Water in the Bilge While on the Hard

[vineyardsailor]

I went to my boat to check up on it one cold New England day last week and found the bilge frozen (in the "front" only). The section of the bilge at the pump was frozen solid, the back two compartments (switch and behind) was slushy purple.

When I left the boat;

It was covered bow to stern with a cover that extends 2-3" over the toe rail. The cover has grommets to which I tie weights to insure it does not sag. The bilge is sucked dry with a shop vac and then 1 to 1-1/2 gallons of non-toxic antifreeze is added to the bilge and a small amount pumped through the bilge pump discharge. The bilge pump is then turned off.

The cover does have small areas where it does not seal perfectly around the shrouds. But how is the water getting in the bilge. The hot water tank is empty and the front and rear potable tanks have been emptied of water and have about two gallons of non toxic antifreeze.

Any thoughts?

[Dave Granata]

I think most people have discovered that the water gets in through two areas.
First- Mast - In heavy rain the weep holes become overwhelmed and the water overflows the wiring tube in the bottom of the mast.
Second- Anchor locker- rain water is diverted through the bow roller and channeled right over a white plastic cover in the anchor locker. THe cover isn't really sealed and the water get into the boat that way.

I have clean clear water in my bilge too and I haven't had time to investigate either of these issues yet but from what I understand, these are the first two things to check.

Hope this helps
Dave