Seafarer 228G water acummulation, front bilge area

[qdiver]

Hello All,
I just bought a new to me 93' 228G, with a 06 Yamaha 200 ox66 my first Grady (long time coming)

My first question of many probably:
I am storing it on a trailer and have noticed that the front bilge turns on whenever it rains from water buildup under the Cudy area. I have it tilted as far as I can while on the trailer. Should not the water flow to the stern and drain out the plug. I had an old Wellcraft before and that's what it did.
Thanks,

 

[fishbust]

Check to see if the tube going fore to aft is clogged. Maybe clear it out using a garden hose.

 

[family affair]

I know that when our boat is level the front of the hull is several inches lower than the aft which would require a forward bilge. From the looks of your photos the hull is still not high enough for all of it to drain. If you are pumping out significant water then the previous posters comment is likely true.

 

[DennisG01]

I'm not sure of the two bilge's configuration, but I agree with the above about it not being high enough. It's still bow down. You'll need blocks or another jack - preferably an extendable one, maybe go with a foot-model.

The second question is where is the water coming from? Leaking into the cuddy from above, or coming from the aft bilge? Getting the bow higher than the stern will help to answer that.

 

[Lt.Mike]

??? Guys, there's a simpler solution here.
I store mine on the trailer with the jack cranked up and a pair of large wooden blocks added under the jack wheel.
That raises it to a pitch where there is no problem with drainage.

 

[ROBERTH]

When I got mine, I was curious as to why I had water in front also. I pulled hatch and ran water hose in to put more volume there and then I found it was trickling to the back bilge. Of course I had her cranked up pretty high.
I put hose pressure and it cleared some clogs that must have accumlated over the years.
It drains well now, but still have to get the front up quite high to get it to completely drain.

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Ditto on the check the drain tube. When I took my boat new from the dealer that PVC was gunned up with bits of glass fibers and so forth. Clean that out and see what happens.

 

[qdiver]

Some good comments, I did put a 2X6 under the front jack but it is still not high enough it seems. I will go for an added 4X4 board under that jack. I need to take a good look under that front hatch were the front bilge is with a flashlight and see if that tube to the rear is clogged, (the hose Idea would help that if it is) last time it rained hard here hard (Pasco County, FL.) for a whole day it killed one of my batteries just from that front bilge coming off and on (the batt. was an older one and since then I replaced it) but good comment by DennisG01, I need to see how the water is getting under there. The Cudy area has a few very small leaks that I have noticed just from the rubber trim around the windows that I have silicone already so I'm thinking it's all coming from the anchor locker hatch.
Thanks all for the good Ideas. Will get to it tomorrow and do some investigating as well as cranking her up some more.
Qrider

 

[Doc Stressor]

Re: Seafarer 228G water accumulation, front bilge area

I changed the stern bilge pump float switch on my 226 yesterday and tried to fill the stern bilge area with a hose in order to test the new float. Despite having the trailer stem cranked all the way up with the stem wheel on a 1" block, the water still ran into the forward bilge before the switch turned on the stern pump. I noticed the forward pump turning on and pumping the water out. So the stern bilge compartment, the freshwater tank compartment, and the fuel cell compartment all drain forward when the boat is on the trailer. So any leaks around the hatch cover seals anywhere in the boat will cause water to drain forward. The drain hole and all of the hatches in the cuddy also drain into the forward bilge. So with your boat stored on a trailer during a heavy rain that can flow over the gutter below your cabin door, you might expect water in your forward bilge.

When the boat is at normal planning attitude, the forward bilge water does drain back to the stern. I've had my stern bilge pump turn on after getting up on plane after flushing my fuel tank compartment with fresh water as recommended by Grady.

 

[HMBJack]

Due to the deep vee of the hull, it is common to have water accumulate in the bow area of all GW's (when level). Yes it's good to check if the drain holes are clogged but I would put a level on your deck and bet the boat is still not raised high enough.

Plus, when the boat sits on the trailer, I recommend you use wood blocks and/or a jack stand up front.
It's best not to let it rest on the trailer jack as it wears out the gear prematurely.
Don't ask me how I know!

 

[qdiver]

Hey guy's, I want to thank you for your impute. I have to say that I did not realize what a deep V Grady's have..... HMBJack bought that to light for sure. I got a cinder block and a 2x6 and cranked her up quite a bit and man the water was coming out the drain at a good click. You can see in the photo the amount of water that was in that front bilge area, so know I think that will do it and give that front bilge & my batteries a break.
Thanks again,
qdive