Leaking hull 1998 Voyager 248

[mdscole]

I have a small leak in the hull that is triggering the bilge pump about every 20 minutes. The boat is stored on a trailer. Took it out this weekend looking for the leak.

It seems to be coming from the center in the rear. (there's no water on either of the side troughs when you look under the rear seat)

Is there a common issue or area to look?

Are the deck scuppers inspectable?

 

[Parthery]

The deck scuppers are piped directly to the flaps and drain holes in the transom.

Water in these boats typically finds its way in through the anchor locker, or through the inspection plates in the floor, or through the cupholders.

If you are getting enough water in 20 minutes to kick on the bilge pump, you have something else going on. Time to pull the boat out and crawl underneath and make sure the hull isn't cracked or otherwise compromised. Assuming all checks out, it could be a leaking thru hull fitting....are yours plastic or bronze?

 

[mdscole]

The thru hulls are all bronze. The ones under the boat are not the source of the leak.

The thru hulls include:
Bait tank overflow
Bait tank drain (also the cooler locker drain)
4 deck scuppers
Forward deck corner drains

There is a below waterline hole where someone had run transducer cable through. - then filled it up with silicone and put a clamshell cover on top. That one is suspect.

This leaking thing occurs in in the sun with no wind or swells. (so - not from spray.)

Boat is stored on a trailer. on the ground - not in water.

 

[seasick]

The thru hulls are all bronze. The ones under the boat are not the source of the leak.

The thru hulls include:
Bait tank overflow
Bait tank drain (also the cooler locker drain)
4 deck scuppers
Forward deck corner drains

There is a below waterline hole where someone had run transducer cable through. - then filled it up with silicone and put a clamshell cover on top. That one is suspect.

This leaking thing occurs in in the sun with no wind or swells. (so - not from spray.)

Boat is stored on a trailer. on the ground - not in water.

Silicone is not rated for below water line use. That could be the source.
If you can get to the inside of where the cable enters the bilge, you should feel moisture if that is the leak. Dry it off and test again in 10 minutes for moisture.
If that is the leak, my suggestion would be to run the cable through a new hole above the water line and plug the old one. You will have to see what the hole looks like and if it needs to be enlarged before filling. At a minimum all traces of silicone have to be removed. Marinetex will work if you don't mind the color. If you want to leave the current hole, clean it up and use something rated for below water usage like BoatLife

You also need to check strainers and pickups. That will require the boat to be hauled.
Note that if the deck drain hoses/fittings are leaking, water will enter the hull only when water gets on the deck assuming the scuppers are above the water line. If you only get water while under way and not at rest, the leak will be harder to isolate. Try shutting off all sea cocks and going out for a spin. If no water in bilge than you have a plumbing issue.

 

[Harpoon]

You need to fix that hole with silicone. You will waterlog your transom core. Drill it out and repair the hole.
Send the wire through well above the waterline and seal with 3m 5200.

Bilge kicking every 20 minutes is severe, not minor. Potential for boat to loose stability if/when it takes on too much water.
I would also give the area in question a good sanding to be sure there is no crack/failure. I had a similar experience on an older boat and found a substantial crack.

 

[DennisG01]

You mentioned "the thru-hulls under the boat are not the problem". By that do you mean, for example, a transducer or livewell pickup is not the problem? I take it you've visually verified that water is coming in, but not from those areas? Have you ACTUALLY seen water coming in somewhere, or is this an assumption based on where it is pooling? If you can see it coming in, that makes your job a heck of a lot easier.

As mentioned above, that siliconed hole is no-no. If that's the culrpit, not only has water been seeping into the boat, but depending on how that hole was dressed, there's a good chance water has seeping down into your transom wood core, filling it up and rotting it. All depends on how long it's been going on for. Some exploratory holes would be in order near the bottom of the inner transom glass (no reason to drill more holes on the outside) and also at a couple points below the hole. Drill until you get to the outer transom glass.

