Water drain after plug pulled?

Barry H.

Barry H.

New member
After a good day on the water and travel back to the boat ramp(I’m getting better at loading!) just how much water should be coming out
When the plug is pulled? Seems like a lot to me but I’m not sure about this. Bilge pump is at the bottom of the floor where the engine sits and there is the lower part of the boat that I can’t see and seems like that is where the water is accumulating. This is the first inboard boat I have owned. 20’ ssi Chaparral with a merc 305 Chevy base motor.
Thanks Again guys!
 
Barry H. said:
After a good day on the water and travel back to the boat ramp(I’m getting better at loading!) just how much water should be coming out
When the plug is pulled? Seems like a lot to me but I’m not sure about this. Bilge pump is at the bottom of the floor where the engine sits and there is the lower part of the boat that I can’t see and seems like that is where the water is accumulating. This is the first inboard boat I have owned. 20’ ssi Chaparral with a merc 305 Chevy base motor.
Thanks Again guys!
Click to expand...
You should not have to drain any water under normal running conditions. What year is she? How much water is a lot? Time frame on the water, running, not running. I would start with putting her in the water and while just setting there, start your inspection. If you don't see anything then start the engine and continue your inspection.
You need to do an inspection: any hoses that pertain to water, engine water pump, outdrive bellows, and everything below the water line.
 
Thanks for the reply Denny, we’re out for about 10 hrs. Run time about 4 hrs dragging the kids around in a tube or water skiing. This is a 2004 fiberglass boat. When I pull the plug I get a steady stream, how much maybe 5 gallons but really unsure. Ok so not normal. Problem is very little water is sitting where the motor is and like I said there is a cavity under that I think anyway. Can there be water coming in from the outboard unit? What do you think?
 
That is a lot of water. You have an issue somewhere. You need to do what I said earlier. Can you see the drain hole from the inside of the boat, and the bilge pump, and is that area visible? First look that area over sitting still. then run the boat at about 5-6 mph with someone at the back looking at the area. Your girl is 21 years old, depending what kind of care she has had, will determine the age of things.
 
No I can’t s see the drain hole from the engine compartment. I can see the bilge pump it’s just in front of the engine damper. As I said that area get water but not enough for the pump to pick it up and I can hear it run.
Going out on Sunday hope to find something. I’ll take some pictures to.
 
Just a thinking. Boats out of the water and on the trailer. Could I put some water in the boat to see where it leaks out?
That’s just going to tell me there no leaks on the lower part anyway
 
Barry H. said:
Just a thinking. Boats out of the water and on the trailer. Could I put some water in the boat to see where it leaks out?
That’s just going to tell me there no leaks on the lower part anyway
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No you need outside pressure. Can you see where the outdrive ties onto the engine? That whole area should be exposed. Pictures are good.
 
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I just looked at this video. Somehow you need to find a way to see the inside of your transom. Maybe if you remove your breather on top it will allow you to see a little more. They sure did not design this boat to be worked on.
 
Well weather is not cooperating today so water inspection is on hold. I’m going to get out during the week
and get a better look at it.
Thanks Denny
 
Barry H. said:
Well weather is not cooperating today so water inspection is on hold. I’m going to get out during the week
and get a better look at it.
Thanks Denny
Click to expand...
You might try a visual inspection on land. Check the outdrive bellows by moving it up and down and from port to starboard while pushing on it to see if you can see any age cracks. Along with any other boots that are protecting cables, ect.
 
5 gallons?! My boat sits in the water for months and it is dry as a dessert. When I pull the boat out of the water for some reason, I don't even bother pulling the plug. But then, I can see the entire area under my engine if I wanted to look.

I seem to recall [it's been 5+ years] that I had a bellows problem. They were replaced. Another time was water coming in the shift cables. They were replaced. The mechanic forgot to put the drain plug back in, I didn't do a good walk-around inspection and launched without it and took on A LOT of water. Returned to the trailer, put the plug back in and back into the water. Are you putting any thread sealant tape on your drain plug? I do this all the time and it prevents water intrusions. It's been so long since I've had high water I don't know for certain if my pump works. I'll inspect that today.

