Water in the bilge: We get small amounts of water too when sailing. I use 2
plugs in the transom. I think the water splashes in around the center board.
After every use I pump and mop out all the water so it won't rot out the cross
frame that is plywood and not covered with fiberglass. My boat is a '91. Before
I store her for the winter I even run a small fan in the bilge to make sure
everything is dry. Hope this helps. Maybe someone else has come up with a fix.
John Marotzke
P-15 "Hooray"
Ortonville, MI
www.marot.net
Don Bergin wrote:
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> West Wight Potter Website at URL
> http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> Hello. I am brand new sailor to a 1996 WWP15. I live in Reno, Nevada and
> plan on doing most sailing in the Northern California area. I have only
> taken the boat out twice and am learning a great deal from this forum.
>
> The "manual" doesn't quite address all of my questions:
>
> My first question is this: when the winds are very light, or non-existent,
> I hear the centerboard banging everytime the boat rocks. The centerboard
> is definitely all the way down when this happens. When the winds pick up
> and the boat actually sails the banging goes away. Obviously the force of
> movement pushes the centerboard to one side. Is it normal for the
> centerboard to lightly bang as the boat rocks without sailing?
>
> My second question: the boat has genoa tracks. Are these used by running
> the jib sheet through the tracks and back up to the cam for the jib sheet??
> I haven't actually used the genoa yet because the sail (which was brand
> new) did not have a clip on the tack to connect the bow. Odyssey said
> they were going to send me something but I haven't received it yet.
>
> My third question: the boat has a boom vang. I read that it is mainly
> used when running. Should it be reasonably tight all the time, or only
> when running? I had it nice and snug last time I went sailing, but I
> couldn't tell if it made a difference since there was no wind.
>
> My last question: I noticed a slight amount of water in the hull (I'm
> talking teaspoon). I checked this by opening the round access door on the
> centerboard trunk and putting my arm WAY down there. Is it normal to have
> a small amount of water down there? The boat was sailed three times before
> I bought it, supposedly without incident. Could this be some kind of
> leak?? I checked the drain plug and it seems to be o.k., although I plan
> on putting a new one in for good measure.
>
> Maybe I am just paranoid, but I accidentally sunk a boat on Lake Tahoe
> (Lancer '25) two summers ago because it had a leak that I didn't know about
> until it was too late. By the way I only owned that boat three days and
> never did get to sail it. The insurance company promptly bought it, so
> there is a happy ending.
>
> Any input would be very appreciated.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Don Bergin
> WWP 15 no name /haven't checked hull #