Muddy/Murky Water Draining from Plug

[97Searay175]

Took the bowrider out last weekend. Tide was very low. Upon putting the boat back on the trailer and then driving upwards, I took out the drain plug while still inclined. The water was extremely dark/muddy/somewhat thick. Let it drain and then went home to flush out the engine with the muffs for a good ten mins.

How does this get into the hull? Is it pretty detrimental? I had thought the hull accumulates water, but how does the mud find itself inside? Anything else I can do to clean/flush out aside from the drain plug? How bad is it to see muddy water come out of the drain plug?

 

[Nehalennia]

You need to verify what it is and make sure it's not oil/water mixed. Check your oil too. Do you have a hose leaking anywhere on your cooling hoses?

Start looking around and run her on the muffs to check everything. Check your oil first and make sure you don't have water intrusion and an oil leak into the bilge.

Best of luck.

 

[Old Vet]

"I had thought the hull accumulates water,"

I'm curious why you thought this??

 

[97Searay175]

"I had thought the hull accumulates water,"

I'm curious why you thought this??

Maybe I should have been more specific. What I mean is how is it that thick/muddy water could enter the accumulation area which drains from the hull, as opposed to clear non-sludge water that would normally enter? Does that make sense?

 

[Rono007]

You need to verify what it is and make sure it's not oil/water mixed. Check your oil too. Do you have a hose leaking anywhere on your cooling hoses?

Start looking around and run her on the muffs to check everything. Check your oil first and make sure you don't have water intrusion and an oil leak into the bilge.

Best of luck.

+1 :thumbsup:

I had that last year along with oil splashing out through the drain hoile in my ski locker. Cost a cool $1100 to replace the seal and bearing and stop the oil bleed.

Good luck.

 

[Woody]

Maybe I should have been more specific. What I mean is how is it that thick/muddy water could enter the accumulation area which drains from the hull, as opposed to clear non-sludge water that would normally enter? Does that make sense?

You shouldn't have any water entering your bilge through the hull or outdrive.

 

[97Searay175]

You shouldn't have any water entering your bilge through the hull or outdrive.

I am still pretty ignorant when it comes to boats.

I guess what Im trying to find out, is that the water that drains out after I take out the drain-plug (wherever the water may be coming from) looks very thick/muddy. I don't know how the water gets into there first and from where, and if this type of water is even healthy to have enetered wherever it had to begin with. If so, fine. If not, what can I do to flush it out - aside from the suggestion earlier that an oil line may have ruptured internally. :huh:

 

[jitts3]

How much water comes out? And how long is she in the water when you pull the plug? Do you have a lot of skiers or swimmerc climbing aboard? You'd be amazed on how much water gets into my dads boat with 4 people in and out of the water.:smt101

 

[Gunn]

I am still pretty ignorant when it comes to boats.

I guess what Im trying to find out, is that the water that drains out after I take out the drain-plug (wherever the water may be coming from) looks very thick/muddy. I don't know how the water gets into there first and from where, and if this type of water is even healthy to have enetered wherever it had to begin with. If so, fine. If not, what can I do to flush it out - aside from the suggestion earlier that an oil line may have ruptured internally. :huh:

As Woody mentioned, you should not have -any- water coming out of your drain plug when you pull the boat (water from wet dogs and people excluded). You obviously have a leak somewhere. Most likely it is due to the rubber bellows (accordian like boots) that go around the driveshaft, shift cable and exhaust from your hull transom to your outdrive. Crawl under the outdrive sometime and look up, you'll see them. I had a cracked shift cable bellows that was letting a lot of water in during a day of boating.

Now as far as it not being the consistency of the water in the river/lake/bay that you are floating in...that's another issue. Like others said, take off your engine cover and look down in the bilge and see what's going on. While you're at it, check your oil level and what it looks like on the dipstick. You may have a severe oil or outdrive gear lube leak causing what you see when you remove the drain plug.

Tom

 

[97Searay175]

How much water comes out? And how long is she in the water when you pull the plug? Do you have a lot of skiers or swimmerc climbing aboard? You'd be amazed on how much water gets into my dads boat with 4 people in and out of the water.:smt101

I did have around 6 adults on it..tide was low..

Id say it drained about a gallon out if im not mistaken. But what I'm worried about is the color/thickness of the water. Also, where is this accumulating from? The bilge seems to drain out the side if the level gets high enough, but the drainplug seems as if it should be the lowest/bottom left over.

