New and Stressed!

[Kellie399]

Okay, my husband and I are totally new to this so bear with me. We have recently gotten a 1985 Kayot Limited deck boat and have had it about a week. I am not sure what the motor is but it is a V8 350 something or other (does that even make sense?)

Each time we dock we can get quite a bit of water from the bilge pump. We replaced the plug to see if that stopped the water from coming in but it still got water in it tonight. After the pump turns off I could still see water under the motor and I couldn't really tell how much...we have now adjusted our lift to tilt the boat back and have removed the plug.

From reading on here I know that it isn't "normal" to have water in the bilge all the time so where should we start looking to see where it is coming in? The boat used to have two swim platforms which are no longer there but the screw holes are so my husband thinks that may be the problem which we will be checking in to but how likely do you think that is?

Also, there is a soft spot on the floor right at the top of the ski locker. If I look into the ski locker I can see the wood that has fallen down from that spot. The locker is carpeted and I can smell the mildew so I plan on having my husband rip that out. So, are the stringers on each side of the locker and how do you know if the wood is "glassed" or whatever. Believe me I have read all the horror stories about the soft spot on the floors but from what I can tell the motor compartment looks dry and solid and the floor and carpet everywhere else seems to be in great shape.

Sorry this is so long but I know from my lurking you guys have lots of knowledge and I wanted to take advantage of as much as possible.

Thanks for any of your insights

 

[rosser1]

Re: New and Stressed!

best thing to do is to take a core sample, find a spot on the boat drill a small hole not throgh the boat just through the floor and foam to see if it iswet everwhere, the mold smell may be wetness under carpet and flooring, alway hope for the best but expect the worst. dont tear your boat all to piece yet, but if you can get it out of the water for a while and experiment with a few things, you may be able to let it dry out and you may just be getting water in around your plug hole. sometimes the plastic where yor drain plug goes can get dryrotten and crack, maybe some rtv or silicone can fix a small leak. good luck for you and husband.

 

[IVAZ]

Re: New and Stressed!

Welcome to iboats.
A place to check for leaks on a inboard/outboard boat is the rubber bellows. They connect from the drive unit to the boat. There will be three back there. The holes left from the now gone swim deck can be the cause also. If said holes are the culprit you will need to check for rot on the transom. If the transom checks, fill the holes.
If the stringers are glassed you will be able to see the fiberglass strands on the wood.
The foam under the rotten deck will most likely need to be removed.
The engine is most likely a GM 350 but it will be labeled as a Mercruiser, OMC or Volvo Penta.
I like the Kayot deck boats, I almost bought one a few months back.

 

[itsaboattime]

Re: New and Stressed!

Welcome to iboats.

I agree with removing the carpet and cleaning out the mildew. I am wondering if there is any damage to the hull of your boat. Any cracks or chips, especially in the keel will be a source of leaks. People tend to believe that the keel is thicker and will take a lil damage and most of the time they are wrong.

I would take the advice IVAZ offered to heart.

I would also fill the screw holes left from the swim platforms before you take it out again. There is a product made just for that. I can't remember the name right now. I'm sure sombody will chime in with it though. Even if the transome is rotten, more water in through those holes isn't hwlping anything.

You may want to try, after filling the screw holes, just launching the boat and lifting the engine cover. With the engine not running, observe the bilge under the motor and try to detect where the water is coming in from. You may be able to see if it is coming in around the hull plug or if it is seeping in from someplace else.

 

[marine4003]

Re: New and Stressed!

Not to be a killjoy..but lets say you do find more rot issues..which based on your observations to date,chances are good you will. She's a 24 yr old boat meaning the repairs will be extensive,ask yourself are you willing to spend the $$ to repair the problems..or learn to do them yourself...LOTS of time & $$$$. I've restored lots of boats and have seen lots of well intentioned folks undertake the restoration's..only 1/4 finish. have a pro examine the craft..then based on his/her input...decide fix/sell....its no easy undertaking.fiberglass work is a learned art, transom & hull/stringer repair isn't something learned by reading books. Good Luck.

