excessive water in hull!

[o0o_randy_o0o]

Ok where to begin I have a 1985 procraft boat that I purchased and I took out on our maiden voyage and well lets just say it wasnt a pleasant one. Launched the boat everything was fine she planed out and were were off but after being out there just sitting in the water for about 10 minutes and we start to head back to the dock and its lagging like only going about 10 mph @ wot just seemed like something was wrong with the motor. we dock it and its hard for the truck to get it out of the water tires spin and spin but fianlly get it out. pull the plug and tie it down and get readdy to leave. we get to the store about 3 miles down the road and i see water still pour out the plug. (i didnt forget to put the plug in) so i open the comparment where the batteries and water is standing.i check for cracks in the hull there is a minor crack but its not leaking there ill explain later. i get home and i fill the hull with about 50 gallons of water and then after i read the post on here i walked every inch and looked for water to leak out on the ground and im a big guy prolly everybit of 350 so ts not like theres not alot of weight on it. check all the livewell ducts all are fine .....all i cn think is one of the livewell hoses has a big hole in it and its leaking in the hull what can i try to do to find out whats leaking i would like to hit the spring time bass this weekend but im not sure if my bilge pump would keep up with the amount of water its taking on...thanks alot Randy in texas

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: excessive water in hull!

Hi Randy in Texas, welcome to iboats!!<br /><br />What type of drive do you have?<br /><br />Sometimes water leaks are difficult to find, could be a crack, could be a bellow, could be the drain plug or the drain plug housing.<br /><br />The "minor crack" is a concern, while the boat is underway it is possible for water to leak in but not out also the housing that the drain plug screws into sometimes leaks, need to have a closer look. Your livewell & plumbing is easy to check - while the boat's on the trailer operate you livewell pump from a bucket and crawl around to see if any water is escaping from the well or hoses.<br /><br />It would seem by your description that you are taking on a dangerous amount of water, might want to pospone any fishing trips until you've got this licked.<br /><br />Aldo

 

[o0o_randy_o0o]

Re: excessive water in hull!

115 evinrude v-4 vro still trying to find out

 

[o0o_randy_o0o]

Re: excessive water in hull!

I cant see if its leaking from hoses and wells its a tri hull boat and its real compact to see what im looking at cant really see nothing but i can run water through the hoses with a bucket to check but what else can i look for

 

[cuzner]

Re: excessive water in hull!

Do you have any live wells on the boat?

 

[o0o_randy_o0o]

Re: excessive water in hull!

yes i have 2 livewells 1 in the front and 1 in the back is a fish/ski boat. anymore questions u need to ask i can answer them for you

 

[Northern Eclipse]

Re: excessive water in hull!

See if its possible to stick a bung in the thru hulls that are below the water line and float boat at dock, just be sure its dry first and see if that boat still takes water or not, if not and there is more that one thru hull, just pull one bung and repeat above... I think you get the idea If it leaks then you have a plumbing issue with one or both livewells such as a bad petcock or split hose or cracked thruhull. One other thing to check ... see if your mounting bolts for the outboard are leaking below waterline.

 

[mouradc]

Re: excessive water in hull!

Just thought I'll add this, I recently was on this forum with a similar problem, I put new drain plugs and still took on a lot of water, finally it was the drain plug housing which was cracked, I replaced it and all seeme ok now...

 

[cuzner]

Re: excessive water in hull!

Hey Randy if you haven't already, check to make sure all your hoses coming to and from your wells are are properly secured and not cracked. Had the same problem with a freinds bass boat. first found a hose knocked off while instaling the batteries( major leak), then a month later found one that was cracked from age.Could also your wells themselves.<br /><br /> Jim

 

[hohmanr]

Re: excessive water in hull!

Are you sure the water was not there prior to launching???? Could the water have been in an area of the boat where it would not easily drain back to the drain plug..?? <br /><br />Maybe the water worked to your advantage by being near the front when you first launched..After the rough and tumble of driving the water was forced to the back where it would serious imped your ability to plane out...<br /><br />Crazy thought, but it sounds like the boat is pretty darn water tight on the water..

 

[rwidman]

Re: excessive water in hull!

I would put it back in the water, leave it tied to the dock, and try to se where the water is comming in. If none comes in, have a friend operate the boat while you check for leaks. Don't go far from the dock and have the tow vehicle and trailer ready just in case.