Lots of water in bilge area, wrong drain plug?

[Joedee18]

Hi all, got my first Grady a few weeks ago, 1984 Tournament 190 with a 1995 Johnson OceanRunner 115. Been boating for quite a while and realized I’d need to do some work on the boat when I bought it. Transom is solid (surprising for this boat) and the engine runs great. But most of the work I need to do looks cosmetic
During the first sea trial I noticed we were sitting low in the water so I popped off the cap next to the transom to check the bilge area, and the bilge pump was completely submerged. The bilge pump only works on manual, (which is another story) But even after manually emptying the bilge, the water was still coming in somewhere.
The drain plug that came with the boat is a cheap looking clamped one from the hardware store, but seems to have a decent seal. After taking the plug out back on land, a ton of water poured out for a few minutes. Any ideas of where else the water could be coming from? There’s a silver looking vent directly under the drain plug on the bottom of the boat, could this be it? Or maybe the scuppers are bad? I’m at a loss

thanks

 

[seasick]

Could be coming from a lot of places. You need to find it before the boat 'sinks'
The first question is how fast the bilge is filling up. If it's days and only with days that it has rained, that is good news. For now don't rinse the deck and bow of the boat. Water may be getting in when you hose the deck.

 

[Joedee18]

It gets in the bilge area in a matter of minutes, no holes in the hull from what I see. Makes me think the drain plug isn’t doing it’s job because most of it is when I was at an angle launching the boat from my trailer.
Just want to make sure I’m not missing something obvious

 

[Sparkdog118]

Check the livewell hoses and their connections. Also the deck drains

 

[ScottyCee]

if it was your main plug you'd be able to see it if it's coming in that fast. I agree with the others who said you need to check your through hulls and pretty much everything else to find this.

On a similar topic, my neighbor's boat submerged last week. it looks like the culprit is a couple of rain storms after which it did not receive attention, and back flow through the bilge pump once the port went under water. He has since plumbed it so that the drain hose goes high up under the bailing well (a sort of air gap like a dishwasher) but that's pretty severe a problem in my opinion. The thing needed major electrical rework, and the motor needed to be pickled. Don't let that happen to you LOL!

 

[DennisG01]

In a way, the fact that the water is coming in that fast is a good thing. I don't want to guess where - partly because I'm not sure what you are talking about regarding the "clamped one" thing and the silver vent... also, the garboard drain plug is the lowest thing so, again, not understanding how there could be a "vent" below it. Some pictures would help.

However, back to my first remark... back the boat in just a little at a time and closely observe inside the bilge. It should be pretty easy to figure this out. You could also try filling the bilge with water from a hose.

I know you said you thought the transom is solid, but just be aware that depending on what's going on (and how long), you may be revisiting that.

 

[Summertop511]

Exactly what sparks of said. Thru hulls on the side of the boat still go below water when going slow and rocking in the bay.

 

[SeanC]

Yes. Fill the bilge with water and see where it comes out. Was an effective way of finding cracked welds in a couple of “tinnys” I owned.

 

[Joedee18]

Thanks everyone. It was a two part problem.
The drain plug was the main problem, it was not tightening when twisted so it wasn’t creating a tight seal. The thru hull fitting on the front starboard side was cracked as well.

 

[HookUp]

Thanks everyone. It was a two part problem.
The drain plug was the main problem, it was not tightening when twisted so it wasn’t creating a tight seal. The thru hull fitting on the front starboard side was cracked as well.

Best inspect ALL the thru-hull fittings, and that includes the ones in the bottom of the livewell (if u have one) an the built in cooler

 

[Sparkdog118]

I replaced all my thru hull fittings that are close to the waterline with stainless ones. Can’t afford to have one crack on me in rough seas 50 miles off shore.