It rained nearly nonstop during a system of storms that hit the bay area sequentially through Sunday Morning. With a brief break in the rain today, I stopped by Bair Island Marina to check out my early 70’s Caltalina 27, Lilikoi. The boat looked great after a cleansing rain, but I could tell coming down the companionway that there had been some freshwater entry.  The carpeting was a little soaked around the bilge area. I sopped out the remaining water in the bilge and opened the forward  hatch, setting up a fan in the companionway to get some better airflow to help things dry out.

Here’s a list of a few things I need to do for Lilikoi for winter:

• Route the bilge hose more permanently.  I have it draped out the comanionway and over the side.  It needs to go aft toward where the cockpit drains run out.  This will reduce the backflow and eliminate the need for having a duckbill (one way valve) in line
• Cut a new bilge cover.  I need to replace the existing bilge cover which is broken in a couple of places. I’d like to get something more waterproof, maybe some Starboard or something.  Need to measure accurately and find materials.
• Confirm how fresh water from the deck / cockpit is getting into the bilge. To do this I’ll need to run a water hose into the bay underneath the cockpit scuppers and see if it’s draining in from there, or the deck.  Might as well try this while the bilge is already wet
• Relocate the bilge pump and sensor. Effectively, I need to swap the two; the forward part of the bilge is the deepest, so the pump should go there.
• Paint the bilge with some appropriate grey paint.
• Tap some plugs into the two through-hulls.