Monk 36 Shaft tube and forward bildge

I looked at a 1998 Monk this past week to possible purchase. The boat was very nice and because it was a NS built boat I assumed that the stern tube issue was resolved. When I entered the aft cabin and lifted the floor board just in front of the bed I had a big surprise, there was a plexiglass sheet covering the top of the keel.(see attached pictures) When I opened the plexiglass I was looking into the keel that was hallow but filled with water. The shaft tube was running through this space. The exterior of the tube was covered with rust under the water. Is this the normal construction for this year of the boat? There was no pump in this space as well. I asked the owner was this normal and he said that was the way it was when he purchased the boat 10 years ago. As the water level increased it would overflow into the normal bilge and that would pump out. As I did a further inspection when I looked up under the floor aft there was another plexiglass cover as well. Can someone please explain what this is all about. I do understand about the older builds having foam in the keel and filling with water and creating a problem with the stainless steel shaft tube. I would of thought that the n ewer builds would of used a fiberglass tube for the shaft similar to what they do on sailboats. I am moving from 28 years on a sailboat to a trawler so I do have experience on shaft tubes.



I also noticed another area of concern up in the forward cabin. When I lifted the floor board the bilge area has a high water mark on the sides of the haul. There was no bilge pump in this location and there was no drain under the holding tank. There was standing water about 1 inch deep. Again is this a design issue that should have been addressed?



Thanks for any feedback





George Ingram

George I've never seen such a thing. We have a 1990 Monk, I believe it was started in Taiwan and finished in NS. We have a garboard plug in the aft access that the previous Owner installed to keep an eye on any issues. We use a long wooden dipstick to check for water in the keel; it never comes out with more than just the tip wet (knock on wood).

Corrosion and leaking of the shaft tube can be an issue in any of the Monk 36's regardless of year.
I'd be less worried about it being full, than how long it takes to fill. It's probably just a thing to watch, like most boats have.