[CelticOne]

Hi ....I'm trying to figure out how I'm getting water into the bilge. Towards the end of last season, I noticed the bilge pumps were pumping water out if the boat sat for more than two or three days (its in a slip). Not a ton of water, but enough to drop the boat below the normal waterline. Within 5 minutes of pumping, it would be cleared out.
Its on a trailer now and I'm prepping it for the launch next week. Does anyone have a suggestion on how I can find out where the breach is? I'm thinking its one of the seals around the drain plug or possibly the raw water intake? The seals look OK, but it's hard to tell. BTW...the boat is a 21 foot cuddy (1999) with an outboard.
I heard something about pumping water into the bilge and watching for the leak from the outside...does that make sense? If so, does anyone know of any precautions I should take before attempting this?
Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

(This post edited by CelticOne on 03/26/2003)

 

[MakoMatt]

CelticOne, one way to check is put water inside the boat, and look for leaks, make sure the boat is supported well and the outside of the hull is dry before attempting. What type of boat, power, through hull fittings, plugs, etc., do you have?

MakoMatt

 

[leakyrivot]

Celtic,

Matts got it right. What is the boat made out of?.. Anywhere where there are penatrations through the hull is the first place to start. In addition, I'm assuming that is a sealed floor self bailing type deal - on some boats it's perfectly normal for water to come into the hull off the floor, or through rod holders.. through the top from rain etc.. That's why there is a bilge w/ pumps, some water will find it's way in, but if it got worse there is something else going on.

Slowly fill the hull with water & check for leaks - water weighs quite a bit & you don't want to over-stress anything. It's also not great to soak the inside w/ water (ie plywood stringers & foam). Tilt it up in the bow, check the stern, tilt it down in the bow, check the bow. Sometimes it will not leak like this, but will leak slowly & surely in the water.

Best senario - it's just coming through the top somehow.. it could be a through hull that's not right (mabye cracked) or a bad 1-way valve, bad sea**** or hose leading off of one.. etc.. etc.. Worst senario you've got a crack somewhere below the waterline - it happens, much more likely on an older boat though.

I almost sunk my first boat due to a crack.. tried for some time to find it, decided it was coming through the engine bolts. It didn't really make sense, but was the best I could come up with. Sealed everything up nice. One day it was so bad I had to stop & clear the hull every minute of cruising. Later I found a 3 foot crack on the underside.

Whatever the case is, if you are unable to find it, but sure your bilge pumps are sufficient & switch is working. The last thing you want is to get caught taking on water with only a cheesy 500 GPH pump or have a switch malfunction & let the boat sink at the slip.

Jon

 

[CelticOne]

MakoMatt and Leakyrivot

Thanks for replying guys. The boat is a 21 foot seaswirl..99 model so its not old at all. I have it tilted back right now with water inside...no sign of leaks yet. There is a thru-hull for the raw water pump, but I don't see anything dripping out of it right now. I'll keep checking the transducer mount and the platform mount, both of which are below the waterline. Other than that, I have trim tabs, but I'm hesitant to start messing with them unless I see water oozing out.
I thougt about the water coming thru the top, but it's not likely. I checked it last year during a dry spell and still had water.
Hopefully I can pinpoint the problem using your advice....thanks for the help

Celtic

 

[awcjfk]

bellows?

celtic, i am definately no expert, but i had a similar problem all last year and finally had to pull the boat out of the water....it was apparently the bellows that was leaking.
it would appear more evident when several several people stood near the stern. hope this helps, john

 

[CelticOne]

Eureka!!!!

This is why Noreast rules!!!
I went back outside after letting the boat sit for a while, and sure enough, I found drippage coming from the thru-hull raw water fitting. It's coming from a screw hole. The screw is loose and needs to be re-sealed and tightened up.

Matt, Jon and John....thanks for the advice. I owe you one.

 

[MakoMatt]

CelticOne, do you have a cored hull?

MakoMatt

 

[CelticOne]

Matt

Do you mean is there balsa or some other type of wood? No...it's fiberglass and CoreMat composite, with glass stringers. Zero wood. I've heard that if the wood gets wet it can start to weaken and eventually lead to big structural problems.

 

[MakoMatt]

CelticOne, sorry, I'm not familiar with CoreMat, but it sounds to me like a material you would have in a cored hull.

The reason I asked is that regardless if there is wood in the hull or not, water intrusion can cause problems in this area, the cored area. Do you know who, and how this thru hull fitting was installed?? The reason I ask is that you may not want to just "tighten it up" to stop the leaking, you may want to reintall it properly, if it is not installed correctly now. It is not very difficult to do. If you let me know, I could explain you you like.

MakoMatt

 

[CelticOne]

Thanks for the offer Matt. The fitting was factory installed (Seaswirl). I called the dealer about this (Great Oak Marina)and I'll probably haul it over to them and have them check it out. They said most likely it's just the one screw (there are 4 of them)that needs to be resealed with a polysulfide sealant. They've seen this before. I was going to use regular marine silicon, but was told this isn't the best type of sealant for underwater fittings.
Cheers!

 

[MakoMatt]

CelticOne, OK, great, have a good season, catch em' up!!!

MakoMatt