need ideas - boat leaks

[txmntman]

ok, guys, I need some ideas. I have a 1975, 15ft Sea Squirt. It seems to be in pretty good shape, especially for the year. The bottom has no visible holes or cracks. The boat is quick out of the hole (with only a 40HP evinrude) and has a top speed of 31 MPH, so the boat is not heavy (I'm believing no saturated foam). The transom seems solid. All looks pretty good with the boat.
The problem. When I take the boat out, it will take on water. I'll estimate about 2-3 gallons per hour, and I can tell this by the amount of water which drains from the bilge upon pulling the boat out of the water at the boat dock. I don't think that amount of water can come back through the bilge plug (the screw in type), yet I don't have another source. This is a fiberglass boat. I don't see an easy way to access between the deck and the outside hull. If this were an aluminum boat, I could find it easily. Any ideas on this fiberglass hull? Any ideas would help...

 

[reelfishin]

Re: need ideas - boat leaks

Check places like the bow eye and rub rail seam. Also check for leaks around the plate which the threaded plug threads into.
The most common are around the plug and under a rub rail.

 

[ne7800]

Re: need ideas - boat leaks

try filling the bildge with water tiping the nose up and look for water coming out chances are it will come out where it comes in

 

[oops!]

Re: need ideas - boat leaks

ditto on the rub rail thing........2-3 gallons is a lot........but it sounds like you run her hard........thats why check the rub rail.....try running it really soft....dont let the water get up under the rail......see what happens......as far as the wet foam thing...weigh the thing.....you can allways find the dry weight of the hull off the net....then add the weight of the trailer and the motor....you should be with in 50 or 60 lbs......300 is too much.

if you are out 300lbs....search core sample


cheers
oops

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: need ideas - boat leaks

the joint betweent he cap and the hull, behind the rub rail is the # 1 place for leaks, starting and stopping cause water to reach that high, and if not sealed, you can easily take on that much water.

 

[txmntman]

Re: need ideas - boat leaks

Well, I have found something that seems promising. I removed the drain plug, and the housing of the drain plug, and was not very impressed with what I found. The housing for the drain plug was simply a flat "washer" type thing with a screw type, without any type of "sleeve" that fits inside the boat. The entire thing was "sealed" with silicone, which was coming off. I currently have the plug and plug housing out, and using a mild heat lamp to speed the drying process, have the boat nose elevated. I'm planning to replace the housing and plug, seal with 3m 5200, let cure good and then test....
Anyone else have any additional tricks to use??

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: need ideas - boat leaks

i prefer this type transom drain that you can seal inside and out.
http://www.boatbandit.com/thru-hull-drain-kit-5631.aspx

 

[txmntman]

Re: need ideas - boat leaks

Well, nuts!
I had completed my job installing the new Garwood drain plug housing. I feel like I got the thing sealed really well with 3M 5200. This was the fast cure, and I let it cure for 48 hrs. I ran if on a relatively calm day, about 45 minutes. Back at the dock, I drained about 4-5 gallons of water out of the bilge.
- no heavy seas
- No driving hard, so no water through the rub rail.
- no thru-hull except for the bilge plug which I just replaced.
- so, it's got to be a crack in the hull.......I don't see it, next step is to support the hull, and look at the hull under the bunks...

Any advice on visual inspection, or how to find this leak??

 

[oops!]

Re: need ideas - boat leaks

again 4-5 gallons is a lot.....so a visual inspection of the hull would be easy.....take er out for a boat ride....fill er up again and then dont drain it....just sit it on the trailer on flat level ground.

and start crawling under there.....if iys the hull....it will be obvious

 

[reelfishin]

Re: need ideas - boat leaks

With that much water, it should show itself pretty easily, especially if you don't drain the hull after the next trip. Run you hands over all of the lower hull too, you may be able to feel a defect faster than see it.
Also look for any old or existing water inlets which fill either a water tank or livewell, they can leak both internally and externally but would usually self drain pretty fast when out of the water.

With that much water, I'd be looking for a hole or damaged area if it's not coming in along the upper cap seam. If there is no damage, then you will have to look double close at any openings or seams in the hull below or near the water line.

You most likely won't need rough seas to take water in along the bow eye or rub rail, I had a trihull that would take on 20 gallons every night if let sit in a lake, it had a new drain plug and no other hull openings below the water line. It ended up being a combination between a loose bow eye which had little backside support and a poor sealing job around the rub rail. I found about 5 rivets loose along the bow area under the rub rail and no sealer of any kind there. Some new rivets and a good caulking job, and a new bow eye with a new steel backing plate and some 5200, and it never leaked a drop again. Just the normal sloshing around at the dock was all it took to get water up to the bow eye area and on occasion I assume to the rub rail seam.

 

[txmntman]

Re: need ideas - boat leaks

Well, time for an update.
I have done a couple of things to aid the situation.
1) I added an access port (8 inch) to the back area just forward of the transom. In that area, I added a bilge pump and a float, so water in the boat should be less of an issue, but that, of course, did not fix the problem.

I have no underwater line through ports.
After adding the access port, I used a wet vac to push air (turned the hose to the exit port on the vac) into the hull, then soaped the hull in an attempt to find a leak. I found nothing below the water line, although I did find some leaks along the rub rail (as was suggested earlier). I will check the boweye, as I haven't done that yet. So far, no "Ah hah!" moments, but I'll keep you informed.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: need ideas - boat leaks

A thin bead of 4200 along the bottom edge of the rub rail can do wonders..

No through bolts on the motor?