Beginner question

[jeffruby]

After using the boat is it normal to have a tiny bit of water under the engine? Should I run the bildge pump before leaving boat at night? Thanks.

 

[ziekman@cox.net]

If you can run the bilge pump and get some or all of the water out, then sure go ahead and do so. How much is a "tiny" bit? There are hundreds of posts here regarding this very subject, but in my opinion your bilge should be pretty dry, else it's a sign of something you should look into. If it hasn't rained, and your "tiny" bit of water isn't getting larger, then you are probably OK though.

 

[jeffruby]

When I say tiny, i mean enough water that i could soak up with a bath towel. When I run the bildge, enough water comes out the side of boat to fill up a coffee mug.

 

[C-SIDE]

That's not normal - look into it

 

[jeffruby]

Like i said im a beginner. Where does water down sink go? To bildge?

 

[Presentation]

Like i said im a beginner. Where does water down sink go? To bildge?

No. Water down sink goes out the side thru a “thru hull” fitting. Have someone dump some water down as you are outside the boat and you will see what I mean.

Given your question about the sink I will assume you are a novice, that’s OK, we all were once.

I am worried you could have a broken bellow. This small leak could turn into a big leak and sink the boat. If you don’t believe me read this: http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/sinking/default.asp

My recommendation is to have your bellows and drive inspected for leaks / cracked bellows by a mercury certified mechanic. You may as well have them service then drive at the same time.

If one bellow is bad, replace all three.

 

[Quint4]

That is a very small amount of water...could it be coming in the vents when your are running?

 

[jeffruby]

Glad I could entertain you all.... I now remember hosing transom down, and shot water up vents because i saw some crap on them. I bet this is the water source

 

[skibum]

I ocassionally get a little water in mine, but only on about 1 out of 20 outings. It happens mostly when we have the kids swimming with us, or if I hose off the deck really good and blast the junk out of the engine hatch channel. I also notice that if I wash the boat, I sometimes get water in the side vents. HOWEVER, I never get enough water in there for the bilge pump to pickup. Even if I activate it manually, the water is too low for it to pick it up. I can always wipe it all up with a small hand towel.

If you are not doing any of that and the water is getting in when you are just driving around, then I would have your dealer check it out.

 

[comsnark]

There should be NO water in the bilge.

HOWEVER, on my boat: the back U-seat has a drain -> into the bilge. Also, my cockpit has drains that go overboard, but if the drains backup slightly, there is a lip that overflows into the bilge.

Running the boat puts no water into the bilge. . .but washing the cockpit generally does. (!)

 

[jeffruby]

Thanks again for responses. Wouldn't the wash water hose angled up a vent holes on transom down it? If I was a real man I would have tasted the water to see if it was fresh or salt.... lol

 

[skibum]

Yes, pointing the hose at the vents will put water in the bilge. Do you by any chance have a table base on your cockpit floor? I'm talking about the one that looks like an aluminum disk with a cup in the center that you put the pole for the table in? If you do, you might want to remove it and seal it up with some silicon. Mine leaked. Sea Ray used a ton of sealant on it, but they still managed to miss a couple of spots. The water was able to follow the non skid pattern and get under it to the parts that weren.t sealed. I went around the perimeter with some white silicon and it took care of the problem.

 

[magster65]

Google up 'leaking steering shaft mercruiser'... another possibility...