Yamaha L4 3.0 leak issue or maybe not

[Goleafsgo5]

Hey everyone new here hoping I can get a little help pretty stressed out about it.

Bought my 1st boat 1992 Conquest in great shape with a Yamaha l4 3.0....put her in the water about a month ago... no issues drives like a charm and drives well. However this past week after not going to the cottage for 2 weeks and what I was told was 2 weeks of SERIOUS rain fall when I saw my boat the water it has filled the storage compartment in the center and the bilge with water... like any new boat owner I freaked out and lost my mind ... turned on the bilge cleared it in no time.


Next morning we took the boat out use it for the day and was looking for water boat was put on and off plain little more water in the bilge nothing the pump would not clear....

Next morning same thing just a bit of water maybe a 4 cups came out if that... so I right away started calling around for bellows assuming I needed to replace those being a new owner. I called the pervious owner who has been outstanding and he said that he had just done the exhaust bellows recently so they should be fine. I asked a boat pro at the office and he said if I have a leak in the bellows it would have sunk the boat. What he thinks has happened is the foam in the boat is still wet and since I drove it the water is also shifting and coming to the back of the boat.

here is my issue my dock is in very shallow water, may be 3-4 feet at best. This spring they needed open a dam and could not control water levels or guarantee the depth so for fear of having this lower end smack the bottom parked it trim up until the levels have settled.

I am hauling the boat out this weekend to have a look at the bellows just to be sure inside and out, I also heard to check the plug as that was new and may have "leaked" , but was assured many times that there would be no way it was bone dry then soaking wet, and all signs point to the insane about or heavy rainfall in the area. Its parked with a canvas top but some water still gets in

Thoughts Ideas? can foam really ooze water for a day or 2 after it was soaked for 2 weeks? any help would be greatly appreciated cause I am freaking out over here.

Cheers!

 

[ThomW]

Having the canvas on the boat will not prevent water from getting into the boat completely. With heavy rain, the canvas will become saturated and allow water to start seeping through. There is a really good chance that there was still water in the boat (other compartments, towards the front, etc.) and when you first saw the water, only a certain portion was visible due to the angle of the boat (some was towards the front of the boat still). Taking it out on plane and cruising around causes water to shift and flow towards rear of the boat. Same when it sat overnight. Water being held in other parts could have slowly drained and made it way to the rear bilge area. If there is water in the bilge every time you check, and its been a few weeks with no rain, then you can start to worry. Another idea to help you rest easy, would be to install an automatic bilge switch/float to your bilge pump. They are relatively cheap and very easy to install. Then it would automatically drain water from the bilge if it was present and you were not there during that week. I'm not sure what you have attached to the transom of the boat, but sometimes if a transducer, swim deck, or speedo was attached and the screws were not siliconed, you could have small amounts of water seeping in. I'd stay calm and see if this was a one time thing, or if the problem stays after another week or two. Cheers and good luck!

 

[Goleafsgo5]

Having the canvas on the boat will not prevent water from getting into the boat completely. With heavy rain, the canvas will become saturated and allow water to start seeping through. There is a really good chance that there was still water in the boat (other compartments, towards the front, etc.) and when you first saw the water, only a certain portion was visible due to the angle of the boat (some was towards the front of the boat still). Taking it out on plane and cruising around causes water to shift and flow towards rear of the boat. Same when it sat overnight. Water being held in other parts could have slowly drained and made it way to the rear bilge area. If there is water in the bilge every time you check, and its been a few weeks with no rain, then you can start to worry. Another idea to help you rest easy, would be to install an automatic bilge switch/float to your bilge pump. They are relatively cheap and very easy to install. Then it would automatically drain water from the bilge if it was present and you were not there during that week. I'm not sure what you have attached to the transom of the boat, but sometimes if a transducer, swim deck, or speedo was attached and the screws were not siliconed, you could have small amounts of water seeping in. I'd stay calm and see if this was a one time thing, or if the problem stays after another week or two. Cheers and good luck!

Hey Thom, being new to boating auto bilge was not in my vocabulary! I will tell you I am getting the best one overnighted! and sent to me asap to be installed this weekend!

What your saying is exactly what I was told that they amount of water in the boat would not go from nothing to dam near over flowing at the bilge, being a new boat owner as you can imagine its freighting !

As for the swim platform, NEVER EVEN THOUGHT OF THAT! there is one installed and the bottom screws are below water level! That's an easy fix and I will do that this weekend!

Thank you so much for the fast response I will post up when I get back there this Friday.... I am counting the days until I get back

 

[Goleafsgo5]

Oh, and going forward the prop will be parked DOWN!

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... As noted, regardless how much canvas ya got,....

If the boat is docked, an automatic bilge pump is a MUST Have,...
If the boat is parked on it's wagon, keep the nose Up, 'n the garboard plug Out,...

'n Yes, with ole boats like yers, the floation foam is likely water logged, 'n will bleed water for weeks, 'n weeks,...

 

[Goleafsgo5]

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... As noted, regardless how much canvas ya got,....

If the boat is docked, an automatic bilge pump is a MUST Have,...
If the boat is parked on it's wagon, keep the nose Up, 'n the garboard plug Out,...

'n Yes, with ole boats like yers, the floation foam is likely water logged, 'n will bleed water for weeks, 'n weeks,...

Huge, huge help! Honestly so stressed all day at work ! Glad to be getting the same answers from different people.... I was ready this pull the drive off and start plugging away! Thanks so much guys hopfully she is still floating when I see her next