[Rhodes22-list] Water in the Cabin

Sun Jan 28 13:09:50 EST 2024

When I bought my 1876 boat in about 1995, the previous owner had added a 
plank to the trailer that supported the keel. I continued with that, as 
it seemed to make sense, but discovered a few years later that I had a 
massive crack in the bottom of the keel that completely encircled the 
centerboard slot. You could only see it when directly under the keel 
without the plank in place.

Fixing the crack was a massive job. I first had to build a huge lift so 
that I could suspend the boat high enough to work under it. Because of 
the crack, water had penetrated the keel and hollowed out the material 
that was inside. Glassing the bottom was a problem as the cloth 
thickness narrowed the slot such that the centerboard would not fit. 
Ultimately I had to drill holes down into the keel from inside the cabin 
into which I poured 3 gallons of resin. I also injected resin through 
the sides of the keel into voids that I found by soundings.

Believe me, this is a repair that you want to avoid.

Graham Stewart

Agile 1976

On 1/28/2024 12:38 PM, Donald Simons via Rhodes22-list wrote:
>   I've looked through the documentation on our boat and can't find the information you are interested in.  I believe there has been a previous discussion of this topic on the list.  Perhaps you can find what you are looking for there.
> Owners who have a trailer can see that the boat is supported on the bunks, not on the keel.
> Don Simons,    Old Forge, NY
>      On Sunday, January 28, 2024 at 09:38:13 AM EST, Reuben Mezrich<reuben.mezrich at gmail.com>  wrote:
>   
>   Is there any documentation that I can bring to the boatyard....I suspect
> they won't believe it
> --Reuben
> Reuben Mezrich
> cell: 410-499-8922
> Pelican Cove in Sarasota and Back Bay, Boston
>
>
> On Sun, Jan 28, 2024 at 6:58 AM Hank<hnw555 at gmail.com>  wrote:
>
>> On a normal boat, yes, but not on a Rhodes 22. The keel is not strong
>> enough to support the weight of the boat. This comes straight from Stan.
>>
>> On Sun, Jan 28, 2024 at 6:13 AM Reuben Mezrich<reuben.mezrich at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Don
>>> I was taught just the opposite...and
>>>  From Practical Sailor
>>> "Most of the weight should be on wooden blocks, with the stands serving
>>> only for balance. Additionally, substantial weight on the keel prevents
>>> shifting of the keel in a beam wind. According to ABYC, there should be
>> at
>>> least two blocking points; a single blocking point can allow the boat to
>>> rock fore and aft.Feb 25, 2019"
>>>
>>> Reuben Mezrich
>>> cell: 410-499-8922
>>> Pelican Cove in Sarasota and Back Bay, Boston
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sat, Jan 27, 2024 at 6:11 PM Donald Simons via Rhodes22-list <
>>> rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>>    Reuben,  Although there are blocks under the keel, I understand that
>> the
>>>> weight of the boat needs to be on the jack stands.
>>>> Don SimonsOld Forge, NY
>>>>      On Saturday, January 27, 2024 at 01:35:24 PM EST, Reuben Mezrich <
>>>> reuben.mezrich at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>    So my boat finally got hauled (Holidays got in the way) and I'm now
>> able
>>>> to
>>>> see the keel. As seen in the image about 2 inches of the aft portion
>> hang
>>>> down below the fixed portion of the keel....is this normal
>>>> [image: image.png]
>>>> Reuben Mezrich
>>>> cell: 410-499-8922
>>>> Pelican Cove in Sarasota and Back Bay, Boston
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, Dec 20, 2023 at 6:49 PM Reuben Mezrich <
>> reuben.mezrich at gmail.com
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Mike
>>>>> Great point but....
>>>>> The same argument would be obtained with tasting the water. I'm not
>>> sure,
>>>>> given your argument, how you could ever determine the source of the
>>> water
>>>>> in the bilge
>>>>> I"ve had the boat 3 years now and never had even a drop of water in
>> the
>>>>> bilge.
>>>>> We had torrential rains this weekend and no new water collected in
>> the
>>>>> bilge.
>>>>> Its a puzzle
>>>>> --Reuben
>>>>>
>>>>> Reuben Mezrich
>>>>> cell: 410-499-8922
>>>>> Pelican Cove in Sarasota and Back Bay, Boston
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Wed, Dec 20, 2023 at 4:34 PM Michael D. Weisner <
>>> mweisner at ebsmed.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi Reuben,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Testing the bilge for the presence of salt using a salinity meter
>>>> sounded
>>>>>> great until I thought about it a bit more.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If salt water had ever been in the bilge, there would be salt left
>>> after
>>>>>> evaporation of the water. When a new source of water filled the
>> bilge,
>>>> the
>>>>>> dried salt would contaminate the water, making it appear to have
>> come
>>>> from
