What is this pump mounted to transom? Possible cause of LEAK?

[jakehorton15]

Hey guys i just had a quick question about what in the world is this yellow pump mounted to the inside transom of my 94 Bryant 180 bowrider? Its got a thru hull mount attached to the base below the waterline and a few hoses running from the pump and then sealed off. It doesnt look like its been used for a while and im wondering if possibly this is the cause of my continuous mystery leak. It appears to be a Johnson pump possibly for an old livewell pump or ballast bags? But a livewell on a bowrider?Or ballasts on a boat without a tower? Very confusing

 

[wrench 3]

I'd go with "livewell pump". Some one probably added one in. If your worried about it and have no intention of using it, Why not take it out and plug the hole?

 

[jakehorton15]

That's what I was assuming it was. I definitely have no use for it and will take it out and glass in the hole. I'll probably add some water to the bilge and see from the outside if any water is dripping out.

 

[gm280]

I too would say for an old live well from the OP. So if you don't need it or plan on fishing and/or installing a live well, of course take it out and patch over that hole. I also noticed your bilge pump laying over on its side. I would fix that and install it properly as well. Preventive maintenance IS the number one problem preventer... JMHO!

 

[jakehorton15]

I don't see any chance of using this particular boat for fishing so I'll remove it and patch it up good. And yes I did realize that and also how dirty the bilge is. I purchased the boat late last summer and just did some basic maintenance last season to get it out on the lake so this spring I will correct and really clean that boat very well over the next several months. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[alldodge]

My thought is the PO wanted to have a larger bilge pump on board for what ever reason. The larger pump would not fit under the pan on the engine so they mounted it to the transom. My reasoning for this is because of the hose used which is the typical inexpensive pump hose. Bilge pumps will work at any angle.

The PO then added a new hose to the pump under the pan so not it has 2 pumps. What I'm not seeing is the float switch. I could be that when the float switch is on both pumps come on, don't know. These pumps can run dry without issue

 

[jakehorton15]

My thought is the PO wanted to have a larger bilge pump on board for what ever reason. The larger pump would not fit under the pan on the engine so they mounted it to the transom. My reasoning for this is because of the hose used which is the typical inexpensive pump hose. Bilge pumps will work at any angle.

The PO then added a new hose to the pump under the pan so not it has 2 pumps. What I'm not seeing is the float switch. I could be that when the float switch is on both pumps come on, don't know. These pumps can run dry without issue.

Do you think it would be a bilge pump if it has a thru hull fitting attached to the base of it and below the water line? The hose attached to it is capped off with a cover and hose clamp. I thought bilge pump too at first but the below the waterline thru hull made me think livewell to pump water into the boat.

 

[thumpar]

A bilge pump would not have a fitting below the water line. It was probably for livewell but could be for ballast. The PO of my boat used a fat sack but never had a tower on it.

 

[jakehorton15]

I didn't think it would have a thru hull. I was just curious as to what it would be used for. But either way I'll remove it and patch up the holes and hopefully that will solve my mysterious water leak.

 

[Fun Times]

Are the two pumps on a separate power switch? At the dash or?

Where does the black hose go to?

 

[alldodge]

Do you think it would be a bilge pump if it has a thru hull fitting attached to the base of it and below the water line? The hose attached to it is capped off with a cover and hose clamp. I thought bilge pump too at first but the below the waterline thru hull made me think livewell to pump water into the boat.

Sorry my mistake, didn't understand that the bottom of the pump was thru the transom. Gee look out for a rotting transom if it wasn't sealed right

Edit: that needs a ball valve at the least, if the boat sank insurance could have an out, as a non-insurance kind of guy here

 

[jakehorton15]

Are the two pumps on a separate power switch? At the dash or?

Where does the black hose go to?

the yellow pumps wires have been cut and doesn't appear to go to any of the existing switches and I don't see any additional switches left near the dash or anything. The black hose from the white and red bilge just go through the hull above the waterline on the starboard side and that pump is wired to the "bilge" switch on the dash. The hose from the yellow pump is just capped and laying loose in the bilge.

 

[jakehorton15]

Sorry my mistake, didn't understand that the bottom of the pump was thru the transom. Gee look out for a rotting transom if it wasn't sealed right

Edit: that needs a ball valve at the least, if the boat sank insurance could have an out, as a non-insurance kind of guy here

Not a problem it was kind of confusing how it's mounted with the thru hull. But rotten transom should be any problem. It's got a full composite transom, stringers, and floor luckily.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Get a good sized piece of house insulation and some resin (fiberglass or epoxy. The house insulation does not want to wet out easily so use a little less hardener to give you a bit more working time. Fill the hole with the mix and either cap it with fiberglass cloth or simply sand it and gel-coat the outside.Presto! A fix that will not leak and will probably outlast the life of the boat.

I filled a small transom this way and am very happy with the results. If you want to see the boat youtube Frank Acampora videos.

 

[jakehorton15]

Get a good sized piece of house insulation and some resin (fiberglass or epoxy. The house insulation does not want to wet out easily so use a little less hardener to give you a bit more working time. Fill the hole with the mix and either cap it with fiberglass cloth or simply sand it and gel-coat the outside.Presto! A fix that will not leak and will probably outlast the life of the boat.

I filled a small transom this way and am very happy with the results. If you want to see the boat youtube Frank Acampora videos.

Thats pretty much how id planed to do it. I was going to lay a few layers of thick glass on the engine side of the transom and fill the hole with some thickened resin with strands on fiberglass mat in it then a couple thin layers of mat on the outside and sand it and color match some gelcoat to finish it off with.