Boat leaking

[Zack79]

Hey this is my first time posting but anyways I just bought a 1973 Browning boat that is fiberglass with a 65 hp Johnson outboard and I just put it in the water for the first time and it started taking on a lot of water when I was moving at about half throttle it's looked like it wasnt taking in much water when I was sitting or a1/4 of the throttle but I can't find a leak anywhere I just bought a new drain plug before I took it on the water please help and it's also a trihull and boats all fiberglass

 

[Scott Danforth]

welcome aboard

my guess is the transom and stringers are rotten and the transom is flexing and you have cracks.

 

[ajgraz]

Were you in any rough water? Was water coming in over the bow?

(Trihulls are not known for gracefully slicing through chop...)

 

[Zack79]

Is there a way to test that this is my first boat I've owned and new to boating

 

[Zack79]

I hit a few waves and didn't notice any water coming in

 

[Scott Danforth]

have a friend jump up and down on the lower unit of the motor. is the transom flexing... if so, you got a problem.

read links 14 and 18 https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa...r/295740-how-to-s-and-other-great-information

 

[Zack79]

I was in the water for about 4 to 6 hours I noticed the bilge pump was covered in water when I was fishing and the pump stopped working so I tried to start motor and the motor wasnt starting and when I finally gotten it started the water to the steering wheel barely above my shoes but only on the right side

 

[Scott Danforth]

that would be about 600 gallons of water in the boat.

 

[garbageguy]

...the water to the steering wheel barely above my shoes but only on the right side

what?

Yes, check the transom as advised. If the transom is not sound there can be many problems. Posting pictures helps you get help.

 

[wahlejim]

Is the speedometer tube attached? Broken?

 

[Zack79]

The speedometer tube is broken of at the bottom but it's still there and the speedometer dosent work and the water wasn't full to the steering wheel just to that spot it was just above my feet a little definitely gave me a scare because I couldn't get the motor started for about an hour and I will post pics soon

 

[wahlejim]

Speedo tube is broken off at the bottom of what? Inside or outside of the boat?

 

[Zack79]

The tube just dangles out of the boat in the water and it won't let me upload any photos

 

[Tassie 1]

That's not a leak...
this is gonna sound extreme but ya not gonna hurt the boat anymore than it obviously is now anyway,

with the boat on the trailer at home put a garden hose INSIDE the boat and let the hull fill up a fair bit and look for where water is coming out,

that boat sounds like a death trap atm

sorry...

 

[Zack79]

And the transom is secured I didn't see it bulge or move my floor is weak though could that be a problem and I will try the garden hose on one of my days off

 

[Zack79]

And the boat didn't seem to leak untill about the first hour or so but the pump was working on and off then I just started coming in like I had a garden hose turned on it was coming out of a hole inside the bilge area is there suppose to be a plug there or is that so the water drains to the pump there's a hole on both sides

 

[roscoe]

Holes in the bilge are to let water below the floor drain to the bilge and bilge pump.

Thats a lot of water.

Does this boat have a livewell ?

If so, that may be the source of the problem, if not, I believe you are looking at a terminal situation.

 

[Zack79]

No no live well but that's where my water was coming from the holes in the bilge area

 

[ajgraz]

We gonna need some pictures of the(se) hole(s).

 

[mike_i]

this is why a sea trail is important before buying a boat