New to these forums, so this might be in the wrong one.
I just got an 86 Four Winns 190 Horizon from my dad. It has not been in the water in about 11 years. I am a boat repair novice, so I can use all the help I can get.
I washed the boat down the other day to clean it up, and then raised the bow to get it to drain well. The ski locker was not draining well, so I tried to flush it out with a hose. Seemed to work ok, but the water does not flow back to the bilge very well at all. We smelled some petro chemical smell, but thought it might be just a little oil from the bilge area draining out. Put a bucket under the drain and over a couple hours collected what looked like redish black oily gunk mixed with water. Figured that the oil tank had leaked a little or two jugs of oil had leaked a little that were next to the bilge.
Fast forward a week to yesterday. Noticed that the port side of drain area beneath the ski locker had not drained well, so I went to clean out that side. Tried with a hose and a small 1/4" diameter tubing to open its drain. Only to find out after lots of trying that it does not have a drain and is all foamed in. Is that usual?
After using a good amount of water to try to clean out the ski locker drains, I noticed again that the water was not draining to the bilge well at all. It drains from the starboard side ski locker drain smoothly. However, only a very slow trickle was making it back to the bilge. So I thought that it must be clogged in the gas tank compartment. I got out a drain snake and gently pushed it up through the drain hole (no turning of the snake, just inserting) from the bilge to the gas tank compartment. Did not run into any obstructions, but did pull out some very thick blackish greasy gunk that coated the snake line. It smelled like gas as well. Seems like there is a good amount in there based on the amount that came out on the snake line. Could the gas tank have leaked and created this thick greasy gunk? Could the gas have disolved the foam and created this thick greasy stuff?
The boat deck looks to have been fiberglassed over before I got it (carpet is gone), because there is not a gas tank compartment access panel that I have read about on threads between the seats. I have an email into Four Winns to try an get the exact location of the gas tank so that I can cut an access panel and look to see. Anyone got pictures of their mid-80s 190 Horizon that would show location of gas tank?
What was the original drain design for a 190 Horizon? Does it just have holes through the bulk heads or does it have tubing that runs from front to back? Trying to figure out how best to clean out the drains before ripping onto the deck compartment.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Bill
I just got an 86 Four Winns 190 Horizon from my dad. It has not been in the water in about 11 years. I am a boat repair novice, so I can use all the help I can get.
I washed the boat down the other day to clean it up, and then raised the bow to get it to drain well. The ski locker was not draining well, so I tried to flush it out with a hose. Seemed to work ok, but the water does not flow back to the bilge very well at all. We smelled some petro chemical smell, but thought it might be just a little oil from the bilge area draining out. Put a bucket under the drain and over a couple hours collected what looked like redish black oily gunk mixed with water. Figured that the oil tank had leaked a little or two jugs of oil had leaked a little that were next to the bilge.
Fast forward a week to yesterday. Noticed that the port side of drain area beneath the ski locker had not drained well, so I went to clean out that side. Tried with a hose and a small 1/4" diameter tubing to open its drain. Only to find out after lots of trying that it does not have a drain and is all foamed in. Is that usual?
After using a good amount of water to try to clean out the ski locker drains, I noticed again that the water was not draining to the bilge well at all. It drains from the starboard side ski locker drain smoothly. However, only a very slow trickle was making it back to the bilge. So I thought that it must be clogged in the gas tank compartment. I got out a drain snake and gently pushed it up through the drain hole (no turning of the snake, just inserting) from the bilge to the gas tank compartment. Did not run into any obstructions, but did pull out some very thick blackish greasy gunk that coated the snake line. It smelled like gas as well. Seems like there is a good amount in there based on the amount that came out on the snake line. Could the gas tank have leaked and created this thick greasy gunk? Could the gas have disolved the foam and created this thick greasy stuff?
The boat deck looks to have been fiberglassed over before I got it (carpet is gone), because there is not a gas tank compartment access panel that I have read about on threads between the seats. I have an email into Four Winns to try an get the exact location of the gas tank so that I can cut an access panel and look to see. Anyone got pictures of their mid-80s 190 Horizon that would show location of gas tank?
What was the original drain design for a 190 Horizon? Does it just have holes through the bulk heads or does it have tubing that runs from front to back? Trying to figure out how best to clean out the drains before ripping onto the deck compartment.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Bill
