fragmeister Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 (edited) Hi Raiders, Hoping someone has some suggestions regarding my leaking boat. I took out the bung from the boat at the ramp on Friday and perhaps 100 or more liters of water drained out. Hard to measure how much but it drained out for minutes not seconds. I assumed it was fresh water because my boat cover sags and probably leaks when the rain is heavy. I tasted it and it was salty so that ruled that out. At this stage I did notice that the bilge pump was not automatically switching on so it could be that the boat has leaked for a long time and in the past the pump just emptied it out all the time. I often noticed as I towed the boat and water obviously went to the stern that the the bilge pump was pumping out the side of the boat - I always assumed it was rain water. So I started with the the most likely cause and that was the last thing I did to it - replace the live bait tank pump and then I progressed to all the other potential entry points. 1) The live bait pump - I hooked a hose up to the intake, turned it on an filled the tank until it started to run our the overflow. - Not a sign of a leak anywhere. Left it overnight. Not a sign of a leak 2) The self draining scuppers. - Checked the hoses were tight and not split and opened them up to check the ball vales. - They look fine. 3) Sounder cables - Just a small penetration through the transom but looks well sealed to me. 4) Anchor well drain - Blocked the anchor well drain hole on the bow and filled the anchor well up. Left it there overnight not a sign of a leak. 5) Hull integrity.- Its a pressed hull so I just checked whatever weld there were looking for an obvious crack but it all looks fine. I think this covers every entry point and I note that when the boat has a lot of water in it it still doesn't leak any back out again. This led me to believe it was getting pumped in rather than leaking in. I was thinking of filling the boat up with a few hundred liters of water or more to see of that makes a difference. If I did that it might be worth chocking the trailer so the suspension and tyres are not overloaded. What do you reckon Raiders... Have I missed something? Cheers Jim Edited August 14, 2016 by fragmeister Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foghorn Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 I checked mine some time ago using condy's crystals in the water for easier detection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welster Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 (edited) Is the bung plug sealing correctly? When it's stored is it tilted up to drain with the bung plugs out? Do you tow it to the ramp with the bung plug out? Is the LBT a through hull fitting? I would be tempted to put the bung plug in add some water when the boat is on an incline and see if any comes out toward the bungs, or around the live bait fitting itself. If it is happening on the water then it would be strange you haven't noticed the bilge cut in or taking on the water before. If it's a one off I'd fix the bilge pump make sure the bung is tight and go fishing, for testing purposes of course! Sorry I just reread and noticed it had pumped water out in the past. Edited August 14, 2016 by welst Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welster Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Another thought is the live bait tank overfilling maybe whilst your underway and overflowing so that you don't notice it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragmeister Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share Posted August 14, 2016 Another thought is the live bait tank overfilling maybe whilst your underway and overflowing so that you don't notice it? Good questions., Bug Seals Fine - nothing drains out at rest Yes the LBT is through the hull but I tested it with a hose under pressure - no leaks The bilge pump has stopped automatically kicking in - only works on manual which now leads me to believe this problem may have been here for a ling time. Tricky one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragmeister Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share Posted August 14, 2016 (edited) Another thought is the live bait tank overfilling maybe whilst your underway and overflowing so that you don't notice it? Yes, I thought of this. If I go out wide through a little swell of chop the bait tank will splash over the back rather than drain through the over fill so that can tend to put water in the bilge. This is what I though must have happened but this time I didn't have any lives so the tank was off for the entire trip. Great suggestion though, Thanks Jim Edited August 14, 2016 by fragmeister Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragmeister Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share Posted August 14, 2016 I checked mine some time ago using condy's crystals in the water for easier detection. Yes, this makes sense. Good advice Cheers Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croydon Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 I've found in the past that the usual culprit is the bung. On land there is little pressure and they seem to hold water tightly. But once on the water, the resultant water pressure from outisde 'forces' water through a faulty bung seal or bung hole fitting. I would change the bungs and have another look on water. Hope you find it as it always plays in the back of the mind when you're out there. Good luck......... Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefish Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Does your bait tank have an auto pick up? I've auto filled my boat a couple of times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squidboy Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Send me a PM of your number. It should be the live well but it's easier to explain over the phone how to fix it. Every quinnie built leaks from their live wells Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewhunter Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 (edited) My Hornet also had a leak recently. I popped the floor off, filled it up &put the jockey wheel as high as I could. Small leak out of the sikaflex bung seal. Easy fix. Fill her up & check her out. Edited August 14, 2016 by Jewhunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragmeister Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share Posted August 14, 2016 My Hornet also had a leak recently. I popped the floor off, filled it up &put the jockey wheel as high as I could. Small leak out of the sikaflex bung seal. Easy fix. Fill her up & check her out. Thanks buddy. I will check that out. Cheers Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric001 Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Have a look at where the steering control cable exits the hull. In any sort of following sea the water can go straight through the pipe. I found this out at the soft plastics day when wash from a wave ski boat was hitting the stern of the boat. When I lifted the nose a bit the bilge came on and ran for a couple of minutes. I'd class it as a design flaw that the manufacturer doesn't fit a boot to the cable feed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Squid Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Check the rivets in the bung plates. I recently found that several of mine had deteriorated and water was coming in under pressure when the boat was in the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragmeister Posted August 15, 2016 Author Share Posted August 15, 2016 Have a look at where the steering control cable exits the hull. In any sort of following sea the water can go straight through the pipe. I found this out at the soft plastics day when wash from a wave ski boat was hitting the stern of the boat. When I lifted the nose a bit the bilge came on and ran for a couple of minutes. I'd class it as a design flaw that the manufacturer doesn't fit a boot to the cable feed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Thanks Mate, That's another area I checked and yes there is no boot over the entry point... not the cause this time though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragmeister Posted August 15, 2016 Author Share Posted August 15, 2016 Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions boys After a phone chat with Squidboy we ruled out a few things and decided that the only thing left to do was to pull up the floor and take her down to the ramp and leave it on the trailer so I could check all the transom fittings as soon as it hit the water. I will let you know how it goes this Friday. Cheers Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Incredible Hull Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 I was gona say the say thing as Jewhunter, fill it up at home and maybe get a 2nd bucket to circulate\run the live well. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raymondo Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 What was the outcome Frag? Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragmeister Posted August 20, 2016 Author Share Posted August 20, 2016 (edited) Well its still a bit of a mystery. Took my son out on Friday (He's in year 11 and they only go to school for 4 days a week ...oh how things have changed!) I had the rear deck up and all the boyancy foam removed so we could see all the transom fittings. We put the boat in on the trailer and there was no sign of a leak just sitting there so we launched and continued the test, We turned the bait bump on and left it on to fill and then over fill and vent Went for a run at speed up the river. Turned hard, crossed some boat wakes, went slow, stopped suddenly. Nothing we could do resulted in any water leak until.... We reversed hard and sure enough engine well fills up and water comes in through the hole where the engine control cables go through the hull. (This is What Ric001 suggested could be a problem) Now I don't recall doing this a lot when I am out fishing and as it spills on to the deck I would have thought I would gave noticed it when it happened. But since this is the only thing we could do to make it happen at least for the time being I will have to assume that this is where it comes in. So I am going to pay more attention next time I am out. Cheers and thanks again for your interest and suggestions. Jim Edited August 20, 2016 by fragmeister Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squidboy Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 What about running a hose through the bait pump? Sometimes there are leaks throughout seals. Like this https://vimeo.com/179553448 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragmeister Posted August 22, 2016 Author Share Posted August 22, 2016 Hi Squidboy, All checked out. No leaks there. Watch this space... I'll report back after the next trip. Cheers Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric001 Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 Hey Jim. I was down at my marine mechanic and asked about water getting in at the steering cable on transom, whether I'm missing a cover for it. His response was that it is a known problem that is overcome with lots of silicon. The manufacturer doesn't supply a gland for the steering cable or engine cables to go through. You can replace the split cable covers with hard covers and use self amalgamation tape to create a seal if you don't want silicon on the cables. If you do use silicon, try using the non acetic cure stuff. Cheers Ric. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
locodave Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 Hey mate. If the boat seems in pretty good condition usually its two things in my experience. The bungs. Even though its in, if you don't make sure you have a tight seal, you will get water going in and when you at the ramp and u do the bung, you would think you have a crack in the hull. Has happened many times to me. Make sure its sealed. Second is the engine wiring boot like you mentioned. My old seafarer one was bad in terms of the placement of the boot and not being completely sealed. The new boats have some good rigging fitouts now, but the older ones might be more open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragmeister Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 What about running a hose through the bait pump? Sometimes there are leaks throughout seals. Like this https://vimeo.com/179553448 Thanks for the suggestion.. I tried that and to be honest I was convinced that was going to be the problem but it was all fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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