Boat is taking down water

[Godfirst]

Hi can anyone tell me the perspective on a good hull and what to look for, the boat is taking down water, how much water should a 20 year old boat release when I remove the drain plug? about a few gallons with just a short ride one day, obviously I see no holes or cracks that I can see except where the bunk rails are, can water get in around the sterndrive I have used marine silicone around all my electronics.
Please advise Thanks...

 

[slasmith1]

Re: Boat is taking down water

Check all your through hull fittings such as raw water intakes and bildge pump fittings.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Boat is taking down water

yes water can get around stern drive, when not serviced properly, bellows can be cracked, or pin hole. transom could be rotted from this.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Boat is taking down water

My boat is 27 years old and is dry as a bone regardless of how long it is in the water, "a couple gallons after a short ride" is alot and you need to find and repair this leak, it is big.

If the boat is fiberglass you are asking for very expensive trouble, rotted transom and stringers.

Get a flash light, put the boat on the water, poke your head under the deck and start looking for the leak, it shouldn't be hard to find.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Boat is taking down water

If you can,put your boat on ta trailer in your driveway and start filling it with water.NOT all the way.
Usually you will find the leaks easily because you will see water dripping out when you inspect your boat from the outside.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Boat is taking down water

The hull may be perfect but how are the outdrive gaskets and seals? Is there also a possible leak from the engine when under pressure leaking into the boat.

I would bet it is infiltration via the outdrive.

 

[cadunkle]

Re: Boat is taking down water

My '89 leaks a bit. Takes on a gallon or two after a day on the water. Just got it last season so not sure on all the maintenance. When it warms up a bit I'll be replacing all the bellows, resealing the swim platform through bolts bilge pump fitting, and go over all engine coolant and exhaust hoses and fittings. I couldn't find any leaks wehn looking around, must be too slow a leak. I'm just gonna go over all the basics and see if it solves the problem. Who knows, bellows could be cracked or pinholed in a spot I can't see. Guess I'll find out.

 

[Godfirst]

Re: Boat is taking down water

Thanks for the advice, I think I'll take the advice put the boat in water and look in the engine compartment first with a flashligh and look, the outdrive was serviced at least I paid for it..... then I will go down the list you never no nowadays around here the boat is 20 years old and I know cause of the replacement of my jumpseats and upholstrey there was alot of dryrot.
Duane

 

[Godfirst]

Re: Boat is taking down water

I don't think I fill the boat with water it has enough dryrot.

 

[Hard Head]

Re: Boat is taking down water

I had the same problem with 4 year old boat that I bought used a few months ago. After a few outings, I didn't like the way the boat sounded or the amount of water it was taking on; took it in and had the drive pulled... Lots of water intrusion through the bellows. Gimbal bearing was rusted up along with the U joints. Had to bang the gimbal out with a slide hammer.

Regular maintenance goes a long way, and it's A LOT cheaper.

 

[grego]

Re: Boat is taking down water

My older bass boat seeps water from the drain plug. i should use tephlon tape,but I just hit the bilge pump now and then.

 

[haskindm]

Re: Boat is taking down water

I don't think I fill the boat with water it has enough dryrot.

You really need to have his looked at by an expert. If the rot is that much evident in what you can see, you had better have someone check what you can't see! The stringer and transom may be rotten which is very expensive to repair and may be unsafe. Several gallons of water after a "short ride" is WAY TOO MUCH. Get this thing thoroughly checked out before a disater happens.

 

[Nandy]

Re: Boat is taking down water

Since I have no idea where the Redlands are, I will also bring up that if you have people going in/out the water into the boat you will acumulate water. When I do a cruising/fishing only trip I can be all day in water and I have no water whatsoever. If I have a fun (swimming, tubing) I get plenty of water in the bilge. My rule is no one goes in the water without a pfd when tubing and no one goes swimming without a pfd or another type of floating device. Most of the water comes from the flotation devices.
Another source of water is splash from the water coming from under your rub rail.

After saying all that, by the amount of water you describe I will bet that the source of your leak is under the water line most of the time... Putting water in the boat is not that bad if you let it dry. If it is getting that much water anyway, you cant really hurt it more than letting that leak to continue...

 

[cadunkle]

Re: Boat is taking down water

Since it's a reasonably nice day I uncovered the boat to see how she fared for the winter. A bit of moisture/humidity inside but nothing is indicated being wet all winter and no mildew or mold. Turned the outdrive all the way left to inspect the bellows (Alpha One) and my leak was staring me right in the face... Shift cable boot is torn in half so not sealing very well. That's just fine since I need to install a new lower shift cable anyway.

 

[capt sam]

Re: Boat is taking down water

Is this the redlands over by homestead in south Fla? Anyways, my old boat's livewell would overflow into the bilge so I always had some water in there, you just need to isolate where it's coming from and they told you how to do that.

 

[Godfirst]

Re: Boat is taking down water

Thanks for all the advice, Redlands is in Southern Calif about 1 hour Pacific ocean.

 

[Godfirst]

Re: Boat is taking down water

Since it's a reasonably nice day I uncovered the boat to see how she fared for the winter. A bit of moisture/humidity inside but nothing is indicated being wet all winter and no mildew or mold. Turned the outdrive all the way left to inspect the bellows (Alpha One) and my leak was staring me right in the face... Shift cable boot is torn in half so not sealing very well. That's just fine since I need to install a new lower shift cable anyway.

Can anyone expalin me what the function of the bellows what they do and what is important for maintenance in the alpha 1 application.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Boat is taking down water

Can anyone expalin me what the function of the bellows what they do and what is important for maintenance in the alpha 1 application.

Ayuh,...

Generally speaking,... The Bellows keep the Water from where it Shouldn't Be....
If your's show any Cracks or other Wear,... Replace them...
Normal life expectancy is 5 to 8 Years....

Mine are at 10,+ will be replaced before launch this season....

 

[Willyclay]

Re: Boat is taking down water

Another source of water inside a sterndrive boat is from the engine cooling system. In the driveway, first make sure the boat is drained then install the drain plug. Run the engine on muffs for a little while. Look for leaks while it is running. Even if no leaks are observed, pull the drain plug and see if any water accumulated. BTDT, except we were a long way from the boat ramp when we realized what was happening. Good luck!

 

[cadunkle]

Re: Boat is taking down water

Can anyone expalin me what the function of the bellows what they do and what is important for maintenance in the alpha 1 application.

Just to clarify on Bond-o said... The bellows are located on the outside of the boat between your sterndrive and transom assembly. The look kinda like those flexy universal fit radiator hoses, except the water is supposed to stay on the outside. One is for the driveshaft, another for exhaust, and another for the shift cable. If questionable, order a new set and replace. They say to only use bellows adhesive for this job, definitely not any type of RTV or other marine sealant.

I've never done bellows before but it looks fairly straightforward, if maybe a bit of a pain. After some searching, I found a complete bellows kit for a reasonable price. Also seems to include gimbal bearing, not a bad idea on an older boat if it hasn't been done before.

http://bpi.ebasicpower.com/mm5/merc...wer&Product_Code=GLM21950&Category_Code=MER2D

If you do your bellows, or maybe in general anyhow, you may want to replace your water pump impeller. It is located in the lower unit of the Alpha 1 and should be replaced every 1-2 years depending on use.