I may have a leak here.

[BlueDart]

I'm becoming very skeptical of fellow man' s honesty. Does the boat leak I ask the seller three times during our conversation.

We finally went with a 1986 16 ft. Thundercraft with a 1989 115 Yamaha outboard.
Our first run today was pleasant in that we launched with no delays and the engine started right off.

Almost ran it into overhanging shore branches when throwing the lever forward thinking only engaging gear it accelerated very quickly.
Surprise it is the accelerator as well as gear shifter.

We ran for about an hour and a half all going well.
Back in loaded boat and as I did the transom straps undid the drain plug.
Whoa what's with all this water running out.
Am I in need of professional help or are there things I should look for??
Apologize that all I have to offer to this forum are my problems but again appreciate and advice you might have for me.

 

[JimS123]

Was the boat filled with rain water before you even started?
Did you swim a lot and drip all over filling the bilge with water?
All things to consider.

Its an fiberglassed hull outboard, so if any water comes in the drain plug is leaking or theres a hole in the hull, or it came in from the top.

Dry it out, put it back in and find out where the leak is while you sit at the dock. If that doesn't work, fill the boat with water on the trailer and see where it comes out.

Not rocket science - just need some patience.

 

[GA_Boater]

Don't fill the boat with too much water for leak testing. The weight of water is considerable and can cause both boat and trailer damage.

 

[BlueDart]

Thanks will do but somewhat challenging with much of the interior covered with plywood floor.

 

[mr 88]

1986 boat with plywood floors = keep looking. If there is any foam flotation under the floor it is probably waterlogged. Stringers and transom may be suspect. Sometime filling it with water does not result in it leaking noticeably. Outside water pressure and flexing of the hull under power will. Make sure its empty and dry along with drain plug being secured after asking to go for another test run if he wants to sell it. Tell him you are worried it leaks and want to double check that,if he balks just walk away.

 

[BlueDart]

The boat does have moderate signs of small osmosis and wonder if this can be the cause of leakage.

 

[Alumarine]

Did you have the plug out before you launched the boat?
If not, you're not sure if water was in there already.
Do you have a bilge pump?

Just curious, if you thought the lever was just for changing gears how did you think it was going to accelerate?

 

[BlueDart]

Knew it was both but caught by surprise as I pushed too far too fast.
I've now been a boat operator for approximately 6 hours.
If there is a stupid newbie forum point me in that direction so not to be a bother.

 

[Frank Chyz]

Bought a 1988 Sea Ray Seville 16 ft with 100HP Mercury OB 3 years ago. Removed the foam flotation from under the plywood floor. Stringers and floor show no signs of any water damage. There are a couple of very small cracks in the hull that allows some water to enter. About 2 gallons of water comes out when I pull the plug after 2 hours of boating. Not too concerned at this point but I probably need to get those cracks repaired. Hard to reach them when the boat is on the trailer.

 

[Grub54891]

Was the water clear? If it was discolored it could be old rain water, or seeping foam. If clear and the same temp as the lake water, it's fresh.

 

[BlueDart]

It is probably old water in the boat as it was not clear. It would have been the first time I had the boat on that much slope with plug out. There had also been some minor rains couple nights before. Will test when back in again. previous owner was quite adamant that boat was solid and did not leak.
Thanks to all for input.

 

[roffey]

I would think water is water and it should be on the outside of the boat, ;-). One a more serious note 2 gallons of water after 2 hours for me would be huge and you might wake up to a submerged boat. As far as the OP purchasing a boat that leaks when the seller reports it did not, I bet the seller did not know. If it were my boat I would inspect it out of the water for obvious damage first. Second, fill with a couple of gallons of water and see if it leaks out. Third, drop the boat in the water and start looking. I would start at the transom, inspect the corners and take extra care with the eye hooks.

My 2 cents worth.

 

[roffey]

It is probably old water in the boat as it was not clear. It would have been the first time I had the boat on that much slope with plug out. There had also been some minor rains couple nights before. Will test when back in again. previous owner was quite adamant that boat was solid and did not leak.
Thanks to all for input.

sorry did not see this when I posted. I agree with you time will tell and rain water will fill a boat, LOL.

 

[Alumarine]

If you leave the boat out in the rain with the plug in you'll get water in it.
You should also have a bilge pump. Preferably automatic.

 

[Frank Chyz]

roffey writes: "One a more serious note 2 gallons of water after 2 hours for me would be huge and you might wake up to a submerged boat"


Good point about waking up to find the boat submerged. This Seville lives on a trailer under which I will be crawling to patch up those small cracks.

 

[BlueDart]

Thanks guys and yes concerned as we will spend a week at a time at cottage leaving the boat in the water.
Maybe time to invest in automatic bilge pump.
My concern with those has always been battery drain.
Minor compared to finding boat submerged.

 

[mr 88]

Unless its leaking like the Titanic and your battery is as old as the boat I would not worry about the battery running down. You could always buy a mini jumper pack which is good year round for your boat or car if your cottage is in the middle of nowhere. A I/O will charge it up in no time and a outboard will take some time to get it fully recharged.

 

[BlueDart]

thanks

 

[dlngr]

Knew it was both but caught by surprise as I pushed too far too fast.
I've now been a boat operator for approximately 6 hours.
If there is a stupid newbie forum point me in that direction so not to be a bother.

After I sold a boat to my brother-in-law,I got a call-he was sitting at the dock,shifter in gear.Says he pull up on the chrome lever[fast idle] but the boat won't move.I told him the shifter is also the throttle,push it farther forward to go.He shoved it forward and yelled "yehaaaaw! We're going now!" Glad he was aimed in the right direction and didn't hit anything! ​

 

[BlueDart]

Thanks I appreciate not being the only one!