fish well full on water

[teeman]

OK i give up I have a 2005 2302 and every time it rains the starboard fish well fill up with water. I have tried different types of weatherstripping nothing seam to work. I keep it in the water all the time we fish here in Virginia all year. I do have pumps in the fish wells but do use them in the winter dont want the hoses to freeze up i do bail them out by hand. Has anybody fixed this problem? Any help would be great.
Tony
2005 2302
Trophy Pro

 

[phishy]

Re: fish well full on water

ive tried a few things..i found the wetvac works best..something we have to deal with...maybe one day they will fix it on the newer models.

 

[frankie g]

Re: fish well full on water

The only way I have seen is to cover them! I trailer my boat, ( 2004 Trophy Pro 2302 ) and I cover the whole boat w/ a cover. Try a white rubber matt over the lids and be sure to overlap the openning. Give that a shot, I be that will cut down , if not solve the problem all together! Also chaging the org. scuppers are a help too!

 

[Neverhome]

Re: fish well full on water

I have a 2002, 2359 and have the same problem. I tried self adhesive gaskets with no results although I have heard some other trophy owners did correct the problem that way. It used to bug me to no end but six years later I have learned to live with it. I don't know of a single Trophy owner who doesn't have the same problem. You could try putting a gavity drain in just before the macerator pump with a cork to keep the icewater in when you have fish in it, but be sure you drain it to a thru hull. Other
wise when you put fish in the well all the slime will drain into your bilge and you do not want that. I just use a portable hand pump to clean out the water the macerator pump can't get. You are not alone.

Neverhome

 

[codenurse]

Re: fish well full on water

Still after reading these posts my 1994, 2002WA fishboxes fill as well. Are you saying it's coming from the scuppers? My boat is in dry storage but when I put the boat in, it doesn't take long for the boxes to fill. The pump never empties the boxes completely. The weather stripping needs to be replaced but I never considered that to be the main problem. I don't use the fishboxes anyway. I have tried using plugs in the drains but that doesn't work either. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[Neverhome]

Re: fish well full on water

In view of everthing posted above, short of selling the boat, I have no other suggestions to offer.

Neverhome

 

[lyle]

Re: fish well full on water

I have a 2359, and being a Trophy I have the same problem.....I fixed that by inserting 2 popping corks into the drain holes where the discharge comes from when I pump / bilge them out.......plug these holes and scuppers until you are ready to pump the well out...that will keep your box dry......this works for my boat...please let us know how it works with your boats

 

[Neverhome]

Re: fish well full on water

Lyle,

I am not following what you are saying. Are you plugging the the drain line on the outside of the boat? Because most of the water in my fishwells comes from deck run off due to the scupper at the transom being placed too high, the water turns back and runs into the fish well. I don't understand how plugging the drain line helps you. I can understand it if you have cut drain holes in the fishwells and T in a line to the exisiting overboard drain and then plug the new drain inside the well. Is this what you mean?

Neverhome

 

[lyle]

Re: fish well full on water

yes, plug the 2 drain holes from the outside of the boat and the scupper holes at the transom as well just for good measure....I am not quite sure but I believe most of the water is coming in from the drain holes....I think they might need some kind of backflow preventer or somthing like that...I quit investigating because the corks stopped the water. My model is a 2001 so I can't believe there would be much difference between our boats

 

[frankie g]

Re: fish well full on water

lyle ! what yr is your 2359? I can't believe that is the prob. ! if you can post some pics of your fish lockers, scuppers and your outside drains, you've got me bedazzled!!!! if that's the fix, there's a million guys with this problem and if you got it licked...your a hero !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[frankie g]

Re: fish well full on water

Well. I live in SW Fl and it's the rainy season right know, it rains almost every day! I didn't think plugging up the scuppers and exhaust ports to the boxes would work but I'm not always right! so I cleaned and dryed both boxes and plugged all up. went to work and low and behold around 1 pm, boom a good thunder storm with PLENTY of rain. Only lasted about 1/2 hr or so but the fall could be 1 inch or more, Well got home 'bout 4 pm and checked out my boxes and wouldn't you know...WATER...not full but probley 1/2 . I guess on newer models the design is much difference. I'll just keep mine covered till I use her and then cover her back up when not in use.

 

[Trophy Rookie]

Re: fish well full on water

I'm in the process of replacing the fuel tank for a 1992 2502 WA. See http://baylinerownersclub.org/forum/showthread.php?t=20826

Attached are cutaway view pictures of the fishwell compartment. Unless your a contortionist, it would be major surgery to install a new drain to remove the nuisance water. My fix is to "90" from the original drain and then "T" off to a pvc ball valve. Downstream of the ball valve I plan to either cut a new limber hole diagonally to the main bilge area. Access to the ball valve would be through the battery access hatch.

I understand the problem of fish slime getting into the bilge area, but the trade off would be a dry fishwell.

I'm curious to find out if the newer Trophy owners have an existing drain valve to the bilge.

