NEWB boat questions(please advise)

[Htamotorsports]

First off, i'd like to introduce myself,im a 20yr old prelaw student at the university of connecticut, ive been workin on cars since i was 16, and now own my own speed shop.

I recently bought my first boat 3 days ago, an 18' Maxum w/ a 4cyl mercruiser alpha II, i got the boat/motor/trailer for 1000! all it needed was a new starter, had a new one in the same night,motor sounds good,hulls in good condtion to my knowledge

So i had the boat out for about 5 hours sat, the boat ran awesome, no problems or anything.

tonight i pulled the drain plug, about 2 gallons of water came out, i figured that it must not be a big deal because the plug is there for a reason, but i searched it anyway on iboats and i guess thats alot of water, now heres the thing, i read that alot of peoples bilge pumps come on when their out on the water, my bilge pump wasnt working until tonight when i trouble shot it, so is 2gallons of water w/out pumping any out the whole trip something to be worried about?

also periodically when i was on the water i looked in the engine compartment to check for water and there wasnt any.

i also wanted to ask, when going pretty fast on the water, the bow comes up pretty high, it scares me im not use to boats so i dont know the norm, and when i back the throttle down the bow kinda dives down then levels back out,

im kinda worried, so new to boating, please help and thank you

HTA Motorsports

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: NEWB boat questions(please advise)

The water could've come from a lot of places. Have a look at the bellows on the transom. If you see a lot of cracking in the rubber, it might be time to replace them. Water won't enter the bottom exhaust bellows, but it will from either of the other two if one leaks. Hopefully it's nothing more than a bit of rain water that was already in there and found it's way out the back.

When you takeoff, have the drive trimmed all the way down and trim up as you get onto plane. That should help with the nose in the air situation. Having passengers in the middle to front also helps. If everyone's in back, the bow will rise too. When you come off plane, if everyone's in front. it'll nosedive. Generally just have the weight distributed as much in the middle as possible.

 

[Htamotorsports]

Re: NEWB boat questions(please advise)

thanks for the reply, but im pretty sure it isnt rain water, because the previous owner had the plug out of it, the plug wasnt in until right before i launched it i dont wanna sink

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: NEWB boat questions(please advise)

you might need a new plug, also by the ones that are adjustable, you hold the rubber and twist the handle, and they expand. also any thing you put on that engine has to be marine rated. a standard starter, alternator etc, can spark and cause a fire, from fumes in the engine compartment. always turn on the blower fan, 2-4 minutes prior to starting, this helps to evacuate any fumes from the engine compartment.

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: NEWB boat questions(please advise)

Water finds its way in any where it can. Dripping bathing suits are a common culprit, when you are splashing through some waves, water is often pushed in through tiny holes where the top and bottom of the hull meet under the rubrail, two gallons isn't a lot in the grand scheme of things, but you do want to check the bellows, if they are leaking that could get worse and be an issue. It is a standard maintainence item on an I/O.​

 

[QC]

Re: NEWB boat questions(please advise)

i also wanted to ask, when going pretty fast on the water, the bow comes up pretty high, it scares me im not use to boats so i dont know the norm, and when i back the throttle down the bow kinda dives down then levels back out,

This alomost sounds like there is a hydrofoil on the drive . . . Is there a wing thing just above the propeller?

If so, get rid of it . . .

 

[tmh]

Re: NEWB boat questions(please advise)

Congrats on your new-to-you boat. Water is tricky! Leaks, splashing, trapped water being released, etc. Make sure it's not the plug, have someone else drive while you check the bilge area, sometimes the water only shows up when underway and the bow is up.

I strongly suggest looking into Smart Tabs to keep the bow from popping up so high,especially at take-off. Maybe $160 or so and they do the job....easy install also. Search them here and elsewhere to learn more.

 

[Htamotorsports]

Re: NEWB boat questions(please advise)

thank you for all the replies,

i noticed that before i removed the drain plug directly under the plug on the garage floor there was a tiny puddle forming this was after 24hrs of sitting,so it def was from the drain plug, im currently using a threaded kind, is it ok to switch over to rubber?

also can someone advise me as howto check the bellows? im not very familiar w/ this.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: NEWB boat questions(please advise)

Is it the threaded brass plug? Thats called a garboard drain plug.The outside is held on with 3 screws. It may need to be taken off and re-sealed.