New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

[morrison.inc]

(If this is in the wrong section then mods feel free to move it, but pm me where u move it to if you do)

Hello, i am new here and new to boats, im 25 and just purchased a 2002 14ft lowe sea nymph bass boat. Im having some problems and need help troubleshooting from the pros lol!

Is it normal for 10-15 gallons of water to come out of the drain plug after fishing for 4 hrs? Because thats what happened today. We kept hitting the bildge all day and no water came out. Then we just left it alone for an hour or two. Later, we loaded the boat up onto the trailer and pulled it up, we saw the carpet was wet in the back. My friend was in his bare feet in the back, and said the carpet didnt feel wet when we were on the water, or coming ashore (keep in mind, he could have been wrong)... Say he was right tho, and the carpet was dry UNTIL we pulled boat out of the water, then what does that mean?

I dont even know where all of that water could be sitting.. I think i would have noticed 15 gallons of water in the deck of the boat. The visible area of the bilge is only like a 1 square foot depressed area in the back of the boat, but it seems like it runs underneath the floor cuz theres a bunch of tubes and wires that go through there up to the front of the boat. Maybe thats where the water is sitting...?

Also, this could just be me being paranoid, but when we move around, you can hear the sound of bubbles sometimes along the side of the boat. Its not constant, just a few bubbles.. I just figured it was air that was trapped underneath of the fins on the boat or something...could i be right..?

My first guess would be that theres probly a leak in the intake/outtake tubes of the livewell, but thats just my idea and thats where im at. I am new to boats and dont even have a clue if this stuff is normal or not. It seems like it would be normal for a boat to take on some water since there is a drain plug and bilge pump, but the question is, how much water is acceptable, and in how long of a period of time?

How often do you need to use your bilge? is it just there for safety purposes, or do you use it frequently?

How much water comes out of your drain plug hole after a day of fishing on a bass boat?

Sry for all the questions, but i just need to know if this stuff is normal, or if i need to go over this issue with the person who sold me the boat.

Im tired and stressed right now, so i may update/edit some this post tomorrow. This isnt the only thing im dealing with. My friend was pulling the boat out of the garage today while i was backing my truck up and he ran over the trailers electrical wires with the support wheel cutting some in half. We went to autozone and got the adapter, hooked it up perfect, and all lights and turn signals worked fine. Then after we get off the lake, my left tail light on the trailer was out, and the yellow runnning lights on the front of the trailer were out. All turn signals worked fine, even on the left tail light that was out. Brakes worked fine on both rear lights also, but when i take my foot off of the brakes, the left tailight continues to be dead. Ill just deal with it tomorrow. Any help is appreciated! Goodnight world....

 

[Andy'sDelight]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

(If this is in the wrong section then mods feel free to move it, but pm me where u move it to if you do)

Hello, i am new here and new to boats, im 25 and just purchased a 2002 14ft lowe sea nymph bass boat. Im having some problems and need help troubleshooting from the pros lol!

Is it normal for 10-15 gallons of water to come out of the drain plug after fishing for 4 hrs? Because thats what happened today. We kept hitting the bildge all day and no water came out. Then we just left it alone for an hour or two. Later, we loaded the boat up onto the trailer and pulled it up, we saw the carpet was wet in the back. My friend was in his bare feet in the back, and said the carpet didnt feel wet when we were on the water, or coming ashore (keep in mind, he could have been wrong)... Say he was right tho, and the carpet was dry UNTIL we pulled boat out of the water, then what does that mean?

I dont even know where all of that water could be sitting.. I think i would have noticed 15 gallons of water in the deck of the boat. The visible area of the bilge is only like a 1 square foot depressed area in the back of the boat, but it seems like it runs underneath the floor cuz theres a bunch of tubes and wires that go through there up to the front of the boat. Maybe thats where the water is sitting...?

Also, this could just be me being paranoid, but when we move around, you can hear the sound of bubbles sometimes along the side of the boat. Its not constant, just a few bubbles.. I just figured it was air that was trapped underneath of the fins on the boat or something...could i be right..?

My first guess would be that theres probly a leak in the intake/outtake tubes of the livewell, but thats just my idea and thats where im at. I am new to boats and dont even have a clue if this stuff is normal or not. It seems like it would be normal for a boat to take on some water since there is a drain plug and bilge pump, but the question is, how much water is acceptable, and in how long of a period of time?

How often do you need to use your bilge? is it just there for safety purposes, or do you use it frequently?

How much water comes out of your drain plug hole after a day of fishing on a bass boat?

Sry for all the questions, but i just need to know if this stuff is normal, or if i need to go over this issue with the person who sold me the boat.

