Finding the Leak in the Deck

[tbodine88]

I have a 30 year old Nimble Artic.

She is pretty. I like her a lot.

After every rain there is water in the bilge. which runs beneath the cockpit and a short way into the cabin. I repair the Bilge pump and keep it on Automatic so it keeps the water low. Except when the switch mysteriously is turned off.

There are lockers on the starboard side, outside in the cockpit and inside the cabin. I stowed some  cloth items in the interior locker and found them wet after the last rain.

While I was running cable fort the new depth finder I found that the bulkhead surrounding foam that lies beneath the cockpit is wet and rotten. I see no cracks in the cockpit or on the deck on the starboard side, The life line stanchions seem to be solid and the deck is not soft.

What is a good method I can use to find this leak or these leaks and save my beautiful boat?

Here is a picture of the bulkhead Rotten Locker Bulkhead

[Norm L.]

I'm a bit puzzled.
The only way into the cockpit bilge is through deck fittings or somehow leakage around the cockpit storage area hinged seats.

Leakage in the cabin is only through deck fittings and leaking hinged ports. Is your sounder a hull penetration?

One trick I remember being posted here a long time ago is to use talcum powder or a soft colored chalk and rub it across a suspected area. Any descending water will leave a track.

It's been so long since I had my Nimble it's hard for me to picture details of the construction. I only had a leaking port and I re-gasketed all of them.

[Noemi - Ensenada 20]

I have a 30 year old Nimble Artic.

She is pretty. I like her a lot.

After every rain there is water in the bilge.

The life line stanchions seem to be solid and the deck is not soft.

I would suspect those lifeline stanchions.  There could be a leak there, even if they seem solid.

[Bob Zolczer]

You may want to check out the hatches (especially near vertical ones). I once found a couple hatches leaking internally into the bilge. Nothing showed on internal cabin walls at all.

Good Luck. Mystery leaks aren't fun.