warrior 165

[keana]

I`ve just bought a warrior 165. Its 2 years old and looks immaculate. I have it sitting in penarth marina at the moment. The problem is that its leaking water into the sump at the stern. Its taking about 2 litres per day. I can only think that it is coming in through the bung behind the prop. Has anyone come across this before?

The other thing is that she is listing to starboard a little (theres about an inch difference to the port side on the waterline). There is no loading on the boat as I havnt added any equipment yet. Could it be that the water is leaking into the hull somewhere?

Thanks in anticipation

Andy.

[Lookfar]

Hi Andy,
Assuming you don't have a keel band fitted, the water can only be coming through the bung fitting (there should be an O ring that may have been damaged/dislodged) or seeping in through a crack or area of exposed GRP mat. That's not so unlikely as the transom can take a beating on launching, but unless she was anti-fouled on collection you'd have spotted it. For your own peace of mind, fit an automatic bilge pump and either a seperate battery to run it or a solar panel to keep it topped up. Don't want to arrive at the boat to find a flat battery.

The starboard list is odd. It might be a feature of all 165's for all I know, after all the battery and the console mouldings would make that side of the boat somewhat heavier. A hull leak would make the boat settle evenly but is easy to check anyway. Pull the petrol tank out of the bilge and on the forward edge of the bilge there's a drain plug. That is to drain the underfloor section. If masses of water come out then you have a problem. Check first whether it is salt or fresh and go from there.

Couple of other tips on setting the boat up. They can be sensitive to lateral trim under way, so don't bolt anything heavy in place, like a second battery, until you've tried it in a few positions. I'm pretty light and the difference to the boat between a light crewman (dead level) and a big bloke (port list) is marked. Third man aboard makes life easy, as they can position themselves to trim the boat at speed. They are also very light at the bows and even with the engine trimmed right in, at speed on a flat day they'll porpoise a bit. Moving weight forward helps reduce this, and trim tabs are also very good on this boat. I get weight forward by keeping the anchor in the anchor locker rather than aft in the deck area, the second battery under a seat (some folks use the steering console for that) and the spare fuel cans secured to the front bulkhead.

To keep the luggage in one place, try running bungees from the back of the console to the front bulkhead. That turns the starboard bunk seat into a handy stowage shelf. Port side is harder to secure, I'm having a rail made up specially.

The seat swivels are mild steel. A good dollop of waterproof grease now will save grief and rust stains later.

I'd guess in the Bristol Channel you'll be recovering the Alderney way? Quite a few boats now put a stainless bash plate on the gunwhale and a protective pipe around the rail above it. It lets you haul chain without wrecking your back trying to hold it clear of the shiny bits at the same time.

Steve

p.s welcome to the Unofficial Warrior Owners Club

[Portland Pirate]

Hi Steve.

What was the boat that you had structural problems with before?

Sean.

[Lookfar]

Originally Posted by Portland Pirate

Hi Steve.

What was the boat that you had structural problems with before?

Sean.

Hi Sean,
That was Lookfar, an early MkII 165, sorted by the factory under warranty. She's still going strong up in the North-east (and up for sale if anyone fancies a 165 that's been beefed up enough to take a direct hit from a mine). I traded her for one of the new Pro Anglers and the hull lasted under a year. The trailer had been set up all wrong and the loading stresses during recovery took out the hull. I went back to a 165 for various reasons and with luck that'll be it as far as hull problems go. Luck is the issue here, I know shed-loads of 165 owners, I fish alongside a lot of them, treat my boats exactly as they do and I seem unique in my ability to trash them.

Steve

[Portland Pirate]

If I remember correctly, you like to trash props as well :-)

[Lookfar]

Originally Posted by Portland Pirate

If I remember correctly, you like to trash props as well :-)

I did chew a trench along a gravel bank off the river Hamble once, made a right mess of the old prop. Been a good boy since, it was an expensive lesson.

Wasn't it you that sold me the used Garmin 182S a good few years ago? It has just started to give me grief (aerial connection) after some faultless service. Time for an honourable retirement in favour of a colour plotter (if I can raise the pennies).

Steve

[keana]

Originally Posted by Lookfar

Hi Andy,
Assuming you don't have a keel band fitted, the water can only be coming through the bung fitting (there should be an O ring that may have been damaged/dislodged) or seeping in through a crack or area of exposed GRP mat. That's not so unlikely as the transom can take a beating on launching, but unless she was anti-fouled on collection you'd have spotted it. For your own peace of mind, fit an automatic bilge pump and either a seperate battery to run it or a solar panel to keep it topped up. Don't want to arrive at the boat to find a flat battery.

