270 slx ski locker have a drain or pump?

paulswagelock

paulswagelock

Well-Known Member
Oct 25, 2010
2,205
pa
Boat Info
2018 SDX 270 OB 300 Verado
Engines
Verado 300
So my marina didn't put my cover on properly and it blew off a few nights ago while sitting on the trailer. We had a monster rain storm that night and the boat got drenched. I went there and tipped the front up, and pulled the drain plug and gallons of water drained out. Figured I was done. Went inside and opened the ski locker and there was 5-6 gallons of water in there, trapped against the rear divider in the locker, with no obvious place to drain.

i had to manually bail the water out. Is there not a drain hole to let that water pass to the rear bilge where the pump and garboard drain are at? I didn't see anything obvious. Also not sure how so much water got in there as all the drains are plumbed and run to the rear bilge. I didn't pay attention but the locker door must not be guttered and drained?
 
paulswagelock said:
So my marina didn't put my cover on properly and it blew off a few nights ago while sitting on the trailer. We had a monster rain storm that night and the boat got drenched. I went there and tipped the front up, and pulled the drain plug and gallons of water drained out. Figured I was done. Went inside and opened the ski locker and there was 5-6 gallons of water in there, trapped against the rear divider in the locker, with no obvious place to drain.

i had to manually bail the water out. Is there not a drain hole to let that water pass to the rear bilge where the pump and garboard drain are at? I didn't see anything obvious. Also not sure how so much water got in there as all the drains are plumbed and run to the rear bilge. I didn't pay attention but the locker door must not be guttered and drained?
Click to expand...

There are gutters on the sides of the ski locker, and IIRC a black drain hose running back to the bilge for the actual locker. I'll take a look and take a photo of my setup.
 
I was at the boat today. The ski locker door is not guttered, so water runs right into the ski locker if rained on hard enough. Second, there is no water drain from the ski locker to the engine compartment. Even worse, there are a few small drains from I assume upholders that drain into the locker. So, whatever water gets in there is trapped until you suck it out. Terrible design, I am disappointed.

i guess my only recourse is to mount a bilge pump in there and try to find a path to push it to the engine bilge area to let that pump send it overboard.
 
I'm just going off memory here, but I thought that the 250SLX had a false floor in the ski locker with a bilge pump mounted below the false floor and that pumped it overboard. I thought the 270SLX was the same? I guess not?
 
Well, all 6'6" of me was laying in there cleaning it up to the front of the boat. If it does, I completely missed it.
 
Is the floor flat, or is it angled like the hull bottom?

Oh... and/or is there a "plastic", removable/screwed-n, vertical, wall at the aft end of the locker?
 
Last edited:
It was flat, but there were no gaps like a removable floor section, one piece bottom and up the sides. I am fairly certain it was fiberglass. There were one or two circular "plugs" in the bottom, maybe 3" in diameter.
Yes there is a wall at the aft, but it is right against the fresh water tank and pump.
And when I turn on the bilge pump manually, the only one I hear is under the engine.
 
I could be wrong, but I really think there is a lower cavity in the aft end of that locker - possibly under the fresh water tank? I just can't picture the area well enough from memory to give you anything real specific. Take a look in your manual - there's a couple things you can look for... There are "layouts" that will show where various accessories are located - look for the area we're talking about. Another thing is to look for the description of the various thru-hulls. You should find one for "bilge pump", and I'm thinking you should find one that says something like "secondary bilge pump" or "forward bilge pump" - something like that. Electrically speaking, I think (assuming it's there, for now) that locker's bilge pump is wired ONLY direct - meaning no switch. Which means it should have it's own fuse coming directly off a battery, as well.
 
Thanks for the suggestion. I looked it up in the parts manual and it does show a bilge pump mid ship, but in the electrical schematic it mentions the word optional. I will figure out how to remove that aft panel to see if I can get a view into that area.

i will post back next weekend when I get back to the boat.
 
My sundeck has a pump under the false floor in that locker. I would think the two boats are pretty similar in design. i agree it's very poor planning if it is indeed an option. Lots of water gets in that area from the toys or even a rainstorm like you discovered. Hopefully you just have a blown fuse. I'm really familiar with that pump because it never seems to hold a prime and I'm constantly dickering with it.
 
I will say I'm leaning towards you not having the pump because there is a very obvious access hatch for mine.
 
That "option" thing has me curious. The reason I'm asking is I don't recall ever ordering a boat and having to "choose" a bilge pump from my options. I'd like to look at that electrical schematic to see what's going on. What year is your boat, Paul? Could you maybe have been looking at an 'overboard discharge' or 'gray water' pump?
 
Last edited:
2008 270 slx.
But I think you are correct that the 'optional' pump is the gray water system, not the mid ship bilge pump.
 
Last edited:
Stopped at the boat. You all were correct. There is a pump behind the dividing wall at the rear of the locker. There is a small access port I removed to see it. Couldn't work on it through that port, but could verify it existed and could turn it on manually.

thanks.
 
OK, so now we need to figure out why that pump didn't pump out that 5-6 gallons. If you manually activated the pump with the float switch that eliminates, obviously, anything wrong with the actual pump system or wiring. UNLESS... somehow the pump got rewired to be downstream of the battery switch - as opposed to directly off the battery. Another option is that something "foreign" was in the pump cavity and prevented the float from lifting.
 
paulswagelock said:
Stopped at the boat. You all were correct. There is a pump behind the dividing wall at the rear of the locker. There is a small access port I removed to see it. Couldn't work on it through that port, but could verify it existed and could turn it on manually.

thanks.
Click to expand...

Does it drain overboard or to the main bilge?
 
Drains overboard. Rear starboard side has 2 thruhulls and the vacuflush vent. One of those thruhulls is the front pump, the other is the rear pump.
 
I have a 2014 250SLX with this same ski locker bilge pump setup. I have tried contacting Sea Ray about the poor design but they have not responded. Your issue maybe the same as mine in that the locker is relatively flat with minimal sump for bilge pump. Therefore a significant amount of water builds up in the ski locker before the float switch raises high enough to turn pump on. By the way, my pump is direct wired to battery so it works even without batteries being turned on for boat operation. Also my boat stays outdoors with just the normal boat cover so it gets rained on regularly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,247
Messages
1,429,219
Members
61,125
Latest member
Bassinbradw
Back
Top