leaking chris craft??

I have a 1986 Chris Craft 210 scorpion Cuddy that takes on a little water? If I am out in it, the auto bilge pump will cut on about every 15 minutes or so, and dump about two or three pints of sea water. I am guessing two/three pints, it will cut on for maybe 2-3 seconds than shut off for over 15 minutes.
I have looked and cannot see any cracks or anything in hull. Does a boat have unseen places to take on water? This does not happen until out in the water for and hour or so.

Re: leaking chris craft??

One of the most common sources of I/O leakage is from the outdrive bellows.
It's the corrigated-looking hose that you can see with the outdrive tilted up.
They often tear at a crease and can be hard to see.

Re: leaking chris craft??

If the drive shaft bellows is shot the odds so are the universal joints and gimbal bearing. One other possibility ,if your lucky, is the shift cable bellows.Might as well replace both bellows while your in there.

Re: leaking chris craft??

we had a mystery leak all summer, we could never find where it came from. this fall the marina mechanic found a broken plastic drain plug in the block.

Re: leaking chris craft??

I had a shift cable bellows do exactly that. Time to replace ALL the rubber back there!

Re: leaking chris craft??

look back there with the boat in the water and the outdrive all the way up. You could only see mine leaking that way. If the outdrive was down you couldn't see it.

Re: leaking chris craft??

cosergeant said:

I have a 1986 Chris Craft 210 scorpion Cuddy that takes on a little water? If I am out in it, the auto bilge pump will cut on about every 15 minutes or so, and dump about two or three pints of sea water. I am guessing two/three pints, it will cut on for maybe 2-3 seconds than shut off for over 15 minutes.
I have looked and cannot see any cracks or anything in hull. Does a boat have unseen places to take on water? This does not happen until out in the water for and hour or so.

Click to expand...

Have you checked the plug? It might be as simple as worn threads. If you use one of those expanding rubber gasket plugs, it may be time for a new one. Once it starts happening, pull the engine cover and look around in there for awhile. Good luck.

Safe and happy boating always!!!

Re: leaking chris craft??

Is your boat an I/O or an outboard model?

Re: leaking chris craft??

Yep, bellows are a good bet, as are the plugs. I fired up my boat one day in the driveway with the muffs on it and steadily started filling the bilge with water from a plug that had worked itself loose in the block.

I have a small leak in the bellows area, but all that will be solved with the new outdrive install this winter.

Good luck, and you'll find it...

Re: leaking chris craft??

There's no mention on what kind of sterndrive it is, being an '86, could it be one of those old volvos or OMC's with the 'bag'...I've heard many a horror stories about them leaking

Re: leaking chris craft??

I had an 86 scorpion 210... GREAT BOAT!!!

Mine had the OMC Outdrive, it didn't have bellows like my current Volvo has. They did have a big seal around the transom plate.

One good thing to check is to feel the water as the bilge pump is running. If it's warm, it means it's water coming from somewhere in your exhaust system. If it's cold, it's either coming from the intake pump or from a seal (either the outdrive rubber ring or plug).

Another thing is to determine whether the amount of water you're taking on is impacted by activity (ie - more water when boat is underway, or more water when RPM's are up)

It could be as simple as a broken or loose hose clamp on one of your big exaust hoses that go from the riser to the rear plate. Remember any exaust hoses below the waterline should have dual clamps.

Post some pictures of your boat, I'd love to check it out!

Re: leaking chris craft??

like i said with our boat. we had a mysstery leak. tried feeling the water coming out of the bilge for warmth. told me exactly zero (our leak came from a broke freeze plug) and water wasn't very different temp. than river.

Re: leaking chris craft??

if you cant find any leaks in the hull......check any thru hull fittings you have

a separated rub rail is also a major reason for water intrusion. however it does not seem this is the case here as the boat must be under-way and turning or ploughing waves for the intrusion to occur.

Re: leaking chris craft??

Found a crack on the shift bellows last year and replaced all this spring. Was dry as a bone first few times out then started taking on water when on the way. Found the anode on the boat was knocked loose from the fork lift when the boat was racked stored ? Right location for the forks to do the damage.
Just another place to look.

Re: leaking chris craft??

Thanks guys, I am still looking. I told the marina that stores the boat, and stored the boat before I bought it. And they said that bellows were replaced in under two years ago when the engine was replaced by the last owner. it now has 166 hours on this motor. It runs really great, and does not miss at all. Has a top speed of around 43-45 MPH on Speedo and GPS. I was really surprised of the GPH after two fill ups and working out that it was 4.3 gallons on a 5.7, 260HP motor. Wow, my Stingray of ten years ago with a 135 in/out was around 3.5 GPH. I am not a speedster and usually stick around 20-25 mph when going somewhere, and only once in a while open it up to full speed. Again, 4.3 GPH! I thought this would run around 5-6 GPH. And the top end would be around 35 mph maybe. I will check the water coming out of the pump and all the plugs. Other than this, I am really pleased with this Chris Craft, really wish there were more out there to compair with mine and see other photos. The 1986 brocher shows my boat with a wooden swim platform and mine is a solid Fiberglass. It looks like it belongs on boat, so I wonder if it was an add one option.

Thanks again to all that have replied to this post. Arthur

Re: leaking chris craft??

Just one more thing that you might look at. I have had a similar problem. We go out for a day on the water and when we get back in there is a gallon or so of water in the bilge. I found the source just yesterday, and since you have a 1986 OMC I am assuming that it is a Cobra like my 1987. OMC came out with the Cobra in 1986 so you might have the last year of the stringer, but you might also have the Cobra.

My leak turns out to be the black hose that the shift cable goes down into the transom plate. It's a black hose about 1 1/4" in diameter that comes up from the lower part of the transom plate just on the starboard side of center, and comes up to about top of carb level. It isn't routed well and was pressed between the bell housing and the y-pipe and has apparently worn a hole in it. So as long as the boat is in the water and off plane, water is slowly leaking in. Gonna be a real beeatch to repair.

I was also talking to my boat mechanic and the other thing that I found is that OMC did not do a very good job of securing the transom plate on the bottom. There is a sheet metal plate that the bottom two bolts go through, and that sheet metal distorts allowing the very bottom of the transom plate to get just loose enough to leak. He said that they have made a lot of replacements out of plate, and he even had a template all ready for the next one.



Wayne

Re: leaking chris craft??

I am now completely confused... I took the boat out today, and awaited to see pump take out water and feel to see if hot. No water in boat now? What the heck? I went out in the Gulf 19 miles and was out 6 hours... Not a bit!!
I give up... lol

Re: leaking chris craft??

I have a 1984 Merc 260 with Alpha One. I know seeing it that my exhaust bellow is cracked. The Bell Housing Bellow as no cracks. I was told by my mecanic not to replace it until the Bell Housing Bellow needs to be replace. He confirm it would not damage anything but make more sound. I do have water in my bilge.
Can it come from my Exhaust Bellow being crack?
Is he right saying it will not damage anything?
Thanks