Boat leaning??

[vstarjewel]

Hi to all . . . total boat newbie here, need some feedback from who are more experienced . .

My husb and I just got a 24 ft Crown Line. When we take her out, she leans to the right (oops, starboard ) a lot. She leans when we are docked, when we are just cruising slowly in a channel, when on plane. We considered the obvious reasons: weight distribution, where the water tank is, etc. I've been on a few boats in my lifetime, and I never remember experiencing anything like this.

Also another concern? The bilge pump goes on quite often, and empties out a good quantity of water. I assume that this not a good thing . . . ? Is there any way to find out where they might be water leaking in (if that's the case?)

Any ideas??

 

[rbh]

Re: Boat leaning??

Hi to all . . . total boat newbie here, need some feedback from who are more experienced . .

My husb and I just got a 24 ft Crown Line. When we take her out, she leans to the right (oops, starboard ) a lot. She leans when we are docked, when we are just cruising slowly in a channel, when on plane. We considered the obvious reasons: weight distribution, where the water tank is, etc. I've been on a few boats in my lifetime, and I never remember experiencing anything like this.

Also another concern? The bilge pump goes on quite often, and empties out a good quantity of water. I assume that this not a good thing . . . ? Is there any way to find out where they might be water leaking in (if that's the case?)

Any ideas??

Hi and welcome aboard-
As for the leaning, Yup weight distrabution, but look how the boat was built and the location of water tank, fuel tank cuddy layout (sink fridge cabinets, head ETC) and batteries
How many people on board and were they are sitting.
As for the bilge coming on, it happens, "BUT" how often and how much water is accumulating.
General causes are leaking through any of the drives rubber parts (bellows), hoses have a leak between the motor and the drive, loose hoses and or motors block drains, manifolds leaking at the gasket or has a crack or motor cracked.

Any of the above is were I would begin looking.

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Boat leaning??

The bilge pump goes on quite often, and empties out a good quantity of water. I assume that this not a good thing . . . ? Is there any way to find out where they might be water leaking in (if that's the case?)

I would consider this to be a big concern. Most likely there is some foam in the bilge area that has become saturated with water from the obvious leak that you have. If this were a smaller boat I would offer advice on how to find the leak but since it is a 24' boat the process can get quite complex. It will take a trained professional to find the leak without causing a lot of collateral damage to your decks, etc. If you are experienced with boat repairs then it can still be difficult but since the season is ending, it would make for a good winter project. Folks here can help you through it.

If a visual inspection reveals the obvious source of the leak, (leaking shaft packing, leaking out drive bellows, seals, etc.,) and it can be easily repaired then consider yourself very lucky

Sorry that's probably not the news you were looking for but I think it's honest.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Boat leaning??

Hi vstar. Welcome to iboats. Most boats generally list slightly to starboard, for a variety of reasons. The helms of most vessels tend to be to starboard, motors/props generally crate clockwise torque which also cause a motor to pull to starboard. Any additional weight such as water/fuel tanks will also compound the problem. The best way to correct he issue is to redistribute the weight and/or install trim tabs to compensate for the inevitable list/pull. Using negative feedback steering can also help keep the boat tracking in a straight line. As for the bilge pump, that depends. All boats collect water to some degree which will then need to be drained overboard. If you feel the bilge is working overtime, I would inspect the hull thoroughly below decks for any leaks. If you are taking on excess water, it will not only cause the bilge pump to run more often, but may also add weight, which could further exacerbate the listing to starboard.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Boat leaning??

You obviously have water coming in. Pull the boat and without removing the garboard drain, see if you see water coming back out. If not, pull the plug and allow to drain completely. My initial suspicion is that you have water coming in on the starboard side and some obstruction in the drain holes that is not allowing it to flow to the bilge adequately. A boat that size probably does not have flotation foam in it. How much of a lean is there 2"? 10"?

You need to find where the water is getting in first, and that may solve the leaning issue. Look at through hull fittings, sea strainers, leaking engine cooling lines, etc.

 

[eng208]

Re: Boat leaning??

I would be willing to bet you have water in the hull on starboard side. Foam is probably saturated.

 

[Boss Hawg]

Re: Boat leaning??

I would be willing to bet you have water in the hull on starboard side. Foam is probably saturated.

Be my bet-

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Boat leaning??

Nothing to worry about when it is leaning to Stbd at the dock. It's called the Crownline list. The guy who docks behind me has a Crownline ( i think it's a 267 model)? and it does the same thing. It's the location of the things below.Water tank, batteries etc.. I'll bet the batteries are on the stbd side also.As for a lot of water being pumped out, you should have that looked at. Look around at some docks for Crownlines and you will see the obvious.If you want to dist. the weight, you can move the batteries to the port side, but you will need longer cables.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Boat leaning??

