Water In Bilge Normal New Boat

unclemd

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Aug 16, 2014
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I purchased a new 2013 Rinker 186 BR with the 4.3MPI one week ago and it seems after every ride I'm getting water in my bilge. I put it on the garden hose this morning for about 15-20 minutes but could not see any water leaking around the engine. After about an hour of boating when I put the boat back on the trailer I get a steady stream of water coming out for a few minutes and it slowly tapers off and stops. The boat is a left over 2013 model that hasn't been used as far as I know. The water feels warm when it comes out of the drain so that is why I figured it was coming from the engine.

Is it normal to have any water in the bilge like this?
 

jbcurt00

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No its not normal. I'd leave it strapped down to the trailer at the stern and bow and back it into the water at your local boat ramp W/ the drain plug installed. Once the outdrive is partially submerged upto the keykeyholepen the engine cover and look for water coming in around the keyhole (its the hole the engine bolts thru the transom to the outdrive). There's a gasket between the outdrive's transom assembly and the boat hull or the shift bellows is cracked. Being a leftover boat that sat outside for a while, I'd bet one of them is leaking. Neither would leak while on muffs in the driveway. If you can't get it to leak strapped to the trailer, launch the boat, tie up at the dock and check again. No leaks, run the engine while still at the dock. No leaks, take someone w you and check again while underway. No leaks, run around for a bit doing whatever you typically do but dont let anyone go into thw water and climb aboard wet, check again. No leaks, then pull the boat out and check again, before you pull the drain plug. You definitely want to figure it out. Unexplained water below decks is NEVER a good thing. In a brand new boat it can still lead to problems. Read thru some of the resto threads. Many start as fairly minor small problems that quickly become larger major problems....
 

southkogs

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If it's "new" I might say just take it back in as a warranty issue. As a rule, boats are supposed to keep the water on the outside, and yours isn't. Have the dude who sold it spend the time and money to figure out why. That's one of the nice things about buying new.
 

crb478

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Being warm water it is probably coming in around the gimble or engine mount as mentioned earlier. Other places to check are any through hull fittings, and up under the rub rail. If the top and bottom of the boat were not sealed properly a lot of water can enter through that seam. I would get a good idea of where it was leaking and then take it back to the dealer for repair.
 

unclemd

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I was planning on looking for the leak myself to see if it was engine related or actually hull related. My dealer that I purchased the boat off was trying to sell boats but the competition was to much and I think they gave up and are in the process of selling off the old stock. They aren't really equipped to deal with boats very well since they only had Rinker for a little over a year. By narrowing down where the leak is coming from I could send it back to the dealer I purchased it from if its hull related problem for warranty but if its engine related I would prefer sending it to another authorized dealer for engine work that is better equipped.
 

thumpar

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The most likely spots would be at the transom. If it was mine I would either take it to the dealer you got it from or another authorized dealer to have it fixed under warranty.
 

Augoose

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Check all the fresh water hose fittings around the engine to see if its a simple loose hose clamp- pay close attention to the backside of the engine as well as there are often fittings on the backside which are hard to see/reach.
Beyond that simple check, like others said contact your dealer and let them know what you are seeing -they might be able to address it over the phone
 

oldjeep

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Nope, only new boat that water in the bilge is normal in would be a direct drive/v-drive with a drip cooled shaft.
 

Fleetwin

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After about an hour of boating when I put the boat back on the trailer I get a steady stream of water coming out for a few minutes and it slowly tapers off and stops. The water feels warm when it comes out of the drain so that is why I figured it was coming from the engine.
Is it normal to have any water in the bilge like this?

Any water in the engine comprtment is going to be warm. It's about 150* F + in there.

Has anyone gotten in/out of the boat while wet? It's surprising how much water a swimmer can drag in.
 

Chief9

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Feb 26, 2013
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^^^^^ Swimmers bring in a ton of water, water over the bow is another possibility. How much water is it?? It typically looks like a whole lot more than it actually is when you drain the bilge. Does you bilge pump ever kick on??
 

four winns 214

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I had a lot of water in the bilge several years ago. It was simply loose clamps on the exhaust elbows. Maintenance had been performed and the tech didn't finish the job. Since yours is a new boat, it's quite possible that there may be a similar issue due to manufacturing error. On another boat, what I thought to be excessive bilge water, I traced to on board coolers that drained to the bilge. A few bags of ice creates a lot of water.
 

agallant80

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Im going to have to go with swimmers. I still cane believe how much water they bring in to the boat.
 

oldjeep

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A steady stream of water for a couple minutes is something other than swimmers bringing some water into the boat.
 

pckeen

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Ditto. Doesn't sound like swimmers to me. Water in the boat comes from one of three sources: from a leak somewhere; from activity that brings water in over the bow; or from water coming into the boat via rain, that collects and runs to the rear when you get underway. With what you are describing, I would bet a significant leak.
 

Chief9

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Still wondering if his bilge pump is cutting on...If thats the case its a significant amount of water. I still say it typically looks like more than it actually is when draining.
 

Chief9

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Still wondering if his bilge pump is cutting on...If thats the case its a significant amount of water. I still say it typically looks like more than it actually is when draining.
 

superbenk

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You said the water is warm, are you sure all the cooling system drain plugs are in? If you have a drain plug loose/missing in one of the manifolds, it can dump a lot of water into the boat & it'd certainly be warm. I've had that problem before after summerizing the boat & not having one of the plugs in tight.
 

unclemd

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Aug 16, 2014
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I had it sitting in the water on the trailer strapped down for about 15 minutes not running and another 15 minutes running and could not see any leak. Looked around with a mirror and it was dry with no signs of leaks around the engine or hoses. I started to question if it was actually leaking till the weekend when I used it again and the same thing water just poured out after pulling the drain plug. The water didn't feel as warm this time so it may not be a cooling water leak. I stopped and looked in the engine compartment about 2 hours into my trip and didn't see any water under my engine so I figured it wasn't leaking till I put it back on the trailer. Another question under my center seat on the stern of the boat I noticed water in the center compartment that wasn't draining after it rained so I pushed some wire through the drain hole and it still wouldn't drain?

Thanks
 

unclemd

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Still wondering if his bilge pump is cutting on...If thats the case its a significant amount of water. I still say it typically looks like more than it actually is when draining.
I haven't seen or heard it cut in but I think mine is manual? Will it cut it automatically even if the switch is off?

Thanks
 
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