Water in boat - where to start?

[Grant Brown]

After a day on the water, my boat will have 3 or more gallons of water in the bilge.
1993 19.5 foot Bluefin Spectrum 4.3l Mercruiser Alpha 1 Gen 2.
I've filled the hull with water to the floor and found some leaking rivets which I thought I had sealed up.
There is a live well with through hull fittings for inlet and drain, the bilge drain and that's about it.
I was going to block the trailer frame and fill it again tomorrow, but I'm wondering what else I ought to try or where else I should be looking.

Grant

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: Water in boat - where to start?

could be the rubber bellows penetrating the hull for the outdrive...or maybe a water cooling hose on the engine itself.....you dont want to fill up the boat that high to test that stuff.....take it out on the water....let somebody else drive, get in back there with a flash light and look around everywhere....maybe bring a little mirror on a handle to get those hard to see places....

If you start out completely dry just lay there and watch for where the water is coming from at least to help you localize the area.

 

[nlain]

Re: Water in boat - where to start?

You will need to stop for a while so the bellows will be in the water to check for leaks there, you have one for the outdrive shaft, one for exhaust, one for the shift cable, when checking leave the drive trimmed up to spread the grooves on the bottom of the bellows, that is usually where they first start to crack and split.

 

[Grant Brown]

Re: Water in boat - where to start?

I did a visual inspection on the bellows in the driveway with the drive all the way up. It looks like new. It feels soft and pliable like new as well and I don't see any cracks when I push on it with my finger.
I wonder if I could tilt the boat way up and then fill the stern with water to get it to leak.

Grant

 

[Grant Brown]

Re: Water in boat - where to start?

Leaky rivets. Good thing I did the fill test again.
Check out this video of the leak:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIWde8zJb48

Grant