What is the best/easiest way to find a hole or spot where water could be coming in ?

Thanks

blow air into the hull, taking a shop-vac on revers, or air compressor, or something else and taping it to the drain plug. Then you can take soapy water in a spray bottle and spray the hull. Everywhere that the air you are blowing into the hull is escaping, the soapy water will make bubbles and you can see it.

Woa, there! Too much pressure can damage the hull from the inside!! Either have someone blow w/ a straw, or just get the vacuum near to the hole to slightly pressurize the inside.

Kevin
Prindle 18

Right on Kevin!
A "one psi, 1.0 psi", increase in inside hull pressure is a force of 2400 pounds trying to blow the deck off the hull on a 20ft hull. Example: 20ft x 12ins/ft x 10ins average deck width x 1.0 psid = 2400 pounds. That is 1.2 tons!
Be very, very careful.
Bill

.

Kevin,
I used a shop vac as you suggested but I had to make sure that the hose was properly vented to eliminate any back pressure. Hulls are not intended to have "any" pressure exerted from the inside out. I jury rigged the hose to an old hatch cover and drilled several holes in the cover for vents. It worked, I think. See the attached pic.

At least your sense of humour is fine!

It's all I got right now. I have two modes, laughin' and cryin'.

What kind of boat???

thom

I used a hair dryer on low with the drains open to vent out. It provided plenty pressure to do the soapy water test and didn't damage the hulls...Dan

Arbo,

At least it seems like your method found the leak!

Thom,

Was a H-20, now it's a H-10.

Eric -

I'm sure I don't need to tell you that those pieces and parts make great fleet trophies... don't chuck 'em. Some of the coolest awards I've seen were pieces of once-useful booms, masts and rudders. I've been trying to find a dagger board to use in building the tongue-in-cheek Mystere 4.3 Nationals trophy. Every time Kirk gets one in the shop, though, he fixes it and sells it!

Thanks for all the ideas and laughs, I will try the small shop vac and let you know what I find. The boat is a 1985 P18 and has always been pretty dry.
Thanks again