The starboard list is odd. It might be a feature of all 165's for all I know, after all the battery and the console mouldings would make that side of the boat somewhat heavier. A hull leak would make the boat settle evenly but is easy to check anyway. Pull the petrol tank out of the bilge and on the forward edge of the bilge there's a drain plug. That is to drain the underfloor section. If masses of water come out then you have a problem. Check first whether it is salt or fresh and go from there.

Couple of other tips on setting the boat up. They can be sensitive to lateral trim under way, so don't bolt anything heavy in place, like a second battery, until you've tried it in a few positions. I'm pretty light and the difference to the boat between a light crewman (dead level) and a big bloke (port list) is marked. Third man aboard makes life easy, as they can position themselves to trim the boat at speed. They are also very light at the bows and even with the engine trimmed right in, at speed on a flat day they'll porpoise a bit. Moving weight forward helps reduce this, and trim tabs are also very good on this boat. I get weight forward by keeping the anchor in the anchor locker rather than aft in the deck area, the second battery under a seat (some folks use the steering console for that) and the spare fuel cans secured to the front bulkhead.

To keep the luggage in one place, try running bungees from the back of the console to the front bulkhead. That turns the starboard bunk seat into a handy stowage shelf. Port side is harder to secure, I'm having a rail made up specially.

The seat swivels are mild steel. A good dollop of waterproof grease now will save grief and rust stains later.

I'd guess in the Bristol Channel you'll be recovering the Alderney way? Quite a few boats now put a stainless bash plate on the gunwhale and a protective pipe around the rail above it. It lets you haul chain without wrecking your back trying to hold it clear of the shiny bits at the same time.

Steve

p.s welcome to the Unofficial Warrior Owners Club

Brilliant reply steve. Thanks very much. Where can water enter the underfloor section from then and can I take the plug out while she`s afloat? I have noticed a trickle of water through one of the windows and flooding the starboard seat. Is it easy enough to take out and re-seal?
I dont have a keelband fitted and when I bought the boat and had it delivered, the bung was out so it could be that the O ring has become dislodged.

[Lookfar]

Originally Posted by keana

Where can water enter the underfloor section from then and can I take the plug out while she`s afloat? I have noticed a trickle of water through one of the windows and flooding the starboard seat. Is it easy enough to take out and re-seal?

There's an inspection hatch in the anchor locker. This can let water in. Otherwise, without a keel band, there should be no way for water to enter the underfloor space. Quite OK to pull that bung while afloat - you can always refit it if the water keeps coming. It is very unusual to get more than a pint or so from under there. When I had my problem, I pulled three large bucketsful out so it was clear I was in trouble
Personally, I'd not remove a window just to seal a drip. Go down after a few dry days and run a bead of silicone around the inside edge where the GRP butts on to the perspex. That'll stop it.
Another little tweak worth doing, if you've got the tackle pockets in the gunwhales, take a battery drill down with a 1/4" or so bit and put a couple of drainage holes into the underside of the pockets. Otherwise they trap water when you wash down and the stored gear gets very rusty. You can do the same with the bucket seat mouldings as well, but it is a bit more fiddly as the leather gets in the way.

Steve

[keana]

Many thanks Steve

[TerryW]

Originally Posted by Lookfar

There's an inspection hatch in the anchor locker. This can let water in. Otherwise, without a keel band, there should be no way for water to enter the underfloor space. Quite OK to pull that bung while afloat - you can always refit it if the water keeps coming. It is very unusual to get more than a pint or so from under there. When I had my problem, I pulled three large bucketsful out so it was clear I was in trouble
Personally, I'd not remove a window just to seal a drip. Go down after a few dry days and run a bead of silicone around the inside edge where the GRP butts on to the perspex. That'll stop it.
Another little tweak worth doing, if you've got the tackle pockets in the gunwhales, take a battery drill down with a 1/4" or so bit and put a couple of drainage holes into the underside of the pockets. Otherwise they trap water when you wash down and the stored gear gets very rusty. You can do the same with the bucket seat mouldings as well, but it is a bit more fiddly as the leather gets in the way.

Steve

Be careful not to expose any fibreglass when drilling holes. The professional method is to drill an oversized hole. Fill the hole completely with gel-coat or filler (the marine stuff that is) and then drill the required size hole when that has set. This way there is no exposed fibreglass matting to soak up the next load of water that materialises. It is a lot of work but it makes a difference if you intend to keep the boat long-term.

I must say that in places that are not exposed I tend to just wipe a load of marine silicon sealant around the inside of the hole. But, I am lazy.

I hope this helps. . .

Terry