 

[Kellie399]

Re: New and Stressed!

Thanks for the replies. If anyone has any other advice feel free to chime in!

Couple of follow up questions:
Even if the transome is rotten, more water in through those holes isn't hwlping anything

Is the transom the whole back of the boat or a particular part the motor is attached to? And how to know if that is rotten. It looks all dry in that back compartment except, obviously, the bilge under the motor. The sides and floor all around the motor look dry. I am keeping my fingers crossed. :redface:

If we take a sample through the deck and foam and it comes out okay AND we are able to find the leak I am assuming we are okay to leave the soft spot for the season (which is not long seeing as we are in MN ) and fix it over the winter?

Any cracks or chips, especially in the keel will be a source of leaks

What is the best way to find these? I have read that shining a flashlight through can work? Is there a different way?

I would also fill the screw holes left from the swim platforms before you take it out again. There is a product made just for that.

Does anyone know the name of this product? We are hoping to do this this weekend.
I am trying to be hopeful bc everything else on this boat is in great shape. Even the wood trim is in good shape. Not all grey and cracked everywhere. The upholstery has no cracks or tears either.....seller reports that it was always covered and stored inside and from the outward appearance that appears to be the case. It has not been used in 2 years and was sitting inside an outbuilding so the water we have gotten appears to have come from using it the last week.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[Steve Mahler]

Re: New and Stressed!

I would suggest you attack the water issue first. it is always fun to hunt down a leak....not

Anyway, get the bilge dry with a wet vac or whatever, and tape some newspaper around all sides of the bilge, from the inside bottom of the boat right up to where the engine/outdrive meet etc. Then dunk it back in the water (not on a rainy or splashy day) and watch things periodically. Other than the gymnastics to get the paper in place, this is a pretty easy and foolproof way to isolate the source of the water.

As for the soft deck, leave it for a fall project at this point - it is a big job even if only the deck and not stringers etc. You've done enough reading to know that once the deck is off, you can check the foam etc and proceed from there.

 

[KurtG]

Re: New and Stressed!

In all likelihood, the platforms aren't there as the transom is rotten. I'd just run out and get some 3m 5200 Marine sealant to plug the holes temporarily until can determine the extent ofthe can of worms you have.

Make sure you check the bellows on the outdrive before going out again. If they are leaking or dry rotted, you can take on water quickly.

I suspect the floor is rotten too given the soft spot. If the stringers are also compromised then it can become a safety issues as the structual integrity of the hull is lost.

One last note, the problem with off season repairs is that there are minimum cure temperatures for resin work, so you'd have to have heated garage space or give up some of your boating season to get the work done.

 

[IVAZ]

Re: New and Stressed!

The transom is pretty much all of the back of the boat (unless it has built in swim platforms).
I would start by checking the bellows. They are supposed to be changed every 5 to 8 years. If they were the source of the leak their will be other things to address. Taking off the drive will let you inspect them better. Find out what make it is and go to the i/o forum to get advice on yearly service (the drive is supposed to be removed once a year).
As far as filling the holes there are different options. For a quick fix marine silicone will work. If the deck has rot the foam is almost guaranteed to be wet. The reason you want wet foam out is because it will weigh the boat down unnecessarily and is no longer functional. Some boats don?t even have foam though. If the vessel is not leaning to one side you might get away with holding off on a repair.

 

[rrhodes]

Re: New and Stressed!

Good luck with this. You should always have a boat surveyed for this very reason. I am also betting that you have a rotten transom since the holes were left when the platform was removed/fell off. The areas I would suspect could be causing your leak are as others have mentioned the bellow, The holes you mentioned or your transom seal could also be bad. If all else fails lift the boat out of the water bow up, (On the trailer would make it easier) leave the plug in disconnect the bilge pump and use a hose to fill the bilge. (Don't Submerge the engine) If water can get in it can also get out.

 

[IVAZ]

Re: New and Stressed!

