drain plug/where does the water come from?

Rampart104 · Jul 10, 2005

new boater here.I pull my boat from the lake remove the drain plug out comes water? is that normal ? where does it come from? also I have 2-3 inches of water in my bilge --under cuddy, 2001 boat-- no cracks --hull in great shape-- is this normal.? thanks for help. dp.

danie · Jul 11, 2005

Re: drain plug/where does the water come from?

Ive seen boaters go crazy trying to figure out that question. From my experience the water comes from the floor (wet people and equipment) or from around a badly fitted drain plug. A cracked hull is rare. Ive seen new boats drain for more than three minutes and then get returned or sold because the cause cannot be traced.

DanMcK · Jul 11, 2005

Re: drain plug/where does the water come from?

Rampart, on My boat, the bilge pump discharge hole goes under water, when I launch and retrieve the boat. Not too much water on launching but winching it back on the trailer takes time, that is when water flows in. Sometimes the pump will kick on, sometimes not. Check hoses on livewells ETC, they can leak unnoticed.

Mark42 · Jul 11, 2005

Re: drain plug/where does the water come from?

Clean the plug hole well to remove any corrosion (they are often brass tube). Buy new plug(s) with the stout T handle and tighten the plug 1/2 to 1 full turn past hand tight with pliers. Do not use the flip lever plugs. I have a mini deck plate key on my key ring that is about 1.5 inch long with holes at each end. It works great to tighten the plugs. After hand tightening the plugs, put one hole of the key on the T handle and use the rest of the key as lever to tighten plug. I used to get water, but after doing the above, I don't get any water anymore.

willamettejeff · Jul 11, 2005

Re: drain plug/where does the water come from?

Water can also get in if the deck is not sealed or sealed well where it joins the hull. Also never needed to tighten a plug more than hand tight if the plug rubber is still soft as when new and drain hole is clean. Could also have water intrusion from around drain hole as well as was happening on my boat till I got it repaired. No water at all in the bilge now after a day on the water unless of course it's water we brought in. DanMck, if you haven't already done so and if it is possible, you might want to loop the bilge pump hose as high above your through-hull fitting as possible. This will prevent water intrusion through the hose even when the fitting is underwater. Had to do the same on my boat.

pine island fred · Jul 13, 2005

Re: drain plug/where does the water come from?

relocate where the boat sits on the trailer. Then check where the boat normally sat on the rollers. Hull can take quite a beating when trailering and damage hidden by the rollers. When you get the boat home,leave the plug in and put some water in the bilge. fred

timmathis · Jul 15, 2005

Re: drain plug/where does the water come from?

you can also add A little food coloring to the water.It helps spot where it leaks out.

Jack Shellac · Jul 16, 2005

Re: drain plug/where does the water come from?

Fiberglas can be a lot more porous than it seems, particularly the deck area that dosn't have a gel coat and maybe not the resin saturation that the hull does. I wouldn't have beleived how porous it can be until I saw a air compressor hooked up to put the area under the deck under pressure. Air bubbles were coming up all over- I mean a LOT. This may help explain part of it, but Damdans answer is probably more appropriate--lots of people have tried to figure this one out without complete success.

swist · Jul 16, 2005

Re: drain plug/where does the water come from?

I get a relatively small amount of bilge water when it rains - damned if I can figure it out after 12 years (1993 24' ProLine Walkaround Cuddy) Fish boxes, inspection plates all appear to seal well. Bow pulpit is caulked all around - rest of deck is one continous piece of glass with no seams or openings. No water in cabin (not a drop from windows) or helm area (bimini w/full curtains). Hoses for scuppers in good shape. Rod holders have rubber seals. Other fittings are all well caulked and tight (gas, water, oil, cleats, etc) Been this way since new. I stopped worrying about it a long time ago.

Osprey · Jul 16, 2005

Re: drain plug/where does the water come from?

This is quite common especially with cuddy style boats. Check all thru-hull fittings, internal drain hoses and clamps that are at or below the waterline. If the thru-hulls are plastic its very possible one or more have internal cracks. If plastic, I would replace all of them with stainless or bronze. Carefully check all fittings such as around the bow eyelet used for the trailer winch hook. Check around the rub-rail where deck meets hull. If you have plastic access ports in your deck, replace the rubber o-rings that seal those. After purchasing a 95 21' Grady White last year I put much effort in chasing what started out as a substantial number of leaks. The plastic thru-hulls proved the primary source. But I still get some water in the bilge after a day offshore. Every cuddy owner I have asked basically says this is the nature of the beast. My critera is a gallon or two is ok anymore or if the bilge pump runs at anytime during the day its time to locate the source.

dingbat · Jul 16, 2005

Re: drain plug/where does the water come from?

On the Grady more than likely it's the hull seam underneath the rub rail in the front half of the boat. Also if your Grady is like mine the front ice locker drains into the hull so any water that runs into the locker will show up in the bilge.

swist · Jul 18, 2005

Re: drain plug/where does the water come from?

On my boat, everything drains overboard except the ice box. So every block of ice I buy is guaranteed to wind up in the bilge. It's too low in the cabin for an outboard drain and the boat ain't fancy enough for a shower-type pump just for the damn icebox.....

dytajb · Jul 19, 2005

Re: drain plug/where does the water come from?

I have the same problem with my boat and I still have not tracked it down for sure. You also may want to watch what happens when you turn. My boat has a real deep V to it and kicks water up near the vents, when coming down off plane into a turn it eats a lot of water ... might be something to look into. Has anyone ever used the food coloring trick and had it work? I tried it last year and got a pool of Orange water that was in my bilge for 2 days.

Black69 · Jul 19, 2005

Re: drain plug/where does the water come from?

I had several gallons in mine and the person I purchased the boat from in May told me that was normal for boats to get some water. Anyway I put around 20 gallons of water in the boat and found where the head of a rivot was missing and water dripped pretty good from that spot and also that my plug leaked. Bought a new plug and repaired the rivot area. We'll see in the next week or so how much it leaks now.

Black69 · Jul 19, 2005

Re: drain plug/where does the water come from?

I had several gallons in mine and the person I purchased the boat from in May told me that was normal for boats to get some water. Anyway I put around 20 gallons of water in the boat and found where the head of a rivot was missing and water dripped pretty good from that spot and also that my plug leaked. Bought a new plug and repaired the rivot area. We'll see in the next week or so how much it leaks now.

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