The good and the bad (Bilge Pump)

[biffdotorg]

The good news is my Bilge pump is working great, the bad news is my Bilge pump is working.

So we have had monsoon type rainstorms this past couple weeks and my boat sits in our driveway with the nose slightly downhill. So that leads me to believe, if any water gets through my cover, or pools up and runs in, sooner or later it will be in my hull.

Yesterday, before heading out, I went out of my way to get the bow up as high as I could to get any rain water out before heading to the lake. All seemed fine, and I didn't put my plugs in till I was on the boat launch (As per MN state law)

We are sitting on the sandbar and I notice my bilge pump run twice yesterday. It pumped out a fair amount of water. I was sort of disturbed at the amount of water, as my hull is in near pristene shape. I can only imagine that it is coming in around the pump, scupper valve, or drain plugs.

This is an old question, but what do I do, get it on the trailer and start putting water in the bilge till I see it run out? That seemed like a logical process.

Like I said, the good news was the bilge pump was working. I have noticed, that when water does collect in the ski locker, from either rain, coolers, or just washing, that it takes some extreme angles for that water to flush into the engine bay where the pump is. It may have been rain water finally reaching the pump.

Any tips are appreciated.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

About the most likely place to develop a leak is at the impeller drive shaft seal? I've chased my fair share of rainwater "leaks" before.

You can flood the hull and watch from the outside, just not so much it gets into stuff it shouldn't (such as the starter or electricals). Thus you're somewhat limited by that approach.

I prefer to sop up all the moisture with a sponge or turkey baster, plop it in the water and search out the waterfall. I bring my beloved turkey baster for a ride when I'm looking for those small leaks.

 

[Dr Honda]

Yep to what he said.


I don't like the "Fill it up with water" method either. That, in itself can cause issues. Besides... what if the leak is above the engine bottom? (like at the seal around the scupper) Are you going to put 400 gallons of water in your hull to find the leak, and submerge your engine? AND... do you realize how much water weight it may take?? OK... to float a boat... it must displace the weight of the water, equal to the boat. SO... to get to the same water line... you may have to put 3000 Lbs of water in the hull to find it. In turn... that could crack the hull, and crush your trailer. (lol)



So... make sure the insides are dry... and put it in the water, and look around, with a nice bright flashlight. I would imagine that the water is coming in, around one of the transom fittings. (exhaust, scupper, drain plugs, etc)


But... be lucky your pump was working. I put in a brand new Rule Mate 1100 into my islandia last summer, during the rebuild... and this spring... it was dead !!! It lasted, literally 3 days on the water. It looks like the seals were bad, and the motor had water in it... then froze. I was getting ready to buy another... but I've been reading that the quality of the Rule pumps has gone down hill. So... I threw in a $14 wal-mart pump to get me by... and I'm replacing it with a Johnson 750, with a manual float switch.

 

[biffdotorg]

Thanks guys!

No, I had no intention of filling the hull by any means. Just thinking I would get enough in up to about the bilge pump level to see if anything dripped out. I'm thinking a new set of drain plug o-rings are a good start, then check the scupper. I changed that out last season as the ball had failed. So maybe I didn't seal it up properly.

I will look it over. We have three solid days of floating for us now, an w will surely see if it is still taking on any significant water. I have my rump shakin' boat mix ready for the new stereo upgrades. All I'm missing is the stripper pole and the sandbar will be rockin'

Have a great holiday guys!

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Have fun, be safe!

 

[biffdotorg]

Ok, so after sitting on the water for three out of four days for hours on end, I can pretty much confirm, that the excess water I was pumping was indeed rainwater.

I had minimal seepage this past week, just the normal amount when pulling the plugs at the end of the day. And not once did I see the bilge kick in.

Thanks for all the tips guys, I'm happy to report I didn't need to use any of them, for now.