Water in boat?

[McG]

History:
I took on water in my 89' Overnighter 21' somehow over the last week of the 2011 season. It was a combination of a non-functioning bilge and other factors which really I haven't been able to fully determine. Nearly sunk off of Point Lookout in December. The boat had water nearly up and over the batteries below deck, but no water above deck. I beached the boat in order to avoid sinking, was pumped out there and was trailered back to port in Solomons Island. The boat was allowed to drain back at the boatel where it is kept. The boat remained there for 3 months unused until the start of this season.

Present:
I now have taken the boat out twice for the 2012 season and something is not right. I've owned the boat for 12 years now and feel very familiar with how she runs, takes on the chop, gets up plane etc.... The boat seems to be running a smidge lower in the water and the bow rail seems to be lower as well. Bilge pump was replaced and there is no visible water in the stern of the boat after the 2 trial runs. RPM/speed ratio is down just a bit leading me to believe the boat is heavier (secondary to water weight?).

Question:
Are there places where water could be inside the boat that are toward the bow that are trapped causing the profile of the boat to be lowered and the performance of the boat to be diminished?
What type of technician should I call locally to inspect such an issue?

Any insights are appreciated bc my first two trips have had me a bit on edge.....

 

[cgmiller]

Any older boat could certainly be holding water in the hull. I had a 1988 21 Mako that would collect water in the forward part of the hull and slowly drain to the back where the pumps are. When I pulled the tank out of the coffin, it started to fill up with water trapped in the forward part of the hull....the draintube was plugged with stuff and not letting water drain to the back...there is an access hatch in the floor of the cabin in my Gulfstream where i can access the forward bilge pump....maybe u need to cut a hole if there is not one....

 

[gw204]

Call a guy by the name of Mike Prevetti. He's a surveyor in Solmons and can put a moisture meter on your hull.

If you had water up that high under the deck, you most certainly have it trapped in places.

 

[McG]

I appreciate the repiles. Called Mike and he came out the next day so Thank You. He was professional, down to earth, and patiently answered my questions. Suspicions were confirmed that water is in the boat or at least has water logged a portion of the boat. The water meter had basically a zero reading all the way around the boat but a 90-100+ reading on the starboard stern area. The bottom all the way up to 80 percent of the gunwale shows affect. Mike said an inspection of the area under the deck was necessary to glean anything further i.e water logged foam, or some standing water trapped in this space. I will have an inspection port cut in the deck for a further assessment. Thanks again for the help.

For an interesting read on the value of utilization of water meters, try this link which I found helpful:
http://www.marinesurveyor.com/meters.html

 

[sfc2113]

if you remove the port side tackle drawer unit, engough room to get your head in there. you can get a good look at the foam right under it and get a good look of the forward bilge
area. there is a pvc pipe that runs and aft, Mine had debri in front of it (not sure how it got there) was able to flush it back with a hose. Water seems to collect up front when afloat, if you pour some water in the rear bilge it will flow into the pipe. but when moving it flows back and the bilge pump should pump it out.

 

[gw204]

Also, check your thru-hulls and atatched hoses before you put that boat back in the water. If they are original, there's a good chance one or more have cracked and are allowing water into the hull. The fishbox/helm drains thru-hull if compromised will dump water into the hull outside of the stringers where there's a good chance it won't be able to drain down into the bilge.

My money is on a cracked starboard side thru-hull for the fish box. If you want another set of eyes on the boat, I'm local and go by Solomons on my way home from work M-F.

 

[gw204]

Also, did you put a call in to your insurance co?