In all likelihood, the platforms aren't there as the transom is rotten. I'd just run out and get some 3m 5200 Marine sealant to plug the holes temporarily until can determine the extent ofthe can of worms you have.

Make sure you check the bellows on the outdrive before going out again. If they are leaking or dry rotted, you can take on water quickly.

I suspect the floor is rotten too given the soft spot. If the stringers are also compromised then it can become a safety issues as the structual integrity of the hull is lost.

One last note, the problem with off season repairs is that there are minimum cure temperatures for resin work, so you'd have to have heated garage space or give up some of your boating season to get the work done.[/

Not necessarily true. My father has worked with industrial fiberglass for 28 years. He used to own a company and I worked there off and on. This company did work in Africa and Alaska and many other places. Working indoors is always preferable but not necessary. You can add accelerants to the resin to make it cure in an appropriate time frame.
I do agree with all your other advice.

 

[Willyclay]

Re: New and Stressed!

I have not seen any mention of split cooling water hoses or broken/loose hose clamps on the engine as a possible source of your bilge water. BTDT and was very surprised at how much water was pumped into the bilge. One big clue; it will be warm. Good luck!

 

[IVAZ]

Re: New and Stressed!

I have not seen any mention of split cooling water hoses or broken/loose hose clamps on the engine as a possible source of your bilge water. BTDT and was very surprised at how much water was pumped into the bilge. One big clue; it will be warm. Good luck!

Yes this is true. Checking the easy things first is best.

 

[Utahboatnut]

Re: New and Stressed!

Good advise so far, I would take it to the lake and float it off the trailer then let it sit at the dock for an hour or so. then remove the engine cover (or have it off already) and inspect EVERYTHING well try to see where the water is coming from. If nothing then start it up and idle around a bit while someone observes all of the engine, bilge, transom, around drive, etc. Take a flashlight if needed to help see under in tight spots. If nothing then you will have to take it out and run it good and hard for a bit while watching all above areas. If you do this be careful not to fall into a running engine due to an unseen wave. also have the ski locker empty and check it out frequentlyfor water intrusion there. You could also use marine tex on the swimdeck holes it is a two part epoxy that you mix up and it dries hard, its sold at any boat shop. If you use the 5200 make sure you get the quick cure if you plan on dunking the boat soon it takes a long time to cure. Good luck with all of it and post back your findings or if more help is needed.

 

[itsaboattime]

Re: New and Stressed!

Marine tex is the stuff I was thinking of.

Split hoses never crossed my mind........DUH!!

 

[Kellie399]

Re: New and Stressed!

Thanks everyone for your replies!

We have not done much since I posted except take off the cover to the swim locker and take everything out to air it out. We also adjusted our lift to slope the boat back and removed the plug.

We are hoping to do some investigating tomorrow and I will let you know what we find. I read my husband some of the responses and he made me stop bc it was too overwhelming.

Just an FYI the swim decks were removed to be sanded etc and stored in the guys attached garage. Well, his house and garage burned down so that is why we don't have the swim platforms.....not because they fell off. We will definetely be filling those holes.

I will keep you updated, or in the least, bother you with more questions!

 

[Kellie399]

Re: New and Stressed!

Just wanted to give everyone a quick update. My husband covered the holes in the back left from the swim platforms and also found a spot where some intstrument wires or something were going into the back that were really loose so he replaced the screw and caulked or whatever all around that.

Took the boat out Sunday night and it seems that did improve things considerably. Did not get enough water for the bilge to operate but did get some when we removed the plug but not like before. Will continue to seek out the source but for now it is good news or at least not as bad as before.

Also, contacted a couple of local marine surveyors and will get a time set up for an inspection! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to reply!

Kellie

 

[itsaboattime]

Re: New and Stressed!

Any penetration through the transom should be watched for leaks.

Sorry about the total loss of the swim platforms!!!


A little water in the bilge area of your boat is nothing to be alarmed about. I usually drain up to 2 gallons out of mine depending on how much the kids get in and out of the water. I do think the inspection is a good idea though.