Cockpit drains? What kind of boat is it? I’d sure like to look at it.
the boat is a 17’ by tape Chris craft sport center console, there’s no drain as far as i know but my name says it all >.< and if you would like to come take a look at her your more then welcome to i’m sure your wisdom is greater then mine. and would be so grateful for any advice. i live in the park circle area, i’m on the corner if Buist and o’hear long white farm style fence big yellow house cant miss it. ill be out back most the day working on the boat.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
Small craft surveying and repair
WOW Noob…scary situation. Glad you and yours made it out safe! We need more people like NCTiger to restore our faith in humanity…good job NCT!!
I was in a bad chop year before last and filled up the boat. It was coming into the bilge over the transom everytime I went into the trough. I have a small hatch over the bilge that kept popping open. Didn’t realize what was going on until almost too late. I got the boat turned around, pulled the hatch off, and floored it. Took a long time to finally plane out, but it dumped most of the water out. Bilge pump was froze up and popping breakers, so it was no good. I was about 12 miles out with my 15 yo niece. Got a lock on that hatch now and a new pump.
Again congrats on a safe return!
I got a can of crc in my shop and ill be spraying her down again all tho i did do it before she went under but defently will be doing it again!
Another up date I’m counting yet another blessing, shes up and running again, no odd sounds or any thing out of the ordinary she spurred a bit at first but shes been running now for 30 mins or so and she sounds as if nothing happened! thank goodness! next ill be checking the bottom of the hull to find out if there’s any cracks or anything else but next clear day looks as if ill be doing a water test at the ramp.
There has got to be a serious hole to get that much water without noticing it. No way you took on enough water in some swells to sink it without knowing you were doing it, unless the joint between the hull and the deck has split open. I’d check the hull really good there, since we have eliminated thru-hull fittings and you didn’t knock a hole in the bottom of, I’d bet on the deck joint being split along the forward part of the boat. That would account for a lot of water coming in fast while in some swells and you not knowing it.
If the hole is low, fill the boat up with water while on the trailer, and look for where it runs out. No need to sink it twice with a water test. Find the hole
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
Small craft surveying and repair
I had a problem with my boat taking on water a few years back. Turns out it was a loose hose from one of my livewells. I took care of the problem at the time by using a plug in the thru hull fitting. Since you say that there aren’t any tru hull fittings, the water may have come over the transom. I would definately make sure there aren’t any other ways for the water to come in throught any opening in the hull. That being said, you might also install a bilge pump with a float switch. That way, if you do take on water, you will notice right away when the pump turns on. Thank God you and your family returned safe! Thank God for people like NorthChuckTiger!
Capt Larry’s the pro; he’s covered the finding-the-problem issue better than I can, but let me add this - - most all boats have a cast hull and a cast deck, and they are sealed together, all the way around. I have an old boat (1989) and I found some deck sealant crumbling away when I got below deck level and looked up at the edge of the deck. I started pulling pieces of it off, and then several feet of it pulled away. So I stripped and resealed, all the way around. (Maybe I am saying the same thing Capt. Larry said, a rookie way…) Another thing; if you have scupper drains and your boat is heavy loaded, then water will come in unless you have auto sealing stoppers in the drains. I bought some rubber plugs for the inside of the boat for when I am stopped for fishing and a lot of weight is in the stern. Like Capt. Larry said, you had a big leak somewhere and hope you test on a trailer or in some shallow and warmer water. Good luck, and have a professional check out your repairs,
NaClH20
“Faster Cars, Younger Women, Older Whiskey and More Money” [Tom T. Hall’s secret for happiness.]
ok guys me and a friend of mine have taken a good long look my buddy has 50 years of experience with boating and has fixed many boats he says there’s nothing out of the normal he sees no splits cracks crumbles etc, but i do have a theory my buddy threw out there, part of it is due to my noobness to boating. but ill explain it in a bit with pictures and see what you guys think. but for now i’m going to take it to the ramp here shortly back her in and see if she takes on any water wile still on the trailer.
the main thing for your motor, is not to let it sit. after a salt water bath, you need to get it running soon, & keep it running often. that 1st 2 weeks after a salt water bath is crucial for the engine. we saved a 25hp yamaha which sat under water for 2 days. we “pickled” the engine by filling the cylinders with kerosene for a day, then draining all fluids. got it running right away & made absolutely sure to crank it up ever day or couple days for the next month. that was 2 years ago & the motor still cranks up on the 1st couple pulls. you need to use lots of wd40 or crc like mentioned earlier to keep the salt from eating your motor & electrical grounds. degrease it & re-oil it a few times & it will be just as good as before the saltwater bath (almost, lol). along with the obvious stuff you did like draining & replacing the fuel/oil, & keeping the under cowl area coated w/ water displacement oil like wd40, the main thing is not to let it sit once you get it cranked back up. undo any electrical grounds you can easily access & clean them up too. use dielectric grease on the spark plug wire connections & anti-seize on the spark plug threads
as for the hull, you can always fill it with water on the trailer with the plug in & see if any comes out on your driveway. if not then it might be the seem like NaClH20 & Cracker Larry described above on page 2
thanks larry and every one else- it means alot. i’m so very grateful for all the help and wisdom you guys shared! she did float fine with no water coming in below the deck. i let her sit in the water over the trailer for about 20 mins and not a trace of water below. i’m going to remove the rub rail and replace it before i go fishing again just to make sure, better safe then sorry.