Good luck.
 
thanks for the reply’s guys, I got to get a good look at it yesterday. From what I can see the boots look good. One thing I did notice is I got some oil on the oil filter. So I hooked up water to the out drive and fired her up. Sure enough the filter seems to be leaking around the gasket/but it’s tight…. Tomorrow I’m going to change the filter and see what happens..As far as the water leaking issue I may have done this my self. I usually put the plug in the boat before I leave for the lake and noticed a lot of water in the boat in areas I could not see unless you tuck your head in some areas so that may be where some of the water is coming from (from it raining and we have had some storms lately with Torrential downpours).. Hope to get back out in the water tomorrow after I deal with the oil leak.. Stay Tuned
 
My engine compartment vents are terrible when it comes to rain. The vents are tilted inwards so when it rains it flows into the engine compartment. I made a cheapskate vent cover for each vent out of plastic pool cover and Gorilla tape and then put holes in them and fit them over each snap. The canvas boat cover is then sitting on top of the vent cover and water drains into the lake....not my boat.
 
Easy way to check that, is to pull the plug while you are still at home. Make sure that there is no water coming out. Remember to put the plug back in. After your day on the water pull the plug, and you will have your answer.
 
So with the advice from you guys I think I created the issue with the water in the boat.. so I checked the bellows and it looks really good along with the shift cable bellows. So with that looking good we trailered it down to the boat ramp with the drain plug out and going up a few hills on the was I was able to see the road behind me and there was water coming out.
We pulled on the ramp and with no one waiting to launch their boat we sat there till it was just dripping. Plugged it and launched it in. We ran it for and hr or so and with me son-in-law behind the wheel I went deep into the engine compartment and didn’t see anything leaking anywhere around the output shaft. It was all dry. We sat in the water for about a 1/2 hr and just looked at all the threw bolts on the back of the drive and no leaks that we could see_
Sky’s were looking a bit dark as they were calling for a possible storm so we headed for the boat ramp. Got it up on the trailer pulled it out and pulled the plug. We maybe got a quart of water so very happy with that but I will continue to keep an eye on it as we are going out this weekend for the whole day. early morning to evening. Hope to see it just as good. I will keep everyone updated and thank you guys for the check list on what to look for.
 
Reading your reply, it triggered an event that happened to me during the first or second season of having my boat. While out in the lake, I had the anchor tied to the stern cleat. I had the engine cover pulled back for some reason that I don't remember. It got a little wavy and water was splashing up through the teak swim platform. The sun was low and sparkling. While sitting on the rear facing seat and watching the sunset, something caught my eye. Eventually, I found that water was entering the engine compartment through a hole in the transom wall even though the hole is above the water line. The wiring for the depth finder and speedometer came through this hole and was not sealed closed. Eventually I sealed it shut and no more water.

Does your boat have any "intrusions" through the hull unsealed even above the water line?
 
Yes it does, swim platform for one along with like yours depth finder and speedo cable. Swim platform bottom sits just above the water and then 2 or 3 sitting on it it’s now in the water along with the anchor points. I did take a fairly good look at it but it was just me and my son-in-law during the search for a leak. One thing I did notice when cursing at a good speed and then throttle completely down water (as you guys know) rushes up the back of the boat and possibly running up on the vents (another thing I need to look at more closely).
The boat has been well maintained but it is a 2004 and only 380 hrs on it. 5.0 Chevy based with the alpha one Gen 2 stern drive. 6 of us are going out this weekend so this could be the best test. There will be a lot of anchoring so I’m going to really keep an eye on it. Again thanks for all the help Guys and comments!
 
Well all looks good! I washed the floor inside before we left and hosed it down. We were out on the water for 9+ z hrs and kept an eye on it during the day with no added water in by the engine. Back at the boat ramp when I pulled the plug got about a qt or so so figuring it’s just what was left when I washed the deck.
Very happy so far so thanks again for all the “what to look at”
 
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