Question about water in bilge

[ChooChooSnakeMan]

Ok, I'm not new to boats but it was always bass boats until my wife and I purchased an Ebbtide 2660 (26 1/2') bowrider last fall to make memories with our Grandkids. My wife and I finally got it on the water on May 5th for a test run before we have guests onboard. Never having a docked a boat before that didn't have a trolling motor was kind of an adventure but I'll learn, otherwise we had a great time on the water. My question / concern is that when I pulled the brass drain plug after about 5 hours on the water and 30 miles of running a couple of gallons of water came out. Not a bunch and as far as I know the bilge pump never came on (need to check to make sure the auto pump even works). Anyway we weren't in any rough water, never rained or took any waves over the bow. We didn't get ourselves in the water so no bringing water on board. I have a years warranty on this boat which expires in October. I want to be fair to the seller and not run to the service shop with problems that aren't problems but are normal. Since this is our first non fishing boat and first stern drive boat I'm not sure what is normal. It has a Volvo Penta DPS-A dual prop drive. The boat has only 100 hours on it since new but it is a 2011 model. I think I had the drain plug tight but I didn't use any teflon tape or any sealant on it, I don't know if any is required or not. The boat has an 8.1 Gi-J engine and captains call exhaust which I didn't open and use on the first outing. Should I be concerned about the water? The bellow look very good but perhaps there is a tear or leak. If so what does the bellows cost aproximately to replace? I don't want to cause any hull issues with water in the bilge if that is possible with such a small amount of water and I'm pretty meticulous with taking care of things. Any advice is welcome. I've read that in this case you can pull the boat and add water to the bilge and just wait and see where the leaks are. Is this what I should do? Another question. I had to put the trailer very deep in the water to be able to winch the boat up to the stop. I'd really rather not put the trailer in so deep so I won't have to wade out and get wet but I would have to power it on. Power loading down here for bass boats is normal but I don't know about a 26 1/2' boat that weighs over 5000 lbs. Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[BRICH1260]

The water could be from several sources. It could be from the bellows, engine cooling hoses, bad thru hull connections, rain water that was settled in the front of the boat that didn't get to the rear until the front was lifted. Start with a for sure dry interior and take the boat to the water and let it sit without engine on, see if any comes in. If not, start engine and monitor. it may take a few trips but you `ll figure it out.

 

[briangcc]

I wouldn't add water to a boat to see where it leaks. Launch it on a non-busy day...which are going to be harder to come by as the season progresses....and as mentioned above check for water intrusion. Then start, run and check again.

It's coming from somewhere be it bellows related, cooling hose related, or a hull puncture that may be covered up by a bunk.

When my FourWinns had water in the bilge, it was due to bellows - they don't last forever unfortunately. I think I got 9-10 years out of my original set. Be really quick question to the seller - when were the bellows last done?

Honestly I forget the cost on the last bellows job but nothing about a boat and marina service is cheap. If you're handy, and have the time/tools, it may be something you want to tackle.

 

[Scott Danforth]

with the boat in the water and the engine running. is your crank mounted raw water pump dripping? if so, it needs a seal.

if water is running in from the transom area, you need bellows

a bellows kit is under $200 for OEM parts

 

[1985 Century Mustang]

While it's in the water, look thoroughly all around the engine area for leaks while the engine is off, then look for leaks with the engine on. If it leaks while the engine is running , it could be just a loose exhaust no hub fitting clamp.

I had water in my bilge also, it was coming in from the gimbal seal housing/sterndrive housing, my gimbal seal was bad. It's a rubber seal, that gets attached to the outside transom on the gimbal housing.

 

[1985 Century Mustang]

The water could be from several sources. It could be from the bellows, engine cooling hoses, bad thru hull connections, rain water that was settled in the front of the boat that didn't get to the rear until the front was lifted. Start with a for sure dry interior and take the boat to the water and let it sit without engine on, see if any comes in. If not, start engine and monitor. it may take a few trips but you `ll figure it out.

That's an awesome post. You covered a lot.

 

[1985 Century Mustang]

Also, Tap all around the rear transom area on the outside of the boat by the sterndrive and everywhere else back there on the rear transom. Hopefully the transom is solid. You will want to hear solid noises, no hollow sounds.

