[VinceJE]

I'm looking at a Champion 1996 202 Elite DCX. Took it out for a test drive. All seems great except... A couple gallons of water dumped from the double bottom when I pulled the plug after only a 15 minute cruise. This doesn't seem right to me, but I'm not familiar with the design of this boat. I also noticed that the live well dumped out of the same drain when I switced the livewell valve from closed to open.

I can't see how the water got into the hull. The hull and entire boat is immaculate. Not even a scratch on the gel coat. Hopefully someone here can shed some light on this for me.

THANKS!!!

[VinceJE]

^^^ Bump... Things move very fast around here. Still hoping someone can educate me on this issue.

[VinceJE]

^^^ One more time... Surely someone here has some info...

[foot106]

That water was probably from the live wells not the bilge.The livewells drain and fill from the rear of the boat.

[TX Champ]

Since it's been over a year since your post, I hope you bought the 202 and are enjoying it. The 202 is arguably the fastest hull that Champion ever built. Combined with being on one of the narrower hulls, it also has a very good ride and rough water capabilities.

As far as water getting into the bilge, there could be a number of reasons. If you let water backwash over the rear deck when you stop, it all goes into the bilge. Melted ice from the cooler also ends up there. Most likely, you'll find that the livewell pump that goes through the transom, may have a crack in the intake tube. Other possiblilites will be a leaking drain valve for the livewells or a cracked hose.