265 X water intrusion

[Diad]

Good morning! Finally getting to use the 265x and it’s great! My aft bilge pump comes on pretty often and it has me concerned. I went searching for leaks by myself but can’t find anything. When others are on board, it happens. This leads me to believe it’s a scupper issue. Earlier this year I changed the hoses but used the existing through hulls. They didn’t appear to be defective on land. The boat is kept on a lift so it’s not easy to check externally until December when I pull the boat. As long as I have the new bilge pump I’m comfortable with this and I’ll flip the switch often to monitor. My question is, is there anything else that I should check? I don’t think that anything else would go below the water line with extra bodies in the cockpit.
2003 265ex with F225’s from the factory. maybe 20 gallons in the auxiliary tank versus over a hundred in the main tank.

 

[DennisG01]

If you're saying that the leak ONLY happens with extra people in the boat, then yes, scuppers (or a loose hose) are the first thing to look at. Add some weight to the back - Rubbermaid containers on the platform filled with water, for example. Inspect. If pump is coming on as often as it sounds, it should be pretty easy to find.

FYI... if a hose lets go/slips off... if a scupper barb breaks off... your bilge pump will NOT keep up with the water coming in.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Assuming the hoses are new and clamped well....

The seal of the aft deck.
The 6" pieholes in the motor well.
The seal of the deck drains .


The lower motor bolts.
The garboard plug.
The thru hull pickups and the Rule livewell pump

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

I had exactly same problem.
I had a mice nibble a small hole below one elbow of the plastic cockpit drain on my BW Outrage 23 and a small amount of the water in the cockpit from rain, spray or washing drained in the bilge.
When we were a few people standing on the stern water back flow in the cockpit but same as rain/washing, a certain amount leaked in the bilge.
You may check again the drains, hoses and clamps, maybe filling them with colored or scented water.

Chris

 

[Mustang65fbk]

My question would be that does it not happen if other people aren't onboard? If it only happens when others are onboard then that would make me lean toward it being potentially a scupper issue, or as SkunkBoat mentioned above, maybe the bolts or something else is sitting lower on the waterline and water is coming in that way? My other question would did you replace the scupper flappers as well when you replaced the hoses? If you've got a twisted, broken or missing scupper flapper then you can definitely get unwanted water inside the boat, especially when people are standing in the back. Because of this, I swap them out every season as there are 3 of them at around $10 a piece and I view that as cheap insurance over potentially having an issue. That being said, I'm not sure if it's the same on a 265 Express, but on my 228 Seafarer, the scuppers only transfer water from above the deck to the outside of the boat, or vice versa. So, unless you've got a leak in the hose, around a clamp, or maybe even on the outside of the boat where the scupper goes through the hull isn't sealed off correctly, then the water shouldn't be leaking down to your bilge pump. Although it could be one of a couple problems where you're getting water in and onto the deck from the scuppers but also the deck plates are loose or aren't properly sealed. Also as SkunkBoat mentioned above, I'd look for something up on the deck as well, that could be contributing to the issue, like the deck plates, as well as checking the thru hulls. Lastly, depending on where you live, if you get a ton of rain like we do up here in the Seattle area, if you've got water leaking down through the deck somehow, the rainfall can also contribute to that. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Hookup1]

How fast does this water show up? How much is it? After it pumps out does it fill up again and pump out?

If you think it is coming from the forward bilge block that hose or the one from the fuel tank compartment. A significant amount of water will collect under the fuel tanks. You have to give it time to drain back through a small opening.

Instead of guessing let the water tell you where it's coming from. Put the boat in the water. Put a few coolers or garbage cans full of water in the boat. See if you can see the water running down either side to the limber holes or down the center. Look at the scupper hose or that general area to see if water is running.

 

[Diad]

So this freaking wind blew most of the water out of my creek so I can’t test. I dont want to pull off of the lift because I need to remove the batteries and the shelf that I cut out to see the scuppers. I have a giant trash can that can add weight with the hose. I’m also thinking that I’ll run the hose through from the deck to see if I get a leak thatnway. I don’t believe it’s from the deck side. I replaced all the gaskets on the deck plates. I’ll report back when the wind goes away tomorrow.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

An easy way to determine if it's coming from the deck would be to fill up the deck with oh idk maybe 5-10 gallons of water and then plug the scuppers so that the water can't get drained out that way. Come back out later on in the day or the next morning to see how much of it is still there or if it has all disappeared. If all of it has disappeared then you know you've got a leak from the top part of the deck. Also, you could put a hose on very low pressure up the scupper hose with the cockpit drains plugged while looking at scupper hoses themselves to determine if you can see any leaks.

 

[Hookup1]

How much water are we looking for? Does the pump ever get caught up? Is it leaking in when the boat is at rest at the dock?

