Okay. You know about the diesel fuel leak. What you don’t know is the leak was super complicated. It was both an old leak and a new/more recent leak. The story of the newer leak.
Pascal-the man who tore out the aft berth cabinets and discovered the wood was impregnated with diesel fuel-was extremely concerned about the puddle of fuel that dribbled from the cabinets from their overnight stay on the concrete dock. That puddle of fuel was unnerving. Unnerving to him, and that unnervedness transferred to me.
True the aft cabin stank of diesel fuel, but as a newbie to the harbor I assumed the odor originated with the row of old fishing boats parked twenty feet away. I had no reason to suspect anything untoward, and the previous owners had said nothing about a leak. Plus, no one knowledgeable had said “…the aft cabin reeks of diesel fuel and it should not smell this bad.” And a lot of folks had been on my boat-experts and non-experts. So why the fuss? Now?
Where did that leak come from? Was the leak ongoing? Was the leak polluting the harbor? Serious questions for an old boat anchored in the Santa Barbara Harbor. So… Pascal called Mike Pyzel-a local expert and highly respected boat surveyor-to look at the problem. So these two guys-both slim and wiry-one young and curious, one older and experienced, climbed into the aft bilge. The aft bilge is a large storage bin on the back of the boat. Mine held two heavy anchors, two blue plastic crates filled with 1” sisal anchor rope and @20’ plus feet of heavy metal anchor chain, 4 gray molded dingy paddles, a sorry broom, a black fish net, and miscellaneous gear left by the previous owner. The area has two levels, separated by a 3/4” removable plywood floor. Crates, rope, anchors, brooms, paddle and chains on level one. Level two: access to the two diesel fuel tanks that wrap around the sides of the Katahdin and provide fuel for the two Perkins diesel engines. Port side, well hidden from view. The culprit. A leaky valve. Best guess, a leak, a very slow and tiny drip. No timeline available, but probably not new. Way to handle until a permanent repair could be made? Seal that leaky valve! And… watch carefully. Baby diapers under the leak will indicate any activity with purple or red spots. Thus far… no drips in the past four months, and I intend to watch carefully. Check often.
NEXT: Why chose temp repair vs another course of action?