When you fix that hole, don't use 5200 if the hole will see the sun or, really, even reflective rays. A better solution would be the MarineTex/PC-11, or even better, thickened epoxy and glass. But, as mentioned, you'll definitely have to first make the hole bigger to get rid of any traces of silicone and (possible) compromised wood.

If you still don't know where the water is coming in, you can try taping paper towels in key areas - even if they dry out, you can still tell that they were wet. Another way to tell if it's any of the hull bottom thru-hulls is to fill the bilge with water - sometimes water will trickle back out. Although sometimes it won't as it will only trickle IN due to the pressure.

 

[mdscole]

Wow! Thanks for all the immediate feedback guys!

Keep in mind, this boat is not on the water. It won't sink in my front yard on a trailer. The downside is that I have to put it back in the water to find the leak. The suggestions are awesome. Consideration: the leaking issue started after installing a new depth sounder transducer on the transom. I did not penetrate the hull with the signal wire. It is going over the transom. But existing wires through the silicone plug were jostled.

I took a deeper look through the hatch openings and found the scupper plumbing and the backside of the scupper thru-hulls. I now know where to look - but need to put the boat back in the water. There's no evidence of leakage.

Questions:
Transom: are these still made from wood and rottable?
Silicone: the feedback here is that this is not for use below the water line? How are thru hulls sealed?
What is the proper way to seal a small screw hole in the transom? I recently replaced the transducer and could not use the original mounting screws.

 

[DennisG01]

Questions:
Transom: are these still made from wood and rottable?
Silicone: the feedback here is that this is not for use below the water line? How are thru hulls sealed?
What is the proper way to seal a small screw hole in the transom? I recently replaced the transducer and could not use the original mounting screws.

Transom: Yes, that's why I mentioned it above.

Silicone: Used to help seal a mechanical fastener or thru-hull is OK. It shouldn't be used as a "plug" by itself. However, silicone is a very general term and can mean different things to different people. You can buy a tube of sillycone from a discount store for a buck (likely not rated for below the waterline), or you can buy marine silicone for many times more than that. Marine sealant is better referred to as sealant since it is more than just silicone - some do not even have silicone in them. The better ones will even cure FASTER if they get wet.

Proper way to seal a small hole: Mentioned above.

 

[barclayrl]

Fill the bilge up with a small bit of water on the trailer to find the leaks. and disconnect the pumps. You are already getting water in so it should not cause any damage.

 

[seasick]

Wow! Thanks for all the immediate feedback guys!

Keep in mind, this boat is not on the water. It won't sink in my front yard on a trailer. The downside is that I have to put it back in the water to find the leak. The suggestions are awesome. Consideration: the leaking issue started after installing a new depth sounder transducer on the transom. I did not penetrate the hull with the signal wire. It is going over the transom. But existing wires through the silicone plug were jostled.

I took a deeper look through the hatch openings and found the scupper plumbing and the backside of the scupper thru-hulls. I now know where to look - but need to put the boat back in the water. There's no evidence of leakage.

Questions:
Transom: are these still made from wood and rottable?
Silicone: the feedback here is that this is not for use below the water line? How are thru hulls sealed?
What is the proper way to seal a small screw hole in the transom? I recently replaced the transducer and could not use the original mounting screws.

The easiest but not prettiest way to fill a screw hole is, if possible, use a little fatter screw coated with 4200 or 5200. As long as the original hole is in good shape, this will work fine. If you want to make a flush fix, you first need to make sure that the old hole is clean. That might mean drilling it out one size (carefully) to remove old adhesive or caulk. If color match isn't an issue, use Marinetex to plug the hole.
Yes, there is wood in the transom. It will only rot if it gets soaked.

 

[mdscole]

I never did post a resolution.

The stepped hull of this boat is interesting. The stepped portion is just regular fiberglass around 1/2 - 3/4 thick. The wooden transom is the very rear where the engines attach.

The transducer was removed and all of the unused holes filled with the 3M silicone. Transducer put back in place and waited for it all to cure. Took the boat out and all is well. Seems pretty foolish in hindsight.