Why is my boat taking in water alpha 1 gen 1

[endurance]

Have a boat with. V8 mercruiser alpha 1 gen 1 taking in a lot of water any ifea where its getting in at

 

[endurance]

Any help or thoughts would be grratly appreciated thanks so much

 

[poconojoe]

Could be several things. That little shift bellows, ujoint bellows, rain, garboard plug, hole in hull, transom leak.
You need to describe your boat in more detail, including all of your options.
Galley? Sinks? Etc.
Otherwise we are just guessing.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... Is this when it's sittin' at the dock,..??

When it's Runnin',..??

When yer boatin' across the bay,..??

 

[Bt Doctur]

its raining and its uncovered

 

[Fishermark]

If it is not something obvious, and I assume it is not or you wouldn't ask, , then my bet is on a rotten transom. The only real way to tell is to put it in the water and see where it comes in. Do what you need to in order to check it out. If you cannot easily see into the bilge, then use the camera on your phone and record a video down there.

 

[Benny67]

How much water is a lot?

Does the bilge pump run constantly or is it cycling on and off?

How old are the bellows?

Grab the drive and see if you can wiggle it and watch the back of the transom...see if it's moving or appears to flex when you knock it around.

What I am getting at here is saying you got a leak is a bit like saying, well, I got a dog...well, okay., Now, what color is he? Is he a male or a female? ect. It's a broad statement you are making. Nobody will be able to help you unless you get a bit more specific.

Maybe start out with the year of the boat and some history of it's usage....has it been sitting for 10 years not used or is it being currently used and this leak just started? Have you owned the boat many years or is it new to you?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Have a boat ....taking in a lot of water any idea where its getting in at

my guess from outside the boat.

seriously, need a lot more information (basically answer every question above), including - do you have the plug in?

 

[endurance]

Thanks everyone for the advice i appreciate it.
So its a 22ft boat no cuddy canin with mercruiser alpha 1 gen 1. Took the boat out for an hour on the llake bilge pumped failed.
When igot off the lake. The water was seeping out of the storage unit and engine bay level was over just at the starter motor. The boat held all the water until the plug was pulled out
So that rules out the drain plug. The u joint billows and shift billow have no cracks or holes.the silicone around the gimbal seems to be tight. Was wondering if the water could enter the boat thru trim sensor whole. Any additional thoughts would be great

 

[jbcurt00]

Gimbal ring shouldn't need silicone around it to keep water out.

Are there ANY other thru hulls below water level at rest besides plug and transom shield

22ft fiberglass?

 

[rebars1]

As was stated before, the leak could be from several locations. If it is dry now, try putting it in the water tied to the dock for an hour without the motor running. Get a bright flashlight and get in where you can see the inside of the transom. Or use a camera to reach in and view. If no leaks, then run the motor for awhile and check again. Step by step, you will find it. Silicon around the gimbal bearing sounds suspicious...

 

[tpenfield]

Based on what we have for info, I would be thinking the engine itself is leaking into the bilge. Time to run it on the ear muffs (or even back in the water) and start looking for the leak. That's how leaks are best found.

 

[Scott Danforth]

silly-cone around the gimble housing would be my first place to look. first, there should not be any silicone there. second, if there is an issue with the transom, that is the first "fix" people attempt.

I would do the following:
with boat on a trailer - have someone jump up and down on the lower unit while you watch the gimble, even putting your fingers on there to see if there is any movement. if there is movement, your transom is rotten

if that passes, then put the boat in the water with the plug in. do not start the boat, just sit there with a bright light (or your camera phone) and look around for incoming water. if you water coming in, identify where it is coming in from.

if no water is coming in, start the engine. then look around with the light.

you will find it.

 

[Benny67]

Based on what we have for info, I would be thinking the engine itself is leaking into the bilge. Time to run it on the ear muffs (or even back in the water) and start looking for the leak. That's how leaks are best found.

I'd start here...

If you see no holes in any of the boots and you run the engine on the muffs look (feel too) for water (warm) inside the bilge.

If you got that, chances are you have an exhaust leak or a leaking raw water hose or even something leaking out of the motor itself.

If you really want to confirm for the exhaust leak, remove the drive,clog the idle exhaust ports and dump water with a dye in it and see if it makes it's way into the bilge.

Good luck...I hope it's something simple.

I am unfortunate enough to have just diagnosed this with my boat. I am waiting for the weather to break to slide the motor forward and remove my exhaust pipe to hopefully confirm that it's the leak I had last season.

 

[Scott Danforth]

other sources for water intrusion are exhaust flappers that have long since dropped to the bottom of the y-pipe and wore a hole thru the aluminum y-pipe.

 

[Benny67]

Although the silicone you are mentioning would make me a bit more inquisitive on the condition of the transom itself.

 

[Fishermark]

...the silicone around the gimbal seems to be tight. ...

Yep. There's your problem. You MAY have other problems, but I can guarantee that you have a rotten transom. That is the ONLY reason someone would put silicone around the gimbal ring / transom assembly. Not good news for you I am afraid.

 

[Benny67]

Yep. There's your problem. You MAY have other problems, but I can guarantee that you have a rotten transom. That is the ONLY reason someone would put silicone around the gimbal ring / transom assembly. Not good news for you I am afraid.

Ehhhh.....don't count it out just yet.

One thing I learned about troubleshooting is NEVER assume anything...and keep it simple as long as you can.

Whoever put that silicone there MAY have been trying to fix a transom leak...HOWEVER....whoever put it there might have been a total idiot and did it cause they didn't know any better. You don't know till you eliminate the theory of a rotting transom.

If you suspect the transom is rotted start out by looking at the inside of the boat at the bottom of the drive assembly and see if there is rot... or drill a shallow hole around the area (not through the transom) and see if the wood comes out wet and soft.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Silicone around the transom assembly would have me a bit worried, too....

 

[Bt Doctur]

On the trailer with the bilge dry and the drain plug removed, run the engine on muffs looks for water to exit the drain hole. If it leaks with the motor running:
Y pipe, cracked block, split hose, loose hose clamp
If no leaks, leave boat attached to trailer and lower slowly down the ramp untill the leak appears,grease pencil the waterline on the hull. pull up from the ramp and look at everything below that level. Hoses, clamps, boot/bellows, transom, corrosion,etc.
post the results