Re: How much water should be coming out when plug is removed
Hi Capt,
Welcome to iboats.
How much is 'a lot'? Are we talking about the plug hole draining for a few seconds, a few minutes, or what?
A properly sealed boat shouldn't leak at all, so there shouldn't be anything coming out of the bilge, but you should be aware of a few things. First, if a boat is out of water and gets water in it during rain, even if the boat is draining to some degree, water may collect in the boat beneath the floorboards - particularly if the boat is actually tilted slightly towards the bow. Second, even if the boat is tilted back, water may collect at some points beneath the floorboards - particularly if the drainage paths have become clogged with old dirt. When you then take the boat out and use it, the movement of the boat and action of accelerating can free up the water and send it towards the back of the boat.
If you have people getting in and out of the boat, a livewell that is running and sloshing water out of the livewell during motion, or water being splashed over the sides during movement - all this water ends up in the bilge, so that could explain some.
To work out whether your boat is leaking, I suggest the following. On a calm day, make sure the boat is fully drained before you put it in the water. Then take it for a a short run with a few accellerations and decellerations to dislodge any standing water in the boat. Use the boat in a manner that doens't let any water splash in over the sides. Then take it out and drain it on the launch ramp. Then launch it again and repeat the process. If you have water draining out the second time, you can be confident that the boat is leaking.
In terms of finding the leak - I know of ways of leaktesting a boat, but don't know enough to reccomend any of these ways to you. I would suggest a careful visual examination of the boat. If you cannot find any visible cracks or damage, the livewell or other 'holes' below the waterline, such as fish finder transducers could be the culprit. If you are just looking for a patch repair, you might try sealing those up (cheap and dirty is silicone caulking), to see if that makes a difference. Other possibilities might be a leak in the livewell infill our outflow lines. Of course - if you are leaving the livewell running - it may be filling up and overflowing.
Good luck.
