Water leak - bilge? Struts?

[shrsmoore]

We have a 2001 31 TE. When we purchased a year ago we knew about this problem, but now we are addressing it. We have a crack on the aft end of the Keel that had been repaired at one time, but the repair has failed. It has since been opened up and we are drying it out hoping to repair again. Our fiberglass tech says that because it is taking so long to dry he would like to open the hole up more and trace to the source of the leak.
We are trying to do some problem solving on our own first. Could it be a leak in the bilge, seeping down through the hull? We have cleaned out the bilge..dry as a bone.... still seeping water on the keel. We also know that the struts are leaking. Is it possible water from the struts is making its way through the hull to the keel? I've included pics of the crack/ hole and strut. You can see the leak lines on the strut. They uploaded upside down... sorry.. Any ideas from the brilliant minds on this forum?

[dkirsop]

That cracking has all the hallmarks of the boat having been anchored over either a submerged pile or a protruding rock. It needs to be ground out to the periphery of the cracking and re-glassed to full thickness of the hull.

The strut does not display similar stress and seems to leak from one corner. Remove it, dry the area and check for delamination. If none is found then it may only be a matter of re-sealing the through bolt connection.

[shrsmoore]

Thanks for the suggestions dkirsop. Unfortunately we won't ever know how the cracking happened as it we purchased the boat this way. We are thinking about grinding up the periphery just as you stated. However what are the odds of being able to close it up and seal it up? Water in foam? Bad I suppose? The prior owner patched it up. Low level moisture readings at survey. Just feels like doing exploratory surgery and wondering if we will find nothing or a huge problem....lol

[Jeremyvmd]

I would grind it out and fix it. If you just try to seal it up the new repair will fail and you will be doing it again. At least if you fix it right you will never have to worry about it again.

[dkirsop]

When you grind off the gel coat you can dry it out. Place a ground sheet under the work area, then surround the work site with a poly tent taped to the bottom of the hull and extending down to the ground sheet. Place a dehumidifier in the tent and leave it running for a few weeks. This should remove any moisture that has penetrated the layup.