>>>>>> a leak below the waterline. This could explain why the salinity was
>>>> greater
>>>>>> than that of the body of water within which the boat floats. The
>>>> salinity
>>>>>> test may not have ruled out rain water intrusion.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Mike
>>>>>> s/v Wind Lass ('91)
>>>>>> Nissequogue River, NY
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>> From: Rhodes22-list<rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org>  On Behalf
>> Of
>>>>>> Reuben Mezrich
>>>>>> Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2023 11:48 AM
>>>>>> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List<rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Water in the Cabin
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Ric
>>>>>> I’m liking your sabotage theory more and more (I did win some races
>>> last
>>>>>> week). I measured the salinity and its seawater and besides we had
>>>>>> torrential rain this weekend and no additional water came in.
>>>>>> It’s time to remove that step and look at the center board trunk
>> more
>>>>>> carefully Reuben Mezrich
>>>>>> Cell:410-499-8922
>>>>>> Pelican Cove in Sarasota and Back Bay in Boston
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Dec 20, 2023, at 11:29 AM, Ric Stott <
>> ric at stottarchitecture.com>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>> FRUSTRATING, RIGHT?
>>>>>>> I’m thinking rain water or sabotage.
>>>>>>> I’m having trouble with the idea that the  cap could leak that
>> much
>>> -
>>>>>> and then not leak at all.
>>>>>>> Attached are photos of what happens when too much pressure is put
>> on
>>>>>> the centerboard cap.
>>>>>>> When i inherited my ’84 rhodes, it had  a crack in the cap right
>>> above
>>>>>> the pivot pin.
>>>>>>> Obviously from the CB hitting the cap from the underside.
>>>>>>> It leaked a little - about a quart or two per day.
>>>>>>> I simply fiberglassed the crack and the leak stopped In the fall
>> of
>>>>>>> 2019, I retrieved the boat onto the trailer and it was initially
>> too
>>>>>> far back so I relaunched to move it forward.
>>>>>>> I did not realize that a helper had released the CB pendant line
>> so
>>> it
>>>>>> was free to drop as the boat came off the trailer.
>>>>>>> Always check to be sure you CB  is locked in the up position
>> before
>>>>>> launch -especially with the old style blade CB like mine.
>>>>>>> As the boat slid into into the water, I heard an odd crunching
>> sound
>>>> as
>>>>>> the boat first lifted then dropped again.
>>>>>>> I did get the boat forward on the trailer and pulled it out
>> before I
>>>>>> realized what happened.
>>>>>>> Once on the pavement, I noticed a huge amount of water drain from
>>> the
>>>>>> CB - scratching my head, I looked inside and nearly had a heart
>>> attack.
>>>>>>> The photos explains what happed.
>>>>>>> It took me all winter to fix it.
>>>>>>> The CB and rudder are the two most vulnerable parts on a Rhodes
>> 22.
>>>>>>> Understand and Respect the way they work and always be careful
>> when
>>>>>> launching and when backing up in shallow water.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Richard F. Stott, AIA, LEED AP
>>>>>>> ric at stottarchitecture.com
>>>>>>> O -631-283-1777
>>>>>>> C- 516-965-3164
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Dec 20, 2023, at 10:37 AM, Peter Nyberg <
>> peter at sunnybeeches.com
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>> Reuben,
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> That doesn't sound like a crazy idea to me...
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Peter Nyberg
>>>>>>>> Coventry, CT
>>>>>>>> s/v Silverheels (1988/2016)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> On 2023-12-20, at 08:56:56 EST, Reuben Mezrich wrote:
>>>>>>>>> In casting about for possible causes of the rather large (~2ft,
>> to
>>>>>>>>> the top of the settee) flood into my boat I started wondering
>>> about
>>>>>>>>> the swing keel...in particular, what happens when the boat lies
>> on
>>>>>>>>> the ground? The day of my flood had a particularly low tide, in
>>> part
>>>>>>>>> because of winds pushing water out of the bay. I suspect my boat
>>>>>>>>> spent some time lying on the mud at the bottom of my slip and
>> I'm
>>>>>>>>> wondering if that might have pushed the swing keel up into the
>> top
>>>>>>>>> of the centerboard trunk, possibly flexing it and causing a
>> leak.
>>>>>>>>> Given the 50 or so screws that hold the top down that is
>> unlikely
>>>>>>>>> but..... The boat is floating now and I can't find a leak (thru
>>>>>>>>> hulls are OK and I don't see water on top of the centerboard
>>> trunk).
>>>>>> ...so I"m grasping at straws.
>>>>>>>>> --Reuben
>>>>>>>>> Reuben Mezrich
>>>>>>>>> cell: 410-499-8922
>>>>>>>>> Pelican Cove in Sarasota and Back Bay, Boston
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
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>    
-- 
Graham Stewart gstewart.gm at gmail.com