Taking On Water... But WHY???

H2ONUT

H2ONUT

Well-Known Member
Nov 26, 2006
2,658
Savanna GA
Boat Info
2000 215EC
Engines
5.0 EFI Mercruiser Alpha
I have a strange thing going on here...

If I vacuum all the water out of the bilge, and stay off the boat for the week, it is dry for days. Spend a few hours sitting on back deck and there is water in there again.

I have drained the water system to make sure I didn't have a water leak.

There are 4 thru-hull fittings, not one of them is under water.

A few of us have inspected with a flash light and cannot see where water would be coming from.
 
You haven't mentioned weather conditions, but we sometimes get rainwater coming in through the engine compartment vent. I know it is coming in there as there is a slight low spot in the duct hose and water collects there and then spills into the bilge.

Henry
 
There could be some water further forward in the boat. So with the weight of people in the rear cockpit, it might be making water drain aft. I'm not real familiar with your cabin layout - do you have a step into the cabin that has a removable lid? Do you have an access to your "forward bilge" (for lack of a better term)?

Or, is there anything (mounted or thru-hull - like tab lines, pitot tube) back on the outside of the transom that is normally just above the water line?
 
Last edited:
Couple of thoughts. Are your thru hull fittings above the water line when you are sitting on the back of the boat? What about holes that may have been drilled on the transom for a transducer?

Do you pull the drive off every winter? Have you ever replaced your bellows? Water could be leaking in through crack in the bellows or a loose fitting.
 
There is no water further forward.

All thru hulls are above the water line when people are on the back deck.

Rain water... NOPE! Experienced a horrific rain storm on Sunday afternoon. A few hours prior I vacuumed out all the water. We got an inch of hard rain and hail in 20 minutes, bilge remained dry.

If bellows were leaking, wouldn't they leak with no one on the boat? (All bellows replaced last spring)

Where the trim tab lines and pitot tube come thru, the transom inside is dry.

Again, it only happens when a few people sit on the back deck for an extended period of time. With no one on the boat it will stay dry for days...
 
Your ex wife is going there when you arent around and dumping water in.

Other than that, we had some good rains...doesnt take much for it to find its way in...
 
Well since everybody else has given you all the good answers....
Tell all the guys to stop peeing in your bilge when your back is turned.(Grin)
 
Check the hinge pin (transom assembly) that holds the steering arm... Water could enter the boat if the seal is bad..
 
Is this the boat?

kl4g38a8ctm8vgcmiyh2b151haeakecjc60x.jpg
 
jellyfish said:
Check the hinge pin (transom assembly) that holds the steering arm... Water could enter the boat if the seal is bad..
Click to expand...

Is this the same repair that Quint just made? I do have a little bit of vibration in the steering...

Love the pic also!! :lol:
 
WE had a problem with a friends bellows. It leaked when people were in the back of the boat. Apparently when it got pushed underwater far enough, it would start leaking. I think it was completely submerged all the time, even when no one was on the boat, but the leak showed up when people boarded. Check your shift cable while you are there!
 
Just to refer back to the "stays dry for days", does this mean it does take on water after several days, even with no one on board?
If so, I think the answer is in there.

GG
 
Do you use the water system at all while your on your boat? Toilet? Shower? Sink? Could one or more hoses have a crack as water tries to exit the thru hull holes. Is ur step down pump working? Is that area sealed?
 
H2ONUT said:
Is this the same repair that Quint just made? I do have a little bit of vibration in the steering...

Love the pic also!! :lol:
Click to expand...


The swivel shaft seal is the repair you are talking about and was my thought too when i read your post.

Is the upper transom assembly out of the water till you have people on it?? If so that could be it.

I know bravos are known for this leak but not sure about alphas.

That leak is hard to spot too, as the water will run down inside the transom assembly and then leak out the bottom anywhere.

What i did to confirm my leak was to stuff paper towels into the top of the transom assembly where the steering arm goes in and sure enough....It didnt take long for it to get soaked with water.
 
Like was mentioned, maybe it is the swivel shaft seal. Look for water coming in from the pocket the steering arm goes into and connects to the swivel shaft. Here is a pic of my Bravo II prior to my repair. You can see the brown "silt" where water would enter.
steeringarm2fm6.jpg
 
glennj3 said:
Just to refer back to the "stays dry for days", does this mean it does take on water after several days, even with no one on board?
If so, I think the answer is in there.
Click to expand...

With no one near the boat since Monday night, there is no water in the bilge. I cleaned it all out before I left Monday. Went down last night, bone dry...

Zklink5150 said:
Do you use the water system at all while your on your boat? Toilet? Shower? Sink? Could one or more hoses have a crack as water tries to exit the thru hull holes. Is ur step down pump working? Is that area sealed?
Click to expand...

To test my system I pressure test it in the spring before launch. No leaks, well, this year there was, the water heater was leaking. That has been removed and is being repaired. I have left the water pump on for the last few days just to be sure. No leaks, as I said, last night, bone dry...

CAGE RATTLER said:
The swivel shaft seal is the repair you are talking about and was my thought too when i read your post.

Is the upper transom assembly out of the water till you have people on it?? If so that could be it.

I know bravos are known for this leak but not sure about alphas.

That leak is hard to spot too, as the water will run down inside the transom assembly and then leak out the bottom anywhere.

What i did to confirm my leak was to stuff paper towels into the top of the transom assembly where the steering arm goes in and sure enough....It didnt take long for it to get soaked with water.
Click to expand...

I will try the paper towels. As far as I can see in there, which now I have more room because the water heater is out, I don't see anything wet on the transom. The upper assembly is out of the water with no one on the boat. I would have to say that it would be submerged with people on the back...

Quint4 said:
Like was mentioned, maybe it is the swivel shaft seal. Look for water coming in from the pocket the steering arm goes into and connects to the swivel shaft. Here is a pic of my Bravo II prior to my repair. You can see the brown "silt" where water would enter.
steeringarm2fm6.jpg
Click to expand...

I'll check that pic out when I get home, blocked here at work...


Another thought I had... Could there be an exhaust hose from the y-pipe to the elbow that is leaking? I know when I changed out the exhaust flappers in the y-pipe, the water level is right near the flapper assembly... With the added weight on the boat, that would cause the water to come up into the exhaust hose, no?? My reason for thinking this is when I have the engine running and the hatch up, The exhaust is much louder STBD side of the motor that PORT. (You need to be next to the motor, it's not noticible standing over it)
 
I had the same exact senerio last year. Clean out the water, and sooner or later it was back. It turned out to be exactly as Quint4 indicated, the shaft seal. I watched as the mechanic used a rag, wiped out all the water pooled in the pocket that the steering arm enters. The water would slowly return. Not a bad leak, but would take a few days to return. Look also for signs of water dribbling down the inside of the transom componants. Also, on another thread, someone mentioned that they got water in the bilge area when they came off plane and the wake caught up with the boat and came in an area of the swim platform.
 
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