however Lens Cove has access to both after market and original equipment stainless steel pins, we opted for aftermarket and being stainless should never have to worry about this costly issue again.
So next time you are looking at that onboard pond we all know so well, have a thought of what might be causing it and shine a flash light into the steering pin hole and see if you see moisture? I would bet many boats in the Marina will find exactly that.
Talk to Lens Cove about your boat repairs and if it needs doing before you float your boat this spring!
Safe boating lets keep a floating!
