That's it, I give up

[MAXXIE]

I've sealed up everything that was even questionable on the bottom & transom, even a scratch that just barely went through the gel coat. I'm still getting water into the bilge area every 1/2 hour or so that takes longer than it should to pump out. No splash over, no swamping, nothing. I'm going up to Gander Mt. today & buy the best automatic bilge pump they have & just hope everything turns out OK. I'm out of idea's on how that damn water is getting in there, Obviously, I'm missing something, I have to be, but I'm just done with it for now. I really don't think it'll ever be enough to actually sink the boat, just enough to pi$$ me off. OK, done venting.:facepalm:

 

[shrew]

Re: That's it, I give up

Is the boat an Inboard, I/O or Outboard?

 

[solmate]

Re: That's it, I give up

When the boat's on the trailer, put the plug in & fill it up with water & look for water coming out

 

[scipper77]

Re: That's it, I give up

Do you have a built in livewell with a drain in the bow? Do you take on water while sitting or do you first notice it after running around for a bit?

I have a friend who seems to take in water when taking on chop. It looks like his issue is either water going under the rub rail through the cap or backing up through his livewell/cooler drain in the bow (I guess it's more of a cooler than a livewell since there is no aeration).

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: That's it, I give up

I agree with making sure water's not splashing in under the rubrail, that's a hard one to spot. Also, once in a rare while you'll come across a plug that leaks ever so slightly.

You didn't mention if it's an outboard, I/O, etc. There are different things to look for depending on the type of boat, and chances are someone's run across the same problem as you've got.

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: That's it, I give up

If it's an I/O and an Alpa One out drive replace the rubber bladder, That's the cover where your drive shaft goes to the prop. They always leak after a couple of years.

 

[shrew]

Re: That's it, I give up

If it's an I/O and an Alpa One out drive replace the rubber bladder, That's the cover where your drive shaft goes to the prop. They always leak after a couple of years.

You're referring to the 'Bellows' and they are used on all I/O's, not just Merc and not just Alpha 1's. There should be a couple of bellows. The U-joint bellows, Shift link bellows, and exhaust bellows. Any of them would cause water to leak in. If you suspect a leak in any of the bellows on an IO it should be addressed immediately. Bellows should be replaced every couple of years and inspected seasonally at the beginning of the season.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: That's it, I give up

I think we've covered all these with this guy's boat. One i haven't seen mentioned is a gas tank vent that is on the side, overboard.

Buying a bilge pump to solve a boat leak is a terrible idea, like buying an umbrella to fix a rook leak..

 

[scipper77]

Re: That's it, I give up

If you look at his profile it looks like he has a bayliner/force combo (outboard).

 

[Chris1956]

Re: That's it, I give up

Sometimes garboard drain fittings leak. Any thru hull fitting should be suspected.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: That's it, I give up

Drain/dry the boat out. Remove all deck hatches and splash the boat. Get down there with a flashlight and see where it's coming in. Stop picking things to seal up, you'll drive yourself crazy. Find the problem. A leaky rubrail or a 'slightly' leaking plug will not have so much water coming in that the bilge pump kicks in every half hour or so. You have a big leak and a bigger bilge pump IS NOT THE ANSWER. Get help. Put the boat in the water on the trailer dry and start looking. You'll find it.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: That's it, I give up

Water gets in under the rub rail........

 

[scipper77]

Re: That's it, I give up

Water gets in under the rub rail........

In my friends case we were taking on chop that was splashing up the entire bow but the water was directed outwards so the splash wasn't coming in the boat. He has a 17' open bow and Noticed the carpet on the port side right under the windshield/cunsole was wet. It appeared the carpet was getting wet from the back and running down to the floor. I made an assumption that it could be coming in from behind the rub rail.

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: That's it, I give up

You're referring to the 'Bellows' and they are used on all I/O's, not just Merc and not just Alpha 1's. There should be a couple of bellows. The U-joint bellows, Shift link bellows, and exhaust bellows. Any of them would cause water to leak in. If you suspect a leak in any of the bellows on an IO it should be addressed immediately. Bellows should be replaced every couple of years and inspected seasonally at the beginning of the season.

Small correction, [not related to his prob tho] only a leaky ujoint or shift cable bellows will allow water into the boat. Not the exhaust bellows, exhaust bellows could be disconnected even, and water wouldnt get into the boat ..........fyi

 

[mxcobra]

Re: That's it, I give up

I was taking on water becouse, the seal on the live well was bad.

 

[Beefer]

Re: That's it, I give up

If you have a livewell, check the fill/drain lines for leaks or deterioration.

 

[MAXXIE]

Re: That's it, I give up

Ya, "Homecookin" is correct, I have tried all these ideas, thanks anyway. The rub rail has a good seal, I don't see anything there that would allow that much water in. I am going to take it out this morning right after the fishing gang is off the water (I really don't like bothering those guy's & hate when someone is screwing around when I'm fishing). First I'll just tie up to the dock & wait. Then I'll run it WO.

 

[MAXXIE]

Re: That's it, I give up

I don't know...maybe this IS just normal water getting in, splashing in, whatever & I'm just not noticing. I wish I knew how to post up a clip of video so you all can see just how much is getting pumped out after an hr or so. Maybe I'm just a nutbag here.

 

[JimKW]

Re: That's it, I give up

It's not normal for you to be taking on enough water for your bilge pump to come on every half hour.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: That's it, I give up

Water gets in under the rub rail........

I never said water wouldn't get in under the rub rail. I said water wouldn't be coming in so fast that his bilge pump would kick on every half hour. Set the boat in the water without driving it. Is water still coming in? Then it's not the rail. I can bet you have a bad thru hull fitting, or a damaged hose on one of the fittings (prob on the bottom, in the middle of a bend). The only way to find it is to look at them when the boat is thoroughly dry and just placed in the water.