Water in Bilge /recently repowered

[baytripper89]

I also posted this to update a thread I started in June. My apologies for the repetition. I just wanted to try to get as much of a response as possible

Quick background- I have 1989 Overnighter 20.

Repowered with a new 200 hp Suzuki for this season. (Replacing 1989 Yamaha 175). Thought I had been pretty thorough in my research. Talked to a few people and did some online research. Now I’m starting to think I could have been a bit more thorough

Will try to make a long story short. Boat has been in the water since early June. I’ve put 20 hours on the motor (not as much used as I was hoping for)

I’m definitely aware of the fact that the new motor is significantly heavier than the old one. I’ve seen my same boat with same / similar motor and in all my research I never had someone steer me away from it. (Until I saw a recent post on here about GW dealer advice about going with lighter motor on older GWs. Not sure what my options would have been anyway. )

Ok. On to my present situation.

Was concerned about that extra weight and what it would mean for drainage through scuppers so when I put boat in water I added weight upfront - 150 pounds- sandbags etc. I recently removed them after seeing posts here advise against doing that

Boat was doing fine for several weeks. Was relieved after some heavy rains in July when I saw that all was good.

Fast forward to last week -

Had some heavy rains last week and noticed quite a bit of water in bilge when I got to boat. Ran bilge pump - quite a bit pumped out. Wasn’t too concerned. This happened twice. Only thing that seemed odd was that this hadn’t happened after some heavy rains earlier in summer. Pretty much let it go but what happened next has me concerned.

I was anchored with a heavier load on board compared to other outings. Auto-bilge came on and pumped out a decent amount of water. 2 hours later it happened again. When I pulled up main floor piece and checked bilge the next day there was a good amount of water there. It measured about 2” deep at hatch near cabin door. I ran the bilge and got rid of most of it.
I’ve been monitoring the bilge the past few days as the boat has been docked. It does not look like I’m taking on any water in bilge during periods of no rain. (I may be getting some on after it rains - not 100% sure ). But based on what happened with my heavier load the other day I’m thinking that water is getting in either when I’m under way or at anchor.

I had my through hull fittings replaced with stainless steel 3 years ago and had a faulty hose from one of the live wells fixed. (Before that was fixed I would get water in bilge with a heavy load. Since that was fixed it has been fine until this past week.). I’ve done a quick check of some of the through-hulls and I don’t see any obvious culprit.

Right now I’m leaning towards taking it to a well regarded shop that did the work 3 years ago and see if they can find any issues. I’m sure it will cost a bit but I can’t enjoy the boat til I get to the bottom of what’s going on.

Going to mention a few specifics to get some feedback

Focusing on the through-hulls (which I figure would be most likely source of any water coming in)

The 2 hoses that drain from main scuppers on each side are new from 2020 and seem to be fine. When I have people on board I have each scupper plugged up so I don’t get water backing in. That system has worked for me all season. (I've seen the suggestions about going with ping pong style scuppers. That seems like good advice.)

The scuppers definitely sit lower (pretty much submerged) with the heavier motor. Even with old motor I’d get some water backing in with heavy load. Despite my concerns earlier in the season they seem to be draining ok with the rain.

As for the two drain holes on the transom - they sit pretty low - only about 1.5 “ above the water line. I’ve wondered if I’ve gotten water in when under way or at anchor with heavy load. I’ve thought about plugging them up when out and leaving them as is at the dock. Or maybe having a flapper device installed that would let water out but not in. It doesn’t seem like this is the source of my problem, but it’s something I thought worth mentioning.

I’ve noticed that the outlet for my bilge pump sits lower than it used to. It’s about 4” above the water. I don’t think water has backed in through there, but is that possible? Would it be smart to have that moved up ? There’s only room for it to go up by an inch or two. Or maybe a flapper device that lets water out but not in would make sense there too ?

I know this has been a long post, but I really appreciate any advice that can be offered from people with lots of experience and expertise. The repower for me this season was a major investment, but until I find out what is going on, I can’t really enjoy using the boat. Thanks in advance for any input you can offer.

 

[seasick]

You mentioned that you ran the bilge pump to pump out the water that was about 2 inches deep. Is the automatic bilge pump working? That is not your problem but if it doesn't work, it could be a serious problem.

Right now, you don't know if the water intrusion is static (while sitting) or related to motion. You don't know if it is due to rain run off.

Checking for rain issues is complicated since the bilge pump will run when you probably aren't there. It is better to use a garden hose. Drain as much of the bilge as possible, and then remove the in-line fuse for the bilge pump. Now hose down everything and look for water accumulation in the bilge. When you are done, reconnect the fuse!

The same approach goes for water intrusion when running. Pull the bilge fuse and see if water builds up. Make a lot of checks, the leak if present could be serious.

If you plugged your deck drains in the deck area as opposed to the exterior scuppers, there can be a lot more static water pressure in the thrus and hoses. They are probably old and could be leaking. Try to test for water at speed with your plugs in and out to see if there is a difference.

Deck access plates can leak. Do the water hose test and pull the plates to see if there is water.

Your bilge thru hull at 4 inches above the water line, should not be an issue.
If you have an anchor locker, where and how does it drain?

Your first priority is to determine if the hull is taking on water when sitting at the dock and not raining. ( remember that the bilge may be running so for an overnight test, put a tissue in the bilge thru hull. If it gets wet you will know it. It will be mush or probably gone if the bilge pump ran.

Depending on that, move on to the water hose tests.

Do you ever leave the deck drain plugs when the boat is not being used?

The more I think about this, the more I would lean towards leaking scuppers and/or hoses

 

[baytripper89]

Thanks for those suggestions. The auto-bilge is working - that's one piece of good news. But after that runs there is always some remaining water that I clear out by running bilge "manually". I will look at some of the other things you mentioned.

Thanks very much.

 

[Yamama04107]

I had a Tournament 190 for 23 years and for the past 5 yrs a Freedom 255. On both boats after I exit the marina I trim the engine high, increase the rpms to 15-18, and then switch the bilge pumps from auto to manual and visual watch the water coming out of the thru hulls until no more comes, then switch the bilge pump(s) back to automatic. I do this EVERY time I use the boat.

 

[Gulffisher]

Baytripper.. I think the weight difference between the new Suzuki and the old Yamaha is like adding one more average size blonde. Are you sure this is a new repower-related issue? Did you add a jack plate? Did you resize, relocate, or add batteries? If not, I don't know where the extra weight is coming from. Is it possible the boat has always sat low and you just never had reason to think about it?

It sounds like you are inspecting, or plan to have inspected, all of the likely water intrusion culprits. Don't forget to check for unsealed or inadequately sealed motor mount bolt holes. I suspect lower bolt holes would be submerged at the dock and if not sealed cound take on considerable water over several days. While only of concern when underway at speed, remember to check for relic water pressure tubes/hoses that might have been associated with a speed or water pressure pick up (or a new water pick up tube from the new motor that might be spraying into the bilge).

 

[baytripper89]

All great tips/suggestions. Much appreciated. May not be related to the re-power. Exploring all possibilities. Going to do some more investigating myself but may end up taking it in to be looked at. Would like to have resolved going into September - some of the best boating weather in this area.

Any other suggestions are appreciated. This forum is such a great resource.