Boat Taking in Water
 

Hey guys,

We took the boat out yesterday and after a little while water started coming in from around the ski locker. There wasn't water in the ski locker but on the carpet around the compartment from the ski locker. It seemed to be starting near the bow side of the locker, where it was very damp (could splash water when stepped on) then worked its say around the sides of the locker and then behind it leaving a good size pool of water behind it after some time had passed.

I very well think it could be that the Bilge pump is not functioning properly. When I turn the switch on manually, I do not hear anything turn on.

Could it be possible that the bilge is not operational and not pumping water out causing it to overflow into the area mentioned above?

Also, when replacing the Bilge, will I likely only need to purchase a new bilge motor or the entire unit? How should I go about checking this? Where is the bilge even located?

Thanks,

Kyle

Re: Boat Taking in Water
 

Sent you a PM...call me.

Re: Boat Taking in Water
 

It sounds (or i guess doesn't sound) like your bilge pump is working. You should be able to manually activate it by lifting up the float switch. If it doesn't work then its either a dead pump or the wiring connection has corroded. Now, where's the water coming in from? First thing i would check is your bung hole plug and then your outdrive bellows for splits/cracks.

Re: Boat Taking in Water
 

I'm not quite sure where the water is coming in from. I know it's not coming through the engine compartment as that area is dry. The carpet in the bow is dry. It's just on the middle of the boat where the ski locker is at, there is water coming through the carpet.

Where and how do I check the bung hole plug and out drive bellows while the boat is on the lift in a slip?

Thanks

Re: Boat Taking in Water
 

Most bilge pumps are in the lowest part of the boat usually beneath the engine, a bear to get to. As far as the water up front and inside the ski compartment and the engine compartment being dry, it isn't coming from something below the waterline. If it were, the bottom areas would fill up first. Now this may sound silly but is it possible that somebody put a leaky ice chest up front and it got the bow area wet? Are there any thru hull openings up front that drain out the sides of the boat, above the water line? Sometimes u can replace just a bilge pump motor if it has a snap on baseplate and u can find the exact same pump, and the tabs on the base plate dont snap off when u remove the old one. One trick I do when installing a new pump is to take a flat piece of aluminum 2.5" to 3" wide and about 3' long(you can trim it), then bend it follow the contour of the area under the engine to be in the same location as the old pump. I mount the new pump on the aluminum, lower it into place, then screw the upper end of this mount to a brace in the engine compartment. This way I can always remove the pump easily to clean it or change it out.
Hope this helps
Dan

Re: Boat Taking in Water
 

Unless I'm mistaken your boat is built very similar to mine. If so there is a built in cooler under the front bow cushion that drains back and through that mid storage compartment...but that would not account for the water if it is on top of it.

There is also a built in cooler in front of and just below the glove box on the passenger side. That has a short tube which lets the water drain out a small hole in the side of the boat. If you're using that one and the tube has become disconnected, that would let the water drain on top of that area.

Are you using either one of those built in coolers?

Re: Boat Taking in Water
 

I had a similar problem. Look in the floor under the rear seat to see if there is a round hatch. This hatch is an access to the top of the fuel tank. Pry that hatch open, and see if there is water trapped in the bilge around the fuel tank.

Re: Boat Taking in Water
 

Do you have any chips in the gel coat under the water line? I had a ton of water coming in last year when I got my boat, turns out a small chip in the gel coat in the front of the boat was to blame. The Marina patched the chip and now it's dry as a bone.

Re: Boat Taking in Water
 

Took the boat out yesterday. I'm now fairly confident that the water on the floor has something to do with either the cooler in the dash or in the bow of the boat.

I drove around a while yesterday with nothing in either cooler and I did not get any water on the carpeting.

Also, I found the bilge and it seems to be functioning properly. It's fairly quiet, so when the engine cover is on and motor is running you can't hear it. However, with the covers off and engine off I watched and heard it try and suck up water.

There is something else I'm wondering about now though. When engaging either forward or reverse, the boat makes loud grinding noise before popping into gear. Is this normal for the boat?

Re: Boat Taking in Water
 

I think it's the cooler in the dash like we talked about. Check the drain hose that goes out to the side of the boat.

Your bilge pump should have a automatic switch on it too...usually sits right in front of the pump. Lift up on it to check that it will turn the bilge pump on if water collects more than a few inches deep back there.
Nope, not normal. A few possible reasons for the grinding noise...

You do need to shift with authority. If you just slowly move the shift lever one way or the other, that will make it grind. If you're gonna shift, then do it without hesitation.

Idle set too high.

Cutout switch not working. It is located on the starboard side of the engine just inside the exhaust riser. There will be a plate there where the cable from the shifter comes in and the cable that goes out to the outdrive. The cutout switch is there. With the engine off, use your shifter in both directions and look to make sure it's engaging the switch. It should be engaging just as you first put it into gear and just before you shift back into neutral.
The cutout switch is to make the engine misfire and slow it down even more than the low idle so it will go in and out of gear without grinding.
If the switch is engaging properly, then you will need a test light to check to make sure it's working.

Shift lever/cable adjustment is needed.