water keeps building up in bilge area

[striperking]

I have been out of the water for 2 months very little rain and i am pumping out gallons of water out of the bilge, wait about a day or two can pump out another gallon or two. I have put the inner hull drain and never really got any water from it just a little cap full and dripping. I plan to put the boat in the water and pull the floor out to see if i can see water coming in, i know when i come in from fishing i pump out at least 10 or more gallons out of the bilge. I would like to know how many drains can i put in for the inner foam. Well looking at it from the bright side if the inner hull is holding water and leaking into the bilge i probably don't need any more drains just need to find where it is entering. Sorry for so many questions in one post just need to stop the water so i can have a great fishing season with little fustration of having to wait at the ramp while the dual pumps pump out the water.

[calicokid]

My first indication of a problem was my bilge pump running every few minuets while on plane. After a lot of frustration an inner hull drain and an unsuccessful trip to my dealer, I finally found the crack in my hull by tracing a tiny brown (rust I assume from the salt water in the hull) droplet trail that ran from the crack down to the keel line then fell off. Where the water inters your hull may not be directly associated with where it is coming into the bilge it can migrate around in the inner hull before making its way into the bilge. A likely point of entrance into the bilge is where the stainless steel stringer is only covered by the Rule sealant (at least two places if my memory is correct) I could actually see water bubbling into the bilge while on plane and forcing water thru the crack into the inner hull then past the Rule sealant into the bilge. If your boat is dry you might be able to locate the breach by finding moisture or staining on the underside of your hull. Mine was such a hair line I could not see it until I pressed on it to force it open. The good news is once you find the crack it’s a easy fix you just “weld” it up and after the rest of the water finds its way out problem over. I get so little water in my inner hull now I only pull my drains once every 3 or 4 trips.
Good luck!
Victor
Assuming your 2000 is the same as my 03 if you need to drain your bilge while your running pulling the drain plug while on plane will pull water out steadier than the bilge pump can just don’t slow down before replacing it or you’ll swamp your boat!

[striperking]

i do believe searching for the leak while in the water would be the best thing i talk to dick before and he said to check the through hull fittings but i never remember to do that while on the water but for some reason fishing has a higher priority over finding that leak.

[keepinitreel]

What are the "through hull fittings"?

[jergofish]

Another way to find a crack or leak is to put your boat on the trailer and put the garden hose inside. Prop the trailer way up to check the back of the hull and then put the tongue on the ground to check the front of the hull.

WARNING. WATER IS HEAVY. DON'T FILL YOUR BOAT UP. FIFTY GALLONS WEIGHES ABOUT 400 POUNDS. THAT'S ABOUT THE MAXIMUM YOU SHOULD PUT IN THE BOAT. IF YOU DON'T SEE WATER COMING FROM THE HULL THE CRACK HAS TO BE HIGHER ON THE HULL or getting in some other way.

I've used this technique twice and found leaks in seams of welded aluminum boats that would have been impossible to diagnose otherwise. The seams looked perfect. One of the leaks was almost two feet in length.

[MolarBoater]

Second the water hose test. To test the transome plugs, just put them in and add a few gallons of water from the hose directly into the bilge. Look around the plugs to see if water is dripping out. Add rubber washers as needed or replace with stainless plugs.

Another one I like is to stop up the drain in the hull for the baitwell then fill the bait well with a few gallons of water. Might also try turning on the baitwell motor and put the hose in the pick up and see if you get any leakage from the baitwell motor into the bilge.

There have been reports of "Cracked" thru hull fittings (plastic) where hoses are clamped onto them as well as clamping them onto the bilge and baitwell pumps.

On a Bay boat, water migrates in from the scuppers, drains thru the floor and into the bilge. It is common for the Automatic bilge switch to fail vs the "cycle" aspect and that will allow water to accumulate over several hours or overnight. You may need to seal the deck with elastomeric and add deck screws if needed and replace the scuppers with caged ball type.

All these things are economical and are not too complicated, let us know what you find.

[ILLOGICAL GGC]

whats bothering me about this is the boat is out of the water and yet there is still water filling the bilge after pumping it out---not a situation i remember being discussed in the past..

before i make an idiot of myself by making any further statements, i have a few questions:
1)i dont remember seeing a model in your post. was model please as each of the logics have their own set of design issues you have to work around. i have owned a 186 and currently own a 210cc and each are apples and oranges as to where water retention issues had to be addressed

2) do you have the tongue fully raised so as to get all water to drain to the bilge drain .the reason i ask is when i installed my foam drain in the 210cc, i had our farm tractor with a boom on front raise my tongue so high so as to clear the closest set of tires off the ground and left it that way for 6 hours to give all foam water a chance to drain to the rear.there was still a dribble coming out ,because i come to learn that it had a defective mega drain tube and all my megga hatch water was going straight to the foam. having it raised also drained any bilge water hiding up front around the front of the gas tank or console to clear out to the bilge area drain. the boat is out of the water ,therefore the water is not getting in from thru hull stuff. it is water already inside the boat or coming in from the deck . any rain and it doesnt take much will fill the bilge.

also filling it up with the plugs in isnt gonna help either the water is already in the boat. this one is gonna take more pondering over but we will figure it out with you

GGC

[k9reno]

Actually Clogger that is the water issue I am currently having. Do you remember last yr at the mackfest when the factory guy welded shut a hole in my bilge floor. What had happened was the water pressure in the inner hull foam had blown out a pim hole in the floor of hte bilge and the water would flow up into my bilge and get pumped out. This winter I believe it has happend again , probably due to freezing. when the boat is off the water the water flows to the bilge untill the pressure is reduced enough that it does not exit the foam area any more. but when I put it back on the water after about 2 hours the pressure builds up again my my bilge starts pumping water about every ten or fifteen minutes.