Jcris
Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2016
- Messages
- 466
Hello,
I've got a 1996 Glastron fish and ski that is getting some water in the center hatch area. I use this boat for fishing only and during the summer take it out 2 or 3 times a week. I bought it 2 years ago and have never noticed any water in that area until recently. I always clean and inspect the boat after each trip and for about 2 weeks now I've discovered about an 1 1/2" of water in that center area. I fish early morning when there is very little wind and waves are minimal. I don't take it beyond 25-30 mph as I'm in no rush to get anywhere. I usually fish for about 4 hours . I motor out to a spot and use my trolling motor to explore. I did remove the drain plug and flange awhile back to inspect and thought perhaps the sealant there was at issue so I resealed it using 5200. The bilge shows no signs of water at all after a typical outing. The center section though gets water in it consistently. I used a sponge to soak up standing water and when I did the water continued to seep in through the fiberglass, as if the underlying areas were saturated. This leads me to believe there is a crack or some sort of small stress fracture in the gel-coat and the underlying fiberglass . For the life of me I can't find where this water is coming from. This boat sits on a trailer in my garage when not in use. I've been under the boat with a good light and my glasses and could not find anything. If there is a small fracture that is opening up enough to leak while under way, how can I go about finding it? Please take a look at the pictures and let me know what you think.
Also, after resealing the drain plug there has been no water in the bilge at all. The only water is in the center hatch area. Is it likely the foam core is becoming saturated with water? That seems the only logical conclusion given how it seeps into the area when sponged out. Sorry for the long post but this is very distressing.
This is my first boat and for me at the age of 62 the only time I've been able to really explore a lake and enjoy fishing so much more.
Please advise this ole fisherman what the best course of action would be.
Jcris
I've done some more checking this morning and discovered the bow eye was a just a bit loose. I was able to tighten it by snugging the exterior nuts but this left we wondering if the eye is leaking. I don't believe it's underwater at all but certainly it's in an area that is splashed quite a lot. I would just pull and reseal with 5200 to be sure it's not the culprit but there is no access to that area unless I cut a hole to reach those nuts on the inside. Hmmm? Is there a way to effectively seal it from the outside?
I've got a 1996 Glastron fish and ski that is getting some water in the center hatch area. I use this boat for fishing only and during the summer take it out 2 or 3 times a week. I bought it 2 years ago and have never noticed any water in that area until recently. I always clean and inspect the boat after each trip and for about 2 weeks now I've discovered about an 1 1/2" of water in that center area. I fish early morning when there is very little wind and waves are minimal. I don't take it beyond 25-30 mph as I'm in no rush to get anywhere. I usually fish for about 4 hours . I motor out to a spot and use my trolling motor to explore. I did remove the drain plug and flange awhile back to inspect and thought perhaps the sealant there was at issue so I resealed it using 5200. The bilge shows no signs of water at all after a typical outing. The center section though gets water in it consistently. I used a sponge to soak up standing water and when I did the water continued to seep in through the fiberglass, as if the underlying areas were saturated. This leads me to believe there is a crack or some sort of small stress fracture in the gel-coat and the underlying fiberglass . For the life of me I can't find where this water is coming from. This boat sits on a trailer in my garage when not in use. I've been under the boat with a good light and my glasses and could not find anything. If there is a small fracture that is opening up enough to leak while under way, how can I go about finding it? Please take a look at the pictures and let me know what you think.
Also, after resealing the drain plug there has been no water in the bilge at all. The only water is in the center hatch area. Is it likely the foam core is becoming saturated with water? That seems the only logical conclusion given how it seeps into the area when sponged out. Sorry for the long post but this is very distressing.
This is my first boat and for me at the age of 62 the only time I've been able to really explore a lake and enjoy fishing so much more.
Please advise this ole fisherman what the best course of action would be.
Jcris
I've done some more checking this morning and discovered the bow eye was a just a bit loose. I was able to tighten it by snugging the exterior nuts but this left we wondering if the eye is leaking. I don't believe it's underwater at all but certainly it's in an area that is splashed quite a lot. I would just pull and reseal with 5200 to be sure it's not the culprit but there is no access to that area unless I cut a hole to reach those nuts on the inside. Hmmm? Is there a way to effectively seal it from the outside?
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