 

[JASinIL2006]

A cellphone (or a GoPro) on a selfie stick taking video (while the boat is in the water and the engine is running) can help you see in places that might otherwise be hard to reach.

 

[Toyelectroman]

Have had two boats leak water. First one was due to bad transom, it was a constant drip just below the transom plate. Current boat was leaking at the self bailing thru hull. That one was a little tricky to find as it wasn't a constant leak

 

[1985 Century Mustang]

Last year I took on some water maybe 4 gallons or so in a 4 hour span, until I struck a sandbar pretty hard and my partially rotted transom took on a lot more water and I almost sank the boat, it came in thru the gimbal housing and the partially rotted transom. I'm rebuilding it as we speak. A lot of work.

 

[ChooChooSnakeMan]

Ok, I'm not new to boats but it was always bass boats until my wife and I purchased an Ebbtide 2660 (26 1/2') bowrider last fall to make memories with our Grandkids. My wife and I finally got it on the water on May 5th for a test run before we have guests onboard. Never having a docked a boat before that didn't have a trolling motor was kind of an adventure but I'll learn, otherwise we had a great time on the water. My question / concern is that when I pulled the brass drain plug after about 5 hours on the water and 30 miles of running a couple of gallons of water came out. Not a bunch and as far as I know the bilge pump never came on (need to check to make sure the auto pump even works). Anyway we weren't in any rough water, never rained or took any waves over the bow. We didn't get ourselves in the water so no bringing water on board. I have a years warranty on this boat which expires in October. I want to be fair to the seller and not run to the service shop with problems that aren't problems but are normal. Since this is our first non fishing boat and first stern drive boat I'm not sure what is normal. It has a Volvo Penta DPS-A dual prop drive. The boat has only 100 hours on it since new but it is a 2011 model. I think I had the drain plug tight but I didn't use any teflon tape or any sealant on it, I don't know if any is required or not. The boat has an 8.1 Gi-J engine and captains call exhaust which I didn't open and use on the first outing. Should I be concerned about the water? The bellow look very good but perhaps there is a tear or leak. If so what does the bellows cost aproximately to replace? I don't want to cause any hull issues with water in the bilge if that is possible with such a small amount of water and I'm pretty meticulous with taking care of things. Any advice is welcome. I've read that in this case you can pull the boat and add water to the bilge and just wait and see where the leaks are. Is this what I should do? Another question. I had to put the trailer very deep in the water to be able to winch the boat up to the stop. I'd really rather not put the trailer in so deep so I won't have to wade out and get wet but I would have to power it on. Power loading down here for bass boats is normal but I don't know about a 26 1/2' boat that weighs over 5000 lbs. Thanks in advance for your input.

Thanks everyone for all the replies. I was aprehensive about putting water in the boat to find the leak so the next time I launch I'll just monitor it at the dock for a while and try to figure out where it is coming in. Makes sense to focus on the hull before running the engine. I've also been advised that the source could be leaks associated with the Captain's Call Exhaust so I'll monitor that system. I don't think there is much chance that I have transom trouble as the boat has less than 100 hours on the engine and was supposedly not stored in the water. However sometimes things aren't as advertised so I'll tap around on it to make sure it is solid. Thanks again for your help.

 

[QBhoy]

Outwith the bellows or drain plug leaking…
A source of water on boats like this can often be a head scratcher at first…but then at some point, it’s common to find that the water has been in the boat all along. Just that it’s sat un noticed up forward, in a storage void, ski locker or similar, whilst she’s sat on a trailer or ashore at or in a position that’s not natural or as she might sit whilst she is in the water. When she is in the water and in her natural state…she will most likely sit with her aft end lower than the bow…then any water that may have sat trapped up forward or in any other areas, will then naturally drain back to the stern into the engine bay bilge area.

Another source might be from any domestic water system or tankage you might have aboard. Do you have such a thing ? Any fresh water tanks, pumps or similar ? Or even any sort of water sports ballast system perhaps ?

I’d perhaps suggest you check every area of the boat for any sitting water, before you use her next time. If you find more water next time..you’ll know one way or the other. If you find that there is…first things to check would be the bellows, steering pin seal, water intake on the transom assembly that feeds the cooling water to the engine driven pump and also around all the cooling system hoses on the engine too.
Best of luck.