Does your boat leak any water at all?

Does your boat leak any water at all?

  • Yes

    Votes: 47 48.5%
  • Not a drop.

    Votes: 50 51.5%

  • Total voters
    97
  • Poll closed .

bouch1

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
May 15, 2011
Messages
35
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

i get around a gallon, less if no tubing or swimming, I noticed my caulking under boarding ladder needs redoing so when I stop quick the backsplash gets in some.
 

soggy_feet

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Messages
713
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

42 year old steel hulled houseboat.... Theres always something....
 

SDSeville

Lieutenant
Joined
Mar 19, 2010
Messages
1,481
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

About 8 to 12 ounces every few hours just cruising around. I need to reseal my swim ladder bolts. However, with 5 to 8 people tubing, wakeboarding, and swimming, (in and out, in and out) I will get a couple gallons or more in the same time period. As someone mentioned earlier, you can get a couple gallons just from pulling a tube from the water into the boat.
 

2ndtry

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Messages
239
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

Never a drop. I store it covered and under a roof, so I only pull the plug on cleaning days.

Forgot to mention the boat has a self bailing deck, so water from people, tubes, skis, etc, goes overboard and not into the bilge. I didn't realize how much this could be until reading the rest of this thread!
 

ericp501

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
May 14, 2011
Messages
149
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

I have a trickle from a shift bellow leak.. this slit is maybe 1/8".. It'll fill my bilge up pretty quick depending on how wheel is turned. If you're dripping try getting it dry. My boat is getting the bellow replaced this weekend.
 

Davem3

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 15, 2011
Messages
542
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

I had my boat 100% water tight last year, this year I have a leak somewhere that I just can NOT seem to find. Its only about 3 cups worth of water usually after 3-4 hours on the water, but it drives me nutty.

Just curious if 100% water tight is the norm. or am I just OCD?

Still driving me nuts trying to chase it down. I can see it is coming from the actual drain plug, but I can't tell if it is something on the transom or the drain plug hole itself.

nope, if that is so, then i am OCD as well............

new plug, maybe ?????
 

1973Chieftain

Lieutenant
Joined
May 31, 2010
Messages
1,298
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

Both of my boats are aluminum, and there is a quart or two in each after several hours of cruising. Not enough to pull up the floor to locate imho.
 

Philster

Captain
Joined
Sep 15, 2009
Messages
3,344
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

?
This makes sense because my motor was trimmed all the way up... but here's a dumb question where do I have a bellow on my outboard? I hope I didn't bust on of those hole in the bow or something.
If I did is it OK to fill these with marine grade silicon?

You don't have bellows on an outboard.

Marine grade silicone? Not for filling holes.
 

Triton II

Commander
Joined
Nov 23, 2004
Messages
2,479
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

I voted not a drop. However, I do replace the o-rings on the two transom plugs every year.

TII
 

spdracr39

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Aug 30, 2010
Messages
1,238
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

OOps I guess I missed that part :(
 

sw6416

Banned
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
49
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

I started having about a gallon in the bilge in the engine compartment this year in about a 8 hour trip. Drove me nuts for a couple of trips. I had a very small leak in a water line where it connects from a metal elbow to a rubber hose. It was leaking down behind the fitting where I could not see it, tightened up all the clamps and dry as a bone again. My suggestion would be to try that if you have a leak you can't find on a inboard motor with water in the bilge in the engine compartment.
 

Part-time

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 5, 2011
Messages
536
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

I voted yes, the shift cable boot was letting enough water in that the boat would sink in 4 or 5 hrs.
Hopefully it'll be NO from now on.
554279_10151699259190487_877905486_23917855_999984061_n.jpg
 

ericp501

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
May 14, 2011
Messages
149
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

I voted yes, the shift cable boot was letting enough water in that the boat would sink in 4 or 5 hrs.
Hopefully it'll be NO from now on.
554279_10151699259190487_877905486_23917855_999984061_n.jpg

How's your drive bellow look? Are you replacing all of them?
 

jigngrub

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Messages
8,155
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

I pull the plug after each trip to check and see, all I get is a little dust that falls off the end of the plug.
 

Fl_Richard

Lieutenant
Joined
Jan 21, 2005
Messages
1,428
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

I get water in the bilge when out. Sometimes up to a gallon or better. -- The bow wave will force water through the anchor locker drain tube at the bow and into the locker and then leak into the cabin, run through the drains and into the bilge.
 

catfish58

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 17, 2011
Messages
158
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

I usually have about a cup of water after 3 or 4 hours. Once last year I had about 2 gallons. My live well pump was leaking.
 
Last edited:

BonairII

Commander
Joined
Jun 7, 2011
Messages
2,727
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

I've been fishing on my new(to me) Starcraft SS four times so far...which is the equivalent of 20+ hours on the water. No water in the bilge.
 

gjmsd

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Oct 18, 2010
Messages
83
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

Here's another questions. Since I bought my boat I wasn't getting any water in it at all. Last weekend I had to beach it to anchor three times on soft shale and sand. now I think I have a leak. How do I go about checking where it is coming from? and what do I do if it's coming from the bow? there is a small gouge taken out of the bow that was repaired with resin or marine grade silicon and I think I may need to do it again.

I hit a shallow sand bar with my boat last year and developed a leak. I could see a crack along one of the strakes but wasn't sure if it was leaking so I started filling the boat with water while on the trailer and sure enough, saw water running out the crack. I cut a hole in the floor under the seat and packed mat fiberglass and epoxy resin into the strake and now don't get a drop in the boat.
 

bgc

Ensign
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
980
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

1963 Starcraft Jet Star....her reevets leak a bit......

IMG_0169.jpg
 

lakelover

Rear Admiral
Joined
Mar 26, 2003
Messages
4,386
Re: Does your boat leak any water at all?

Both of my boats are aluminum, and there is a quart or two in each after several hours of cruising. Not enough to pull up the floor to locate imho.

Exactly my situation with the 64 Jet Star. If I knew then what I know now.....:rolleyes:....I would have pursued it more completely.

I have a 2003 Starcraft SF14 that is dry as a bone, but a few years ago, I had to put epoxy along a short section of the keel seem near the bow.

And then again, I have a 1971 Ouachita 14' utility boat that I have to bail out every once in a while
 
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