coffee brown bilge water?

[jonnymarquis]

i have noticed that over time every time i take out the boat the water coming out of the bilge when i pull the plug the water gets darker and darker. today i took it out and it looked like coffee. now i have not noticed a smell. my motor is an outboard so that's not an issue. any ideas?

 

[foodfisher]

Re: coffee brown bilge water?

Rotting wood in your framework. Transom, stringers, bulkheads, deck.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: coffee brown bilge water?

Are you boating in crappy water? Not trying to be funny, but is it tannic and getting a lot of runoff from all the recent rain?

 

[jonnymarquis]

Re: coffee brown bilge water?

its not clear blue water no. but you can see your feet when treading water. I'm thinking the wood. i think i just didn't want to admit it to my self. there are a couple soft spots not terrible but you can tell they are there. as long as i can make the rest of the boating season i think it will be ok i guess. and can tackle it in the off season.

 

[Wingedwheel]

Re: coffee brown bilge water?

Don't kid yourself, it sounds like you already knew what it was, but just like when it happened to me I wanted someone to tell me I was wrong. A new transom and stringers last year and all my worries disappeared. I was hoping to make it through the boating season as well, but didn't make it through the first month before I had serious problems. Even though you drain the bilge, the rotting wood retains water and just keeps rotting. I read several posts here on the restoration forum and did the work myself. It took two solid weeks, but was sooooo worth it.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: coffee brown bilge water?

I had brown water one time... Holding tank brown water. Although yours is a different issue, I know the feeling.

If you can gain access down below, check the boats stringers. It may or may not be the cause, but worth a look.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: coffee brown bilge water?

add a little non-dairy creamer to it