excessive water and sluggish motor

[Msking]

This is a two part story but related: This is my first boat. It is a 1973 Invader with a 115hp Mercury outboard. The guts of the boat had to be replaced which I had done. The motor worked good. My first outing I forgot the plugs and almost sank the boat (rookie Mistake).

Every time I took the boat out it seemed like there was a lot of water draining out when I took the boat out of the water. While I was investigating I found a hole in the rear well at the rear of the boat (where my bilge pump is)and thought maybe it had to be plugged - so I plugged it.

I took the boat out again and it ran well for 5 hours. My wife, daughter and two grand kids joined us later so i went to the dock and loaded them up. However, when I pulled away into open water it was very sluggish. It would not full throttle. A couple times it stalled. I'm thinking there is something wrong with the engine. I pulled the boat out, took it home cleaned it out and pulled the plug that I had put in the well where my bilge pump was. It drained for about 10 minutes with my bilge pump on.

So now I'm thinking maybe the water accumulation in the bottom of my boat and the added weight of four people caused my outboard to somehow flood. Should this plug remain open? Will excessive weight bring the boat to low in the water and cause the engine to flood? Do all boats get water under their deck? Lots of questions but I am confused.

 

[redneckvulcanrider]

I'd say u better start looking for a leak some where

 

[Woodonglass]

Sorry to hear about your issues. No, boats are NOT supposed to have water below the deck. The motor should not Flood out due to the boat riding low in the water. It will however not perform well if the boat is not Planing properly and the boat will not plane if it's over loaded or to heavy. This can be caused by having to much weight in the boat OR by the boat having waterlogged flotation foam below the deck, or by the motor not being adjusted on the transom properly. Since when you pull the bilge plug and water drains for 10 minutes it appears that water is getting into the hull there has to be leak somewhere so a thorough inspection of the hull is needed to determine where/how the water is entering into the hull below the deck. Until this is determined I would not be taking passengers onto the water. IMHO it's just not safe.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Im thinking that plug at the pump should be left open yes..

Have you looked to see if the drain plug is leaking at your transom ( on the inside ) ? Seems like an awful lot of water for a leaky drain fitting though. Im sure you dont have any other through hull fittings..so should be somewhere on the transom I would imagine.

Motor stalling..sorry Im not a motor tech.

 

[Msking]

Thanks for the input. I have looked all over the boat and cannot find anywhere where the water would be getting in the boat. The fiberglass all looks good and the metal strips on the side look good and are sealed on top and bottom. Now you've got me worried. I am going to take it out this week to see if the excessive water caused the motor to flood out. But based on the advice I may be treading water trying to find the problem. If I took it into a boat shop do they have ways to determine how the water is getting in the boat? Again i appreciate the input.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

If I took it into a boat shop do they have ways to determine how the water is getting in the boat?

Not really. They could only do a visual just like you did. Now..they Might find something that you missed. But I would do what your gonna do..another sea test. Get that thing bone dry then go for it. Also check for Anything thats loose. Cleats..horn..lights..everything.

Try to sprinkle some talcum powder everywhere you can see. Lay some paper towels here and there. Can you just sit in the water at the ramp for say..10,20..half an hour before you fire it up?

Dont stress out about it..leaks are sometimes a dog to find. Good luck.

 

[jbcurt00]

............The guts of the boat had to be replaced which I had done......

By whom?

If you've been getting water below decks AFTER that work was done, beyond the initial trip where you forgot the drain plug?

That makes me suspicious of exactly what work was done, not done, or how well it was done. I'd be taking it somewhere else to have the current water leak inspection, w/ a copy of what ever paperwork came w/ the 'guts' replacement.

Sorry the season is starting out iffy. Hope they find a simple solution and it's resolved quickly. Good luck

 

[Msking]

Thanks agin for your expertise. I am planning on another sea run this week. I'll report when I'm done.

 

[Woodonglass]

I agree with JBCurt. Who did the repairs? What all was done? When was it done? Any Guarantees? I also agree with YD about getting it Bone Dry before putting her back in the water and then just letting her sit for a while and then pulling her out and checking her first. If she's dry then put her back in and go for a ride and see what happens. If she takes on water then that can possibly help run down the leak.

 

[Msking]

Ok I finally got the boat back in the water. Every thing sealed up properly, the boat started, I got it up to 35mph then it cut out and died. Sometimes it stalled other times i had to throttle down and it would go at about 5-10 mph. Every time I tried to throttle up it would die to a slower speed. When I took the boat out of the water and removed the plugs the lower plug released about 4 gal of water. am bringing the boat intoa guy who was certified to work on these older motors "back in the day." Since I could not find any leaks I am going to see if this dealer can help me find the source of my leaks.

Woodonglass unfortunately, I did not know what I was doing when I had the deck replaced. I asked for a deck to be replaced and asked them to check to see if it was seaworthy. The deck was replaced and they said it appeard to be fine - the only thing is writing is replace the deck.

 

[Msking]

I took my boat in to have the motor checked and apparently I was getting piston "blow back." based on the age of the motor, 1977, and the fact that the motor is obsolete, it is cost prohibitive to fix. I also found out that this motor should not have been run on 50:1 ratio but more like a 24:1 ratio. Sadly I am going to remix my fuel mixture and take it out one more time. After that I am calling it a day and selling the boat. Thanks for your input.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Well that sucks..sorry to hear this.

Hey..why dont you drop by the Merc forums and ask a few questions about the motor?..Them good ol' boys Im sure could give you a solid opinion. Ya know..baby..bathwater thing.

Never found out were the water was coming from eh?

 

[Msking]

I'll check out the merc forum. And yes never found where the water was coming from. Grrrrrrrr.