Where did all this water come from?
Hi all just asking for some advice.
Recently purchased my first boat a 5.3 razorline ali runabout. I went out today from two rocks and with the decent swells and the generous gap underneath my transom door saw a lot of water coming into the deck. As I don't have a bilge pump yet,was planning to go buy one tomorrow, on the way back in the boat was very ass heavy and I could feel the extra weight coming in I knew there was quite an amount of water in the hull. Upon taking out the bung at least 100l if not more water came out of the hull.
I just want to know if this is normal in a boat with a bilge or is water getting through the deck into the hull somewhere it isn't supposed to be.
Can anyone steer me in the right direction or suggest where I can take it to get it checked out. I live in kallaroo any insight is greatly appreciated. Cheers
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dodgy
Posts: 4588
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Put your bungs in and put
Put your bungs in and put 100l of water into your bilge and see if it leaks out anywhere. Could be anything. You would be suprised how much a bung can leak.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
Paul_86
Posts: 1449
Date Joined: 27/03/09
I had the same problem with
I had the same problem with my ali boat recently. I tried inspecting every square inch of the boat for any pin holes or cracks and couldnt see anything. So i then tried filling the hull with water but before i could get enough water in it the trailer started creeking from all the extra weight (plus boats arnt designed to take weight that way anyhow). Ended up taking it back to where i purchased it from and got them to check it out. Turned out that the bolts holding the motor on to the transom wernt sealed properly and letting water in. So yeah, can come from anywhere!
Lamby
Posts: 3145
Date Joined: 04/08/09
Do you have a kill tank in
Do you have a kill tank in the floor that you did not bung?
Advice from Dodgy is good, use colouring with the water if you need to see it more clearly.
Get the bilge installed mate, good peace of mind if it goes to the shitters
Addit: next time you put the bungs in give them a nice film of grease then screw them in for a good seal, worked well on the old tub
fisherking
Posts: 730
Date Joined: 29/05/08
I worked in one of Perths
I worked in one of Perths boat dealerships for a short time. The only way we ever checked for leaks was to fill the hull. Give it a go mate.
When you're installing the bilge it's best to have an auto float switch & a manual overide.
Dean
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde
smash
Posts: 434
Date Joined: 01/12/10
be careful
be a bit careful following the advice above though.
Archimedes principal is pretty simple.
Filling the hull internally to the waterline will exactly double the weight of your hull on the trailer.
It may well handle it but just be aware of the forces involved.
Theres not many other ways though to find your leak and be aware it isnt necesarily below the water line as mentioned above.
One is, after you have done the above (or before) block up the scuppers , level the boat and put a couple of inches of water over the entire deck, leave overnight and see if it gets through. If so do it again but cant it over so you can narrow down the are.
Im assuming it has a semi sealed deck like Trailcraft etc?
Also regarding the auto bilge pumps, a great idea but ONLY to avoid forgetting to switch it off and burning out the pump.
If you leave it on auto all the time it will only mask a problem til either the battery is flat or fuse/pump blows, then its the proverbial creek.
sea-kem
Posts: 15247
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Shouldn't have that problem
Shouldn't have that problem with the auto bilge if you turn off the battery after every trip to stop any problems of voltage leaks. As I beach launch an retrieve they are bloody handy when waves come through the back when retrieving. Process of elimination as said above to find the leak.
Love the West!
smash
Posts: 434
Date Joined: 01/12/10
not the battery
not the battery Im thinking of-if youve got a leak or a dodgy bung or something similar and dont notice it pumping out automatically you wont know til the pump cooks etc then what to do? I know on mine I wouldnt see it pumping on auto while travelling unless I twisted around and lent out a bit.
Good habit is to turn it on a couple of times a day and watch to see what comes out.
Similar thing is dual batteries-how many people (I see it commercially all the time even) run around with batteries on "both", especially when has been drained or was flat. If it was one drained or flat due to a battery fault could cause the redundant one to flatten also.
fisherking
Posts: 730
Date Joined: 29/05/08
I always used to isolate one
I always used to isolate one battery when fishing.
Used to store the burley bucket next to the isolation key so that it would remind me to turn off one battery before putting the burley in. That way you know one is charged & is not being drained whilst stationary.
Dean
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde
CCC
Posts: 539
Date Joined: 29/03/10
Jack the front of the trailer
Jack the front of the trailer up and have a go at flooding the deck with water and see if any come out the bung hole. The soft patch(access to fuel tank) may just need sealing.
CCC
sammy85
Posts: 831
Date Joined: 31/08/10
Thanks for all the info guys
Thanks for all the info guys big help.gonna give it a crack today and see if I can find the leak
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Simon C
Posts: 801
Date Joined: 01/05/07
Rainwater
My guess is you may have had the bungs in or out when parked up but your boat does not actually drain when in the driveway. With all the rain we have had you put the bungs in before you left and all the rainwater that was at the front of the boat ran back as you drove out. Just a thought learned from personal experience. I did not notice till we were out fishing. I also take a fair bit of water through the back door as I generally hold the boat in reverse on a spot if there is some sea I will always get a wave over before I remember to slide the door in.
crasny1
Posts: 7028
Date Joined: 16/10/08
Im also with Simon C
With Cyclone Bianca and carlos this year it only takes a heavy shower which we did get to easily put 100l in the boat. I was amazed at how much was in there. I have a Traily but leave the cabin bung out when its parked up, so all the water drained in from there.
Neels
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
sammy85
Posts: 831
Date Joined: 31/08/10
I always leave the bung out
I always leave the bung out when it's parked up and only put it back in before launching. Also the boat didn't feel as heavy on the way out as it did the way back in so think the water got in while I was out there. I am just worried I am gonna be out fishing one day and it is going to take in too much water so will have to get it fixed before heading out again
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