sea water in bilge

[bob1234]

i have a 1999 grady white adventure 208......until recently the bilge has been bone dry....after a little bit of a rough ride there is now about three inches of sea water in the aft bilge......i have checked all access ports and through hull fittings and there does not appear to be any leaks.....as the bilge pump empties the inflow of water is noticable...but then appears to reach equilibrium/slows significantly as the depth/volume increases.....the boat seems to be riding at the same depth before the problem has been noticed....the boat is static at dock....any thoughts as to the source?....any ideas on how to ideintify the location?...do i have a hull integrity issue?......is it some thing that can wait a few months til the boat is hauled for regular maintainence?.....or do i have a serious problem?..also....where can i find the boat plans?....would like to know where on the boat the drain into the bilge could come from....

thanks

bob1234

 

[ElyseM]

if it were my boat, i would haul and do a thorough inspection of the hull. if you have intrusion of sea water at the dock, you are slowly sinking. if you had a rough ride, you could have hit something that holed the hull (or broken a thru hull or xducer). not something you should wait for. good luck, ron

 

[J-Sea]

I noticed that you said you first noticed the water after a rough ride. I can tell you I run off-shore frequently and i have a 257 advance. I have two bilge pumps, the aft pump, which empties water on the port side of the boat (the thru hull where the water exits the boat is only a few inches above the water line) and then the forward bilge, which disperses water on the starboard side of the boad, mid-ship, and a foot or two above the water line. On a recent shark trip, I noticed that the forward bilge pumped a decent amount of water out, which scared the crap out of me. I pulled access plates, etc.. It only ran 3 times on the trip and I had a few people sitting up on the bow while we were waiting for a bite. We were in slightly confused 2-3 foot seas and with the boat rocking, water was making its way into thethru-hull opening (where the bilge pumps water through) on the port side of the boat and back into the bilge - this combined with all the weight on the bow, resulted in this water flowing forwards. The forward bilge compartment is very small and so it does not take much water to cause it to turn on. Back at the docks, I rechecked everything and there is no water intrusion at rest.

Just figured I"d drop this in because it is possible that water made its way in through that or a leaky transom hatch. If you've pumped it out and it is still coming in at rest, I would re-check each thru-hull fitting, look at it with a flashlight and if nothing, then haul it and check the hull. I would suggest using a wet/dry vac and sucking out ALL the water - then spray a thru-hull with a soapy consistency and see if it bubbles at all (thru-hull transducer, raw water intake, onboard toilet discharge, etc).

JSea

 

[Bajaahh]

I had a similar issue. When I was running my bait tank in rough seas, I noticed that the water was sloshing around and spilling into a void at the top "inside" of the bait tank. I stuck my head in my bait tank(when it was dry) and there was a noticeable gap that looked like it was sealed at some point, but over time it had degraded. I added a lot of silicone to the upper inside edge(where it meets the top) and completely sealed it.

Hope it helps

 

[toybox1]

I second bait well , I stood on my head and sealed the gap with 5200 ,end of problem

 

[HBSteve]

We have an 05 Sailfish and had something similar. After about 20 miles of choppy seas with 6 adults on board, my wife noticed a "lose hose." Turned out the plastic deck drain elbow had cracked apart. Water was splashing in through the scupper since it's just above the waterline. Had to order a new elbow from Grady. Access to the deck drain hoses on the starboard is tougher though. I checked them by pouring a glass full of water into the deck drain then catching it as it poured out the scupper. Glass full down the drain and glass full out the scupper is a good thing.

I know what you meant though. I can never seem to get (and keep) our boat bilge completely dry. No increase of water while at the slip but I hand pump out about two gallons after each use. I keep the sea cocks closed unless I need the feature (head, bait tank, etc.) and the through hulls look good. Our forward bilge is the collection point though. The aft is always dry. It drives me crazy. I'll be following your post so thanks for putting it out there.

 

[rcrudder]

I have 99 228G. I started noticing small amounts of water dribbling from the drain plug hole when it was pulled after each use and the boat on the forklift. It was never much or the same amount. Sometimes a half pint or so or none whether calm or sloppy seas. During the yearly maintenance this spring the mechanics did everything looking for a leak. . .nothing.

Finally one mechanic ask if I pulled the plug after each use. I told him yes. Since the Marina just uses whatever plug is available you never get the same plug. So, I bought a new plug wrapped some thread tape on it and left it installed for about six trips in all kinds of seas. When we pulled it only a dribble came out. So, now, I only use my new drain plug and things are better.

Hope this helps, I would have never thought to check for a worn drain plug.

 

[ayacht]

I always have a little water in the bow bilge but aft is normal bone dry. It is just the way the boat sits in the water and the pump can not get it all out. Also it is not seawater that I have ever noticed. Most Grady's I have seen the water collects in the bow first. If you have 3 inches in the aft what is in the bow. If I had that much in the aft area I would pump it out and watch closely at rest for an issue.

 

[DennisG01]

Bob, what are your thoughts - how are you making out with this?

Bilges should be dry, unless you introduce water somehow. It should NOT come in on it's own. You'll hear some dock friends say "Ah, it's a boat - they always have a little water in them". That is false. There absolutely should not be any water coming in while you're sitting there. The reason you see the water level rising slower and slower is likely because as the water reaches higher areas, it is finding more area to spread out to. One of the guys above said it best: "Your boat is slowly sinking". The question is, will it start to go faster? I would get this checked ASAP. An easy way is to put on the hard and then fill the bilge to the same level you've seen with a hose. This doesn't always work, but you might get lucky and see where the water is (now) leaking out. Keep the boat relatively level (probably a bit bow high), the way it would be in the water.

 

[Parthery]

Replace the O-rings on the 2 inspection ports in the motor well. I find that water which enters the well while backing down frequently gets past the screw out covers and into the bilge.

Also - remember that the two cupholders in the stern drain directly into the bilge. If your washdown spray or rainwater is getting into the cupholders, it's getting into the bilge.