Re: Leaky boat
Well a week ago I bought a 1993 spectrum bluefin. I got it out for the first time yesterday and it was taking on water. I turned the bilge on twice and it pumped out a gallon or two both times. Then when I took it out I pulled the plug and water ran out for about 30 seconds. Is this normal? This is my first boat so idk what to expect. It seemed like a lot to me. We were out for about 4 hrs. It has rivets in the hull. Are they leaking? There's no holes that I see. Is there a clear coat or clear tape or something to seal up the rivets. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks
No it's not normal to get water inside the boat anywhere. But it is a very common occurrence. A 20 year old boat regardless of it's building material will
usually have wood somewhere in the boat. In the transom and/or stringers. Wood is used for supporting the boats structure. Problem is wood will rot if it gets wet and over time will loose it's supporting ability. Being this boat is aluminum there can be leaky rivets - yes - but these can be repaired. Not knowing the boat I going to assume it is an outboard based on pictures I see, so I would rule out water leaking for the cooling system of an I/B or I/O.
You indicated you turned on the bilge pump, this tells me there is no automatic bilge switch wired into the bilge pump system (or it died). Get a automatic bilge switch installed correctly.
Now before you go all nutzoid over the leak try to find it first. As mentioned fill 2-3" of water in the bilge and see if it leaks out somewhere. Are there any live wells? Check if the hoses are tight. Check the transom for movement. There shouldn't be any movement other than a slight flexing. With the motor trimmed up, move the motor up and down and note any movement in the transom area. Some suggest standing on the lower unit of the motor to check for flexing. If the transom wood is rotted then there is a good likely hood major repairs are in order. This is doable yeh but a big headache.
If the boat has any hatches look inside them for water. Foam filled hulls can absorb a tremendous amount of water over time. Did the boat feel heavy and sluggish?
