taking on water

[rooster1]

how do you find out where your boat is taking on water?

 

[wncrjb]

Re: taking on water

Install the drain plug, raise the bow up, pour a bunch of water in the bilge area, then look for leaks.

wncrjb

 

[rooster1]

Re: taking on water

ty every boat ive seen come out it seems like they pull the plug and water comes out what would you say is abnormal more than 1 gallon? do i even need to worry about it

 

[wncrjb]

Re: taking on water

Well, unless you have people getting into the boat while wet and dripping all over the deck, you should not get ANY water in the bilge ( in a perfect world ).
my boat might get a handful of water in it on a typical day on a lake of about 3-4 hours of use.
I think that water is what splashes in while making tight turns and so forth.
When people are getting in it after swimming or tubing, I might get a cup or so of water in the bilge.
wncrjb

 

[AguaSki]

Re: taking on water

how do you find out where your boat is taking on water?

Check everything. I have found my water leaks in several places. As soon as I fix a leak, another seems to surface. On my current boat I have repaired the following leaks.

1) Deck lid in the splash well
2) Gaskets in the U-bolt used to attach the winch
3) Brass drain tube from bilge

Fortunately each of these leaks surfaced at different times, but each was unique, and required time to troubleshoot. Others on the forum can share different areas where they have had a leak. Bottom line, you will need to spend time searching for your leak. Good luck.

 

[Nandy]

Re: taking on water

The amount of water that you can get in a "perfectly" sealed hull will depend in many things. As stated before, people getting in and out will get more than a cup, especially if they are wearing pfd. Water that splash from sharp stearing, if you have a trihull and it is a bit choppy it worsen. Imporperly trimmed motor will splash water and beware when you suddenly slow down. You will be surprised how much water you can get.
Do as wncrjb said. Raise your bow, put some water on it the look for the leak. You might have to lower your bow. My leaks came from a lifetime of beaching the boat and they all were at the front. After you find your leak, let your boat dry in the sun for a couple of days. That means cover off is there is no signs of rain.

Good Luck.

 

[salty87]

Re: taking on water

ty every boat ive seen come out it seems like they pull the plug and water comes out what would you say is abnormal more than 1 gallon? do i even need to worry about it

unless you know it was from wet swimmers, i'd keep looking. it might be leaking more under the deck and only some of it makes its way to the bilge. if so, you could be slowly rotting too.

 

[Scarab Excell]

Re: taking on water

all inboards/outboards leak water, If they didnt they would not be boats. To many holes in the rear and to many bellows to seep. I would say all day on the river and only a gallon is ok!!

 

[thrasher]

Re: taking on water

Well Iguess I am lucky, I spend 5 to 6 hours on the lake with my I/O drive boat and have never had more than 2 or 3 coffee cups of water come out (even with the kids swimming in PFD's). A gallon sounds a lot for a day on the lake, but your bilge pump could cope with a lot more than that!! Try the suggested filling the bilge with water as suggested earlier (don't fill it too far! Don't want to damage the engine or battery) and look for leaks, failing that as long as the water is not coming in quicker than the bilge pump can get rid off it, you should be fine.

Gary

 

[rooster1]

Re: taking on water

i installed a bilge pump {small one} next to the drain hole but i cut it on and just hear gurgiling sound and that was after i had boat tilted on ramp just to see if the pump worked i tryed the pump on the water but never saw any water coming out

 

[skimmer]

Re: taking on water

you can quite often have tiny cracks in your hull that are virtually impossible to find, and even if you fill the boat up with the plug in you won't see any leaks, it is only when the boats underway that there's enough pressure to force water in I had one at the bow of my boat that was just a pin hole up through the front of the keel, once you know the general area its getting in, if you clean the area thouroly and go over it with a with a wire brush if its an aluminium hull or a scrubbing brush they show up.

 

[dirtyoldman]

Re: taking on water

Honestly, I'm surprised that so many people are making a big deal out of it. I have an old I/O that takes on about five gallons of water an hour. It's a lot of water, but my bilge pump easily takes care of it. The lakes in this area are all small and any problems on the water wouldn't be a big deal. It wouldn't be worth my time to figure it out or my money to pay someone else to figure it out.

I keep a spare bilge pump on board with a hose I can throw over the side. It's a big one. I'll probably mount this one permanently in the bilge so I have an extra, but only because we like to vacation at a place where we leave the boat docked overnight once a year.

 

[tntitans21399]

Re: taking on water

My Bass Boat doesn't get any water in it, that is the ideal situation, when I pull the plug after a all day fishing there is no water that comes out, perfect. But that's not the case for everyone. Even with people coming in and out of the boat you should be getting a ton of water. The best way is, easy if you tow your boat, but I would get it out of the water. Let it completely dry, put in your plug and fill the hull up with water. Just look around and see if you can find were water is coming out. I think most of the time with inboards it seems the seal around where the outdrive and hull is the cause of it, but not always.

 

[DayCruiser]

Re: taking on water

Honestly, I'm surprised that so many people are making a big deal out of it. I have an old I/O that takes on about five gallons of water an hour. It's a lot of water, but my bilge pump easily takes care of it. The lakes in this area are all small and any problems on the water wouldn't be a big deal. It wouldn't be worth my time to figure it out or my money to pay someone else to figure it out.

I keep a spare bilge pump on board with a hose I can throw over the side. It's a big one. I'll probably mount this one permanently in the bilge so I have an extra, but only because we like to vacation at a place where we leave the boat docked overnight once a year.

Yours is probably a bellows. 60$ part + labor. A big deal if you leave the boat in the water all summer. A small leak in the bellows can turn into a big leak and sink your boat in a few days when the battery runs down. One if the easier less expensive repairs to make in a i/o.

 

[dirtyoldman]

Re: taking on water

Yours is probably a bellows. 60$ part + labor. A big deal if you leave the boat in the water all summer. A small leak in the bellows can turn into a big leak and sink your boat in a few days when the battery runs down. One if the easier less expensive repairs to make in a i/o.

The bellows are all good. I just put the outdrive on in June.

Remember, I don't leave mine in for a few days at a time. When it's in the water, it's getting used.

If you want to keep trying to troubleshoot it, I'll investigate as long as it's cheap. It does irritate me when I fish.

 

[salty87]

Re: taking on water

i let my leak go for a few years, replacing the deck and stringers now. water logged foam sealed away under your deck for years is nasty stuff. the foam will never dry. when there's always moisture the carb, alternator, block all rust prematurely. possible transom rot on i/o. bilge pump won't stop rot.