Im tired and stressed right now, so i may update/edit some this post tomorrow. This isnt the only thing im dealing with. My friend was pulling the boat out of the garage today while i was backing my truck up and he ran over the trailers electrical wires with the support wheel cutting some in half. We went to autozone and got the adapter, hooked it up perfect, and all lights and turn signals worked fine. Then after we get off the lake, my left tail light on the trailer was out, and the yellow runnning lights on the front of the trailer were out. All turn signals worked fine, even on the left tail light that was out. Brakes worked fine on both rear lights also, but when i take my foot off of the brakes, the left tailight continues to be dead. Ill just deal with it tomorrow. Any help is appreciated! Goodnight world....

After fishing in calm seas in my boat there is no seawater in the bilge. In fact, 90% of the water that ever gets in my bilge is from rain. 15 gallons of water from 4 hours of fishing is a problem in my opinion.

 

[Scottimus]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

No water in my boat either from a day's fishing.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

think of it this way, a leak is just a slow way to sink. For that type of boat/usage, you should have very little if any water when you pull it out at the end of the day. Bilge pumps should never run.

Take it out on the water without using your livewells once... its very possible the outflow from the livewell is probably broken/disconnected, and it is just overflowing into your hull.

At any rate though, that is far too much water in that boat. Fix it before using it any more.

 

[bashr52]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

It could have just been a little water laying all along the bottom, below the bilge intake. Assuming you launched at a ramp, loading it onto the trailer and being tipped at an angle could have just caused all the water to run to the back. A little water in a smaller space adds up.

Regardless, you need to figure out where it is comming from.

 

[bsktball55]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

Let me see if I read it right. You didn't notice any water in the boat, ran the bilge pumps throughout the day and nothing came out and then when you pulled the boat out you noticed the floor was wet and there was a lot of water that ran out through the plug?
My best guess would be you came off plane to fast when you came into the dock and water washed up over the back deck as you were coming off plane. I've done it several times in our bass boat. As you are coming off plane look behind you and see if the water comes up over the back of the boat, you may have to hit the throttle a little bit to stay ahead of the wall of water.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

No water in my Lund after fishing unless it's caused by the idiot skiers that feel the need to come so close I can read the labels on the swim suits and I get washed over the transom.

I would tilt the bow as high as I could and leave the drain plug out then let it sit that way for a day or so in case you have water being trapped under the decking. Then as said try it again w/o filling the livewell and see if it reoccures. If it does then you need to find the source.

 

[RobbyA]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

I can fish ALL DAY and pull the plug and not so much as a drop comes out and I never touch the bilge pump either. After a long day tubing its a different story, the water from people getting in the boat and from the motor well filling up I have to use the pump, but it is never more than 5 gallons for the whole day.

If I had that much water coming out I would not get out on the lake until I had the problem resolved.

 

[Andy'sDelight]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

Check the height of your bilge pump as well. Most are not flush with the floor so they don't get clogged up, but I think it would have to be mounted way too high to allow for 15 gallons in a 14 foot boat.

 

[j_martin]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

I can fish ALL DAY and pull the plug and not so much as a drop comes out and I never touch the bilge pump either. After a long day tubing its a different story, the water from people getting in the boat and from the motor well filling up I have to use the pump, but it is never more than 5 gallons for the whole day.

If I had that much water coming out I would not get out on the lake until I had the problem resolved.

There's a lot of places for water to get into a bass boat. For one, you have multiple fittings below the water line, for live wells, fer instance. A leak anywhere in the livewell system will leak into the bilge.

The back wave gets me about ten gallons at a time if I forget to "land" the boat when I drop it off plane.

My live wells have different level outlets. When fishing is good, and I set them up for max water, they sometimes leak a little out the top seams when the boat rocks. It can stack up in time.

A totally rotten transom and stringer system could leak significant water into the boat. That would be very serious trouble.

Bottom line is you need to find out where it's coming from before you find yourself dealing with a real sinking.

 

[lncoop]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

Don't see how anyone can give a confident answer based on the info provided. There are too many questions. What kind of water were you fishing in? How did you determine that it was 10-15 gallons? How does the design of your rig compare to that of guys saying they never take on water? Think back over the day while taking into account these questions. I'm not saying you're not taking on water, and I'm not saying you don't need to figure out what the issue is and resolve it. What I am saying is I am dubious as to whether the situation is as dire as some would have you believe.

 

[109jb]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

I think there is plenty of information to answer most of his questions:

Question: Is it normal for 10-15 gallons of water to come out of the drain plug after fishing for 4 hrs?

My answer: NO

Question: Say he was right tho, and the carpet was dry UNTIL we pulled boat out of the water, then what does that mean?

My Answer: The water was already there and whne you were on the angled ramp it all ran to the back of the boat

Question: Maybe thats where the water is sitting...?

My Answer: That would be my guess

Question: Also, this could just be me being paranoid, but when we move around, you can hear the sound of bubbles sometimes along the side of the boat. Its not constant, just a few bubbles.. I just figured it was air that was trapped underneath of the fins on the boat or something...could i be right..?

