How much water should come out when you take out the plug?

Hello. I recently bought a 2005 tracker PT175 aluminum boat. The hull is supposed to be "all welded". The 1st 2 times I took the boat out (was in the water the whole day), no water came out of the plug hole when I took the boat out of the water.

I took the boat out again this weekend. This time, both times I took the boat out of the water (in the water the whole day), I probably had 1-2 gallons of water that came out. There was not enough water for the bilge pump to pick it up when the boat was level in the water. No water comes over the back when I get off the throttle. The only thing that was different was the lake was much rougher because of high winds and a storm that came through before the weekend. I was using the livewell, but it never overflowed.

Is this normal? Thanks in advance for any help.

Joseph

Re: How much water should come out when you take out the plug?

There shouldn't be any water coming out of it. I took my 16' Triton aluminum out in some rougher water last week, doing WOT (38MPH) fully loaded, not a drop came out when we loaded her up.

I would take it out again, in calmer water, bring it back out and see if you have anything come out.

Re: How much water should come out when you take out the plug?

Thanks for the reply. Does anyone know how you would go about searching out a leak? Are most leaks at the transom - motor mount holes, livewell plumbing holes etc?

The hull on this boat is in perfect condition - no bumps or dents or scratches anywhere.

Joseph

Re: How much water should come out when you take out the plug?

Joseph10 said:

Hello. I recently bought a 2005 tracker PT175 aluminum boat. The hull is supposed to be "all welded". The 1st 2 times I took the boat out (was in the water the whole day), no water came out of the plug hole when I took the boat out of the water.

I took the boat out again this weekend. This time, both times I took the boat out of the water (in the water the whole day), I probably had 1-2 gallons of water that came out. There was not enough water for the bilge pump to pick it up when the boat was level in the water. No water comes over the back when I get off the throttle. The only thing that was different was the lake was much rougher because of high winds and a storm that came through before the weekend. I was using the livewell, but it never overflowed.

Is this normal? Thanks in advance for any help.

Joseph

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I have had similar dilemma on my 16' Fish-n-Ski. Sometimes there would be water in bilge, not much maybe gallon other times nothing. This drove me nuts.

Later I figured out how the water got there. It turned out to be getting through the bilge pump tube, back flowing through the pump. The reason for this is relatively low free-board and as result the bilge hose fitting is only 6" above the waterline when fully loaded. So on the days we had my family on and went to the open waters of Lake Erie the waves would often submerge the bilge opening and some water backfills in to the bilge. I was thinking about installing the check-valve, however it is not recommended since it can clog and prevent you from using the bilge pump when needed. So when I'm on the lake with load, I periodically turn on my bilge to pump out excess water.

Re: How much water should come out when you take out the plug?

What is tracker's warranty on their hulls? I know that Triton (also a welded hull) carries a lifetime warranty, and they perform warranty work on the hulls if there is a crack in it.

If you truly suspect a crack or leak, and Tracker offers a warranty on their hulls, you may get a free inspection from your local Tracker dealer...

I'm sure others on here will chime in with other info, just trying to save you some time if you can get the dealer to check it for you, at no charge

Re: How much water should come out when you take out the plug?

If you put it on the trailer and it with water you should be able to see if water leaks out anywhere.

Re: How much water should come out when you take out the plug?

My old fiberglass always has some water inside not a lot but a little most just from water coming in from splashing fishing ext..
maybe your livewell has a leak or it broke in rough seas or you hull has a small crack.
Matt

Re: How much water should come out when you take out the plug?

Thanks for the input. How does this sound for a leak detection plan:

Completely dry the hull out, then:

1.) Fill the livewell and let it sit for a few hours. Drain and fill it a few times if no leak is seen (I suppose I could hold a garden hose to the intake and turn on the pump - being careful not to pressure up the input). That should test all of the plumbing.

2.) If no leaks on #1, then fill the hull with a few gallons of water (enough to cover the plumbing stuff at the bottm of the transom, with the boat jacked up in the front to push all the water to the back (thanks for the suggestion targetpanic). There is also a speedometer and transducer bracket that could be leaking - that should test these too.

I think the hull has a "lifetime limited warrantee", so I guess I could see if a dealer would look at it no charge - if none of the other ideas work. Any other suggestions on finding the leak would be greatly appreciated.

Joseph

Re: How much water should come out when you take out the plug?

You are getting ahead of yourself. Since the only difference between having water in the bilge and not having water is the rough water, concentrate first on areas affected by rough water.

The first thing to look at is your livewell. I know you said it didn't overflow ... but I'll bet it did. Look/feel along the top edge and check for any gaps. This problem is very common in many different boat brands (including some very expensive brands). If you find anything, seal the gaps up. My money is on this being the problem.

If you had a fiberglass boat, the second thing to check out is the rub rail and the joint under it. These are often not sealed completely and will let water in. Since you have a welding AL boat, that may not be the problem but it's worth checking out.

Finally, check out any thru-hulls (and associated plumbing) that are near the water line. Some of these could normally be out of water but be occasionally submerged in rougher water.

One final thought. Do you have a deck fitting in your splash well? If so, that's another very likely place for water to get in during rough water. These are almost never water tight.

Re: How much water should come out when you take out the plug?

I think you are right. I am probably jumping the gun. I think I will take it out next time, plug the livewell and keep it dry and see if the problem shows up again. All of the roughness was probably sloshing that water quite a bit - and if the top edge of it isn't completely sealed - that could have done it. I didn't even think about that.....

Thanks for the input.

Joseph

Re: How much water should come out when you take out the plug?

Take it one step at a time. If possible just take it back in the water in a calm day as you did the first time. If no water then is not the hull. Then try with water in the livewell.

If you suspect that the water is coming thru the bilge pump plumbing then make sure you have a complete loop in the hose right out of the water port inside of the boat. The loop should be higher than the water port for it to be really effective. This will keep the water from coming into the boat.