 

[lyle]

Re: fish well full on water

Frankie.....there is not much anyone can do about rainwater or overspray...even good weatherstriping won't prevent that, however the tricks that I said earlier have worked for me...the boxes will never be completely dry all the time, but I have managed to keep most of it out so I will not lose my ice like I did before I started pluging holes, maybe I should have said that I have severly restricted the flow of water into my wells to an acceptable compromise...all I know is now there has been a huge difference after I tried it....I am the second owner of the boat, but as far as I can tell no modifications have been performed that I can see prior to my purchase.
I am anxious to hear how this works for other owners because I know this must sound like an over simplification for a complicated problem.

 

[Neverhome]

Re: fish well full on water

Lyle,

Are you trailering your boat? I ask because mine is wet slipped and fill up when it rains. It sounds like you have the problem when the boat is in use. I use to have the problem of water splashing up from the scupper lines when I used the boat off shore but I stopped that by changing the thru hull scupper drains to ones that have a one way flapper.

Neverhome

 

[lyle]

Re: fish well full on water

yes, I trailor my boat at the marina under a roof... the problem was mostly when I ran offshore and I would lose my ice in no time at all because of the 87 degree water that would come in through the transom scuppers and I believe through the drain ports as well.....I have good weather stripping around the boxes. I noticed in rough seas the problem is much worse, however in calm seas my boxes were not a problem...thus the reason for plugging holes and that helped enough to the point of saving my ice. I really like your idea of a one way flapper...I am going to look into that. I wonder if that could be installed in my drain ports as well.

 

[grumpoldmen]

Re: fish well full on water

I own a 2007 2002wa trophy and also have the same problem with the fish well filling up with rain water,I'm going crazy trying to correct it.

 

[Tydog13]

Re: fish well full on water

Lots of boat have fishwells on the deck that have no water issues. The bottom line is that it is a HORRIBLE design! Having said that, I love my 2003 Trophy 2302. Other than the fishwells the boat has been outstanding to me and my family.

The fishwells drive me CRAZY! My buddy who just so happens to park (both of us on trailers) his Boston Whaler right next to me at the marina also has fishwells on the deck. He has a 2007 235 Conquest. His fishwells are exactly where mine are located. We both see each other on the weekends at our boats. The big difference is that every weekend my boat has 2 fishwells full of water his are BONE DRY! His fishwells drain directly under the boat...thru-hull. He leaves the plug out so any water that may get in there will drain instantly out under the boat. Whaler offered him the option to have PUMPS put in his fishwells but he did NOT take that option. Keep in mind, when he is out on the water he MUST have his plugs in or he risk SWAMPING.

I have been out fishing on his boat several times and noticed that NO water got into his fishwells from overspray. I looked at his fishwells closely and there is three major differences.

1. A rubber gasket (a seal like a big o ring) around the entire lid that makes contact with the deck when lid is closed.

2. Two latches that secure the lid down. These latches put pressure on the gasket to create a seal.

3. Finishing of the lid. My lid is not real smooth underneath. His whalers lid is perfectly smooth and flat. The fact that it is so smooth makes the seal work great.

http://www.whalerparts.com/Diagrams/2007/235 Conquest/09401235CQSHT1-2.pdf

I asked my buddy to keep his plugs in for a week to see if any water got in. We had a ton of rain that week , which was great for my experiment . I saw him that next Saturday at the marina. When we opened his fishwells...DRY DRY DRY! Open my fishwells...100% FULL of water!

I am really thinking of doing a gasket / latch thing this spring, but what I'd really like to look into is a thru-hull drain. Since I keep my boat on a trailer, any water that gets in the wells will just drain out under the boat. I don't care about water in the wells when I am out on the boat. The pumps work great for that, hit the switch and out goes the water. When I am away from my boat is my headache. Every time I get to my boat there is a new biology project growing in my wells!

BTW I know that my boat cost me HALF of what his Whaler cost him. NO I cannot afford a Whaler!

What do you guys think?

 

[seren]

Re: fish well full on water

Gasket and latch like the Whaler? I wonder if anyone attempted that. I got my Trophy this year. But fortunately I found a place where I can store my Trophy under roof this Winter. So I don't have that problem. But I probably would attempt some gasket and latch fix at some point. Also how about putting a T with a valve that would drain into the raw water intake hose? Would the water level be below the lowest point in the fish well?

 

[frankie g]

Re: fish well full on water

I'll tell ya...once I get back on my feet again,(been jobless for 4 months now) I'm gonna gasket and latch both my boxes. I hate going out in big and sloppy seas and they slam open and shut, BANG! thats what drives me crazy. I have mine covered on a trailer so the draining problem isn't a big deal with me. Other than that I love my Trophy!

 

[djchamp99]

Re: fish well full on water

I have a 2004 Trophy 2002 WA that I keep in the water during the season and I also have fishwell problems. It is very unnerving to walk up to the dock and see your boat listing to starboard by 3-4 inches.. Everytime it rains my box fills with water. Im glad its not a larger capacity because it could cause some serious problems. Ive tried countering the list with extra lead weights in a plastic battery box, all tackle and gear to port with not much luck. We have been getting some monster rains here in Annapolis but there has got to be a solution. I like the gasket and latch idea but its got to be a latch that can put some down pressure on the lid and gasket. Ill keep pumping out everytime it rains but something else has got to work.