 

[97Searay175]

As Woody mentioned, you should not have -any- water coming out of your drain plug when you pull the boat. You obviously have a leak somewhere. Most likely it is due to the rubber bellows (accordian like boots) that go around the driveshaft, shift cable and exhaust from your hull transom to your outdrive. Crawl under the outdrive sometime and look up, you'll see them. I had a cracked shift cable bellows that was letting a lot of water in, during a day of boating.

Now as far as it not being the consistency of the water in the river/lake/bay that you are floating in...that's another issue. Like others said, take off your engine cover and look down in the bilge and see what's going on. While you're at it, check your oil level and what it looks like on the dipstick. You may have a severe oil or outdrive gear lube leak causing what you see when you remove the drain plug.

Tom

Will do! Thanks for the advice, as I appreciate it. Why is the drain plug there if no water is suppose to accumulate though?

 

[techmitch]

Guess you missed this part.

"you should not have -any- water coming out of your drain plug when you pull the boat. You obviously have a leak somewhere"

 

[Lazy Daze]

Yes, let's try to clear this up... again:smt001

1) The only water that should be entering your boat is the water you bring on it (from swimming, for example).

2) If you have water coming out the side of the hull (~1" hole), that is because your bilge (engine area) is filling with water to the point where the bilge pump kicks on. In other words, a decent amount of water.

3) The bilge pump won't completely evacuate all the water from the bilge. Removing the garboard drain plug will get about 99% of it, though.

4) Clean your bilge out REAL well.

5) Observe the bilge while the boat is sitting in the water with the engine off for water intrusion.

6) Observe the bilge while the boat is sitting in the water with the engine on for water intrusion.

 

[Nehalennia]

Is the water you boat in muddy? If not, I still think you have water in your oil. Check your oil as mentioned before.

 

[97Searay175]

Is the water you boat in muddy? If not, I still think you have water in your oil. Check your oil as mentioned before.

Yeah - pretty muddy that day.

 

[97Searay175]

Yes, let's try to clear this up... again:smt001

1) The only water that should be entering your boat is the water you bring on it (from swimming, for example).

2) If you have water coming out the side of the hull (~1" hole), that is because your bilge (engine area) is filling with water to the point where the bilge pump kicks on. In other words, a decent amount of water.

3) The bilge pump won't completely evacuate all the water from the bilge. Removing the garboard drain plug will get about 99% of it, though.

4) Clean your bilge out REAL well.

5) Observe the bilge while the boat is sitting in the water with the engine off for water intrusion.

6) Observe the bilge while the boat is sitting in the water with the engine on for water intrusion.

Got it :thumbsup: I was under the impression that a little water coming out of the garboard drain plug was a normal thing, and that if it was a huge amount, then it would pose a problem. Let alone, being very thick/muddy. Seems that it was a normal thing to do on the jetskiis I've ridden.

The only water that should be entering your boat is the water you bring on it (from swimming, for example).

I was assuming that the same water the bilge pumps out is the same water (in its origins as well) for the drain plug to drain out, hence no "definite leak" since it was just another way to drain/evacuate the same water from the same source.

Apologize for the back and forth, it's slowly sinking in now :grin:

 

[Nehalennia]

Yeah - pretty muddy that day.

Have you checked your oil?
If your oil looks good then you may have a bellows leak that could have began to slowly fill your bilge. Unfortunately this will be a pricey repair as more than likely if this is the case you will need new u-joints and gimble bearing.

Best of luck.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Apologize for the back and forth, it's slowly sinking in now :grin:

Nice...:smt001

Cleaning your bilge (and engine) should really be the first thing to do. The reason I say this is for two reasons. One, maybe the dirty water coming out is simply because the bilge is nasty. Two, it's hard to track down a leak (oil, like Todd is warning against) if the bilge is dirty.

Hey Todd, show 'em your bilge!

 

[Big Island Lifer]

+1 for cleaning the bilge.

If the water was that dirty and nasty how was your engine running? If you were sucking up a lot of sand you may also have impeller issues. Did you notice if the engine was running hot?

 

[Old Vet]

"Apologize for the back and forth, it's slowly sinking in now" :grin:

Please don't feel bad or embarrassed about not knowing something.

The great thing about this forum is there are many people here with alot of boating knowledge who are only too happy to try to help us solve problems we all run into.

May I ask how long you've had this boat? Just curious.

Bottom line is....I don't want to have water in my bilge for the pump to have to pump out....or water that has to be drained by pulling the drain plug.

If it's simply water that came onto the boat by humans or animals......or perhaps rain water....fine. Any other source needs to be tracked down.

"Muddy" water?? Bellows would be one of the first places I'd look I think.

Good luck.