 

[DennisG01]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GJZG912?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Or duct tape your phone to a stick

 

[SkunkBoat]

Do you have flappers on the scuppers?

With a lot of weight, water can come into the deck from the scuppers. If you don't have a seal of silicone around the deck drains and deck hatches it leaks from the deck down into the bilge.
Flappers help alot but you can still get backwash in rough seas and heavy boat.

With a lot of weight, the motorwell gets more water in it and the 6" pie holes leak into the bilge.

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

Yes that is what my stern heavy Outrage did, water came up the cockpit drain when 3-4 people standing same side on the stern.
Was not an issue -except having wet feet- till the mice made hole in the elbow, then I became one.

Yes, instead the pie holes the Outrage has a square plastic hath and they leaked too, I pulled it, beaded it with 4200 and reinstalled, then leaking was gone. Greasing the o-ring with silicon grease will prolong it's life considerable.

I am not a huge fan of rubber flappers as I had it happen twice that a wave pushed them in and they got stuck and don't let the cockpit drain quickly enough. I never used them but reviews of the ones with a ball inside a cage seem to seal better and don't get stuck. Can be a worth a try for OP if the cockpit drain scuppers have a backwash issue.
However the reason for water leaking in the bilge has to be investigated and then fixed as it can lead to sinking if bilge pump fail,
had that happen and it was no fun.

Chris

 

[drbatts]

Check the pie plates in the engine well. You said you replaced the O rings, but did you re seal them too? These things have leaked on every boat I have owned.

 

[Diad]

I definitely “had” flappers in the thru hulls when I launched the boat. I just didn’t pay any attention to their potential serviceability. I figured if water was backwashing into the through hull it would be going up hill and it would stay in the new hose that I installed Until it came back out OR landed on the deck for me to see.
pie plates… I did not change the O rings in the splash well. To be honest, I didn’t realize that they were there. I’ll order them today Just so that they were all replaced in the same year.

the float switch is mounted pretty low so I’m not sure how much water that we are talking about. Either way, it needs to be addressed. I appreciate everyones thoughts, opinions and suggestion. Thank you!

 

[Diad]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GJZG912?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

View attachment 31774

Or duct tape your phone to a stick

Ordered. Will be here Tuesday. Thanks!!

 

[SkunkBoat]

I replaced the pop-out 6" Becksons with the screw type. I don't trust three 6" holes that can pop out...

You need to remove the screws and seal the ring with silicone too

 

[Diad]

I replaced the pop-out 6" Becksons with the screw type. I don't trust three 6" holes that can pop out...

You need to remove the screws and seal the ring with silicone too

Good call, considering I didn’t even know the plates were back there. Just ordered 3 screw in plates and some 4200.

 

[Diad]

I just opened the three plates in the splash well. I have never seen plates open so easily. Definitely seals are shot. ordered 3 new screw in types to replace. Howeve, I don’t think that this is the water intrusion point. All three of them had dry dirt/dust or whatever falling out of them. I would have assumed mud if it was getting wet. Didn’t appear to be wet below the two outside plates. The center plate was wet below but that’s the actual bilge pump area so that’s to be expected. ill get the new plates installed quickly when they arrive and I’m going fishing again on Wednesday and can look for the water entry.

 

[Hookup1]

I just opened the three plates in the splash well. I have never seen plates open so easily. Definitely seals are shot. ordered 3 new screw in types to replace. Howeve, I don’t think that this is the water intrusion point. All three of them had dry dirt/dust or whatever falling out of them. I would have assumed mud if it was getting wet. Didn’t appear to be wet below the two outside plates. The center plate was wet below but that’s the actual bilge pump area so that’s to be expected. ill get the new plates installed quickly when they arrive and I’m going fishing again on Wednesday and can look for the water entry.

Hopefully you ordered Beckson deck plates. That way the screw hole pattern will match. I like to use something with a little more adhesive properties on all the deck plates. Something like 3M 4000 or one of the BoatLife products. Regular silicone doesn't stick well but screwed down it probably doesn't matter.

If you have someone capable of running the boat for you tomorrow bring a flashlight and check the bilge out. Get the bow up high with tabs and a little speed. I'm not familiar with your model but on mine I can lift a lid on the rear bench seat and see the stringers. You want to see if water is coming thru the limber holes on the outer stringers and into the center bilge. Use your phone and make a video if you can't see back far enough. It's also possible all the water will be draining back down the center. Water from front bilge and under tanks. This water will take a long time to drain back - small openings. While you are out there monitor the bilge from time to time. Once you dry the bilges out it will be interesting to see how long it will stay dry and not cycle the pump.

 

[DennisG01]

Put the plates back in and douse them with water. Do they leak excessively?

Throw some tape over those pie plates and weigh the stern down - that (and/or the above) will work well enough to prove/disprove if they're the source of the leak.