Be my bet-

Probably no foam in a boat that's 24ft. Don't think it's required in a boat above 20-21ft.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Boat leaning??

Probably no foam in a boat that's 24ft. Don't think it's required in a boat above 20-21ft.

Hmmm...I think that's what I said earlier, too...

 

[500dollar744ti]

Re: Boat leaning??

welcome, i would pull the boat out and see where water is getting in, likely at the drive but it could be something more serious. i just bought my first boat with the belief that it probably leaks and it's probably not seaworthy yet no matter what the seller claimed.

indeed both were true. i put the boat in the water the first time not to go for a ride but to look for problems. i found it not to be seaworthy because the engine would overheat at low rpm and i found water coming into the bilge at the gimbal bearing.

upon taking the boat out of the water, i found water dribbling out one side of the out drive. i removed the outdrive and water poured out all over. someone had done this previously and decided that it was okay to re-use the drive/bellhousing gasket and leave the big rubber seal out. those are big no-nos that would have probably sunk my boat.

before taking the boat out again i rebuilt the raw water pump, replaced the gimbal bearing and re-sealed the out drive. i also added a backup 2000 gph bilge pump to keep it safe.

this made me feel much better about taking the boat out to do my first sea trial without having it sink on me.

 

[vstarjewel]

Re: Boat leaning??

THALASO: Nothing to worry about when it is leaning to Stbd at the dock. It's called the Crownline list. The guy who docks behind me has a Crownline ( i think it's a 267 model)? and it does the same thing. It's the location of the things below.Water tank, batteries etc.. I'll bet the batteries are on the stbd side also.As for a lot of water being pumped out, you should have that looked at. Look around at some docks for Crownlines and you will see the obvious.If you want to dist. the weight, you can move the batteries to the port side, but you will need longer cables.

Hmmmm . . . now that is a nice bit of info, thanks!! I still believe that there is a water leak as everyone else mentioned (hubby agrees).

500dollar744ti: upon taking the boat out of the water, i found water dribbling out one side of the out drive. i removed the outdrive and water poured out all over. someone had done this previously and decided that it was okay to re-use the drive/bellhousing gasket and leave the big rubber seal out. those are big no-nos that would have probably sunk my boat.


To my knowledge we have an inboard/outboard drive . . . not sure if it's the same thing as what you have, but it REALLY helps having someplace a little more definite to start looking.


Fireman431: You obviously have water coming in. Pull the boat and without removing the garboard drain, see if you see water coming back out. If not, pull the plug and allow to drain completely. My initial suspicion is that you have water coming in on the starboard side and some obstruction in the drain holes that is not allowing it to flow to the bilge adequately. A boat that size probably does not have flotation foam in it. How much of a lean is there 2"? 10"?

You need to find where the water is getting in first, and that may solve the leaning issue. Look at through hull fittings, sea strainers, leaking engine cooling lines, etc

I'm not sure how to really measure the lean . . . I thought about taking a leveler and getting an idea of how badly it leans. I can say it leans much more when we are driving than when docked, and around 20ish MPH (just before we get up on plane) the lean is pretty bad (enough to make me want to move to the port side and sit there ). Just seems like I never see other boats with that much of a lean on it . . . will have to go down to the marina and wander around and look at some other Crownlines (thank you again Thalaso ).

Jlawson: I would consider this to be a big concern. Most likely there is some foam in the bilge area that has become saturated with water from the obvious leak that you have. If this were a smaller boat I would offer advice on how to find the leak but since it is a 24' boat the process can get quite complex. It will take a trained professional to find the leak without causing a lot of collateral damage to your decks, etc. If you are experienced with boat repairs then it can still be difficult but since the season is ending, it would make for a good winter project. Folks here can help you through it.

If a visual inspection reveals the obvious source of the leak, (leaking shaft packing, leaking out drive bellows, seals, etc.,) and it can be easily repaired then consider yourself very lucky

Sorry that's probably not the news you were looking for but I think it's honest.

Yep . . . I have pretty much conceded to the fact that there is a leak and will cost $$$ to fix it. But I would rather have an honest opinion vs beating around the bush. Hubby knows this too; boats are a hole in the water that you toss money into, and we are prepared for big bucks if needed .

I can't thank all you guys enough for the ideas. Everyone that posted gave my husb another option to inspect. We'll find it, and will keep you posted.