My Answer: If you are hearing bubbles then that is probably where the water is coming in.

My first guess would be that theres probly a leak in the intake/outtake tubes of the livewell, but thats just my idea and thats where im at. I am new to boats and dont even have a clue if this stuff is normal or not. It seems like it would be normal for a boat to take on some water since there is a drain plug and bilge pump, but the question is, how much water is acceptable, and in how long of a period of time?

My answer: No amount of water getting into a small boat is acceptable. The livewell plumbing could definitely be a leak source

How often do you need to use your bilge? is it just there for safety purposes, or do you use it frequently?

My answer: Unless its raining, or wet people are getting in and out of the boat then my bilge never runs and there isn?t any water from the drain when I pull out

How much water comes out of your drain plug hole after a day of fishing on a bass boat?

My Answer: None

 

[DonHof]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

The only water in my boat is if I come off plane to fast, or I forget the drain plug.

 

[riptide09]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

An important point no one has mentioned.

Test your bilge pump to make sure it is working and the hoses are connected properly. In your driveway, drain plug in, fill the bilge with a hose above the level of the pump. Turn on the pump and see if it is working.

You need to find and fix the leak but you also need to verify the pump is working.

 

[morrison.inc]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

Let me see if I read it right. You didn't notice any water in the boat, ran the bilge pumps throughout the day and nothing came out and then when you pulled the boat out you noticed the floor was wet and there was a lot of water that ran out through the plug?
My best guess would be you came off plane to fast when you came into the dock and water washed up over the back deck as you were coming off plane. I've done it several times in our bass boat. As you are coming off plane look behind you and see if the water comes up over the back of the boat, you may have to hit the throttle a little bit to stay ahead of the wall of water.

I am in freshwater, the boat is aluminum, and this problem happens even when on an electric only lake. Theres no way i am planing with a trolling motor lol. I just filled up the livewell with the plug in, no leaks. I then drained the livewell, no leaks. When i say no leaks, i meant there was no visible extra water coming into the bilge area in the back of the boat.

I dont think there is any water coming into the boat anywhere else except somewhere that has access to the bilge area. If water was in the hull, it wouldnt be able to get into the bilge tray right..? It could just be an unsecure connection at one of the pumps and cause leaking into the bilge. I hope its that simple...

 

[bsktball55]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

I would check all your connections especially with the livewell. We had an issue when we first got our boat where the livewell hose came undone and our bilge was running to pump that water out. Try filling up your bilge with some water, don't get it over any of your electrical connections or anything and let it sit in your driveway for a little while. See if you can see any water coming out of the boat especially around your connections.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

Morrison inc. Welcome to Iboats, looks like you've got some pretty good responses, a picture of your rig showing the layout of the deck and some pics of the transom hull fittings ect. would help.
Anyhow a 14 foot boat shouldn't be too hard to renovate, it takes more ambition than money, 100 bucks of wood and fiberglass another 100 in fittings and fasteners, alot of good ol hard work, preferable in the off season.

 

[109jb]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

With an aluminum boat the water could be coming in from loose rivets or a cracked weld depending on the method of construction.

Having said that, I would still check all the livewell and bilge plumbing to make sure the it is all good. I know you said you filled the livewell and checked the livewell drain, but did you check the pump through hull fitting, the fill hose/hoses, the bilge hose, etc. Another thing to check is the hull drain tube and drain plug. If you have a rubber expanding plug, replace it with anew on and check the tube it inserts into to make sure it is secure.

I don't really like the following method, but if you have no other recourse, you could put the plug in and throw a hose into the bilge and fill the boat up a little to find the leak.

 

[morrison.inc]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

Morrison inc. Welcome to Iboats, looks like you've got some pretty good responses, a picture of your rig showing the layout of the deck and some pics of the transom hull fittings ect. would help.
Anyhow a 14 foot boat shouldn't be too hard to renovate, it takes more ambition than money, 100 bucks of wood and fiberglass another 100 in fittings and fasteners, alot of good ol hard work, preferable in the off season.

Heres some pics, i didnt know how to rotate them. Im sorry they are all sideways.

Heres the boat..

Wait maybe not.. i uploaded pics into an album but i dont know how to post them. Is it cuz i dont have enough posts or something?

 

[bonz_d]

Re: New to boats, water is getting in, im lost, pls help!

Morrison, most aluminum hulls of this size do not use stringers. Instead they use ribs. I will include a picture of my Lund while I had the deck removed and it should give you a good idea of what's under yours. Again it maybe a bit different but still the same principal.

Notice the hole in the center of the ribs. I believe this is were your water may be collecting and not draining back the way it should be. Could be rain water, leaking connection and hopefully not some lose rivets. This is why I suggested tilting it up it it is just collecting rain water/splash.

Sea Nymphs are normally pretty sturdy hulls from my experience. Also I find it easiest to use photobucket to attach pictures to these posts.