there any thing else i should be looking for or keeping a eye out for?
chevy- the motor was up and running within 18 hrs of the incident. there was no water or milk in the oil, but went ahead and had it completely drained, flushed and refilled, and added a new oil filter. there was water in the fuel line, so i drained the gas tank replaced the fuel water separator and fuel filter then filled it back up with new gas and a can of sea foam. there was no water in the air intake. i changed the plugs, sprayed a can of lubing starting fluid behind them and a few times throughout the day while we were fixing it. the outside of the motor got a healthy coat of CRC. however she is up and running again! i’ve been running it every day for at least 30 mins and will be for the next 2 weeks as instructed by my buddy. shes been cranking and starting up like normal each time.
is there anything else i should do to ensure her life?
The theory my buddy came up with is this,
the transom sits close to the water surface then has a slight incline and then a higher wall where the deck starts. there is a hole there from what i’m told its meant to drain that area when moving. there are also 3 access panels in this area, one on each side and one on floor. i didn’t realize this was to drain the boat. i had kept it plugged because its right at water height when i’m in the boat. he believes that when you add the weight of me (330 pounds), my cooler, 4 batteries (2 for the trolling motor start and a back up), a second anchor and bait bucket, an over classed motor (rated for a 90 and there’s a 100 on her) so the extra weight on the back of it w
If there was no water in the hull when you started running then that means it had to fill up extremely fast. I guess its possible that it came over the transom and down into the access hatch… But it would take a hell of a lot of water to sink it as fast as you say it went down. How many times did water rush over the back? Have you had the hole plugged on any of your previous outings and if so have you ever gotten any water inside the hull?
Is there a fitting missing where that hole is under the motor? From the picture it looks like there might be a way for water to get into the hull there.
Semper Fi
18’ Sterling
115 Yamaha
Big Ugly Homemade Blue Push Pole
madfire: its been plugged every time i went out in it so far probably 20+ times and there has been water in the hull but not enough to draw any serious attn to it, no more then a few squirts from the bilge on the ramp wile it was at a incline i figured it was just rain water, but i’ve never been out when there were swells of this size or anywhere close it took me 20/25 mins to cross the cooper that day when normally i don’t spend more the 5 mins, I’ve never had water rush over the back till this incident and i can also add that when i first looked back and said o-****. the water was all ready over the transom and this little pocket was filling up and filling up fast.
hoofarded: i think there was a ring around the fiber glass at one point but the water can easily get in threw the access panel there. i kept the hole plugged but there is a brass pipe in the center of the hole.
sounds like you did everything you could as far as taking proper care of the motor. keep up the good work
that area under your motor in the pictures, with the 3 access hatches, is likely the source of your water intake. that plug hole in the transom is supposed to stay open, it self-bails any water that comes over the transom in rough water or if you slow down quickly. if water comes over the transom, it can escape out that hole, rather than fill your bilge. so, those hatches are supposed to be waterproof, & if they allow water into the bilge when closed, you need fix that issue. to waterproof the hatches, remove them, & re-install them properly using an adhesive sealant like 3M 4200. i’d also invest in a 1200gph bilge pump with a float switch that kicks it on automatically. i just a have a regular pump in mine & i kick it on manually every so often to ensure my bilge stays dry. i know a lot of folks who swear by having 2 bilge pumps…best of luck in the future
I agree with what is being said here. The drain plug for the splash box in the rear should always be able to drain freely. That access panel should probably never been installed. since it is, it definatly needs to be water tight. and as for the motor being over rated for that hull I bet the HP limit on the manufacturers tag was more than likely rated for 2 stroke motors that are quite a bit lighter than 4 stroke motors. I would also keep the heavy stuff forward in the boat from now on. I have a very low cut transom on a self bailing deck and I have to watch mine too.
Raf, That awesome that you got the motor cleaned and up and running smooth. As far as the splash well, I keep mine plugged… from the inside. That way if I do take some water over the transom, I can pull that plug, get her on plane and drain it. Although, mine sits right at the waterline when standing still. I still think something else is going on. I know this weekend looks like crap, but the next time you are available, let me know and I’ll take a buddy ride with ya and we will make sure nothing serious is still going on.
Edit: Are those hatch covers threaded? Or just kind of sit on the flange with a quarter screw seal?
