AZ262 Drainage problem from ski locker area

[dpace23236]

I have an 2005 Azure 262 with Yamaha F250 4 Stroke. Great boat, have had it about 6 years now. During this time I never had any issue with water draining from ski locker area. In the fall suddenly this area filled with water from rain and isn't draining. The ski locker has a drain hole at the rear of it to allow water into the hull area, how ever this was supposed to drain it no longer does and the ski locker fills completely with water which is a real problem as I live in Virginia and it freezes here. There is no access to the area below the ski locker so I had to cut a hole in the bottom of the ski locker and install a hatch for access. Now that I have done that it hasn't helped much. Small area under the ski locker with a bulkhead just aft of the locker that is right in front of the fuel tank. That bulkhead has a small hole thru it to allow water to pass thru the bulkhead that is about 1/2 inch or so in size. That hole is not clogged. I have no way of knowing how the water drains aft after it passes through that bulkhead. Behind the fuel tank is another bulkhead, then the fresh water tank.

I need help on how to get the water flowing again when I have no access to the rest of the closed areas around the fuel tank. Does the water just seep under the fuel and water tanks? I assume that debris has built up in front of the fuel tank preventing water from passing. I used a water hose and sprayed water into the hole through the bulkhead but that didn't help either. Help!

 

[poconojoe]

Did you try running a snake through the drain tube from both sides to clear any debris that could be clogging it? A wire coat hanger, 1/8" electrician's fish tape (snake) or a plumber's snake.

 

[harringtondav]

^^+1. Ski lockers can collect all sorts of debris. Go with Joe above. Or, (this sounds counter intuitive), flush the drain with a garden hose. I don't like adding water to the inside of my boat, but if the drain is connected to a tube, it should blast open back to the bilge. My locker drain is just a mouse hole in a bulkhead, with water running to the bilge under the gas tank. Same result with the hose.

 

[dpace23236]

PoconoJoe and HarringtonDave, thanks for the quick response. Yes I have tried a fish tape as well as a water hose with no results. The hole itself is completely clear. The problem is that there is only about an inch of space between the bulkhead and gas tank so the fish tape hits the tank immediately and can’t turn and there does’t appear to be any space under the tank directly in front of the hole thru the bulkhead. The hole thru the rear bulkhead is also clear. The only thing I haven’t tried yet is a power washer pointed into the hole, but i’m hesitant to try this since it’s such a small space and I really don’ know what else is there besides the tank.

 

[poconojoe]

Gee, I'm out of suggestions. So I guess you're saying that the drain tube is not continuous to the bilge. That it stops before your tanks then continues after the tanks. I always thought mine (Bayliner) is continuous under my fuel tank. But I've never needed to send a snake in there.
Maybe someone here is more privy on how these things are usually constructed.

 

[dpace23236]

Yes, correct, there is no continuous tube that goes under the tank, really wish there was!

 

[poconojoe]

So I guess there's no way to see into that chamber which holds the tanks. Maybe a borescope camera? They are inexpensive and can connect to your cell phone, computer or iPad.
I assume you tried clearing the tube from the bilge toward the bow. And I guess there's no way to remove those tanks.
It's a real conundrum. How could a boat builder produce a boat where a potential clog could not be cleared? And what the heck could be causing such a bad clog?

 

[dpace23236]

Yes, I got one of those and can’t hardly tell anything. It appears to only be about 1 inch space between bulkhead and fuel tank. Looks like maybe algae or just gunk in there but hard to tell. Debris would sometimes get into the ski locker which has a mouse hole that just dumps into that area so probably has built up over time. Also thinking about it the anchor locker at the front of the boat also just drains into that area as well. I know after my kids have used the boat before they don’t bother to clean sand and mud completely off the anchor and chain. So that’s more crud. Arggg. As you say boat builders don’t design a lot of thing with maintenance in mind.

 

[harringtondav]

I'd guess you have a floor access panel to remove your gas tank. Most boats do. Mine was a pain to access because the aft end went under the rear seat bench. But some come out more easily. hopefully yours. Once you remove it you'll have better access to both ends of the fuel tank.

I've put 45 and 90 degree pipe street elbows on the end of my pressure washer wand to get into tight places. It sounds like you have a gook dam under there somewhere. Maybe you can coax it free with your PW. Worse comes to worse, you could raise one end of your gas tank enough to get better access. Good luck.