how much water to expect in bilge

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markb8608

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Hi
(225 Tournament 1999)
I remove my bilge drain and empty the bilge each time when I take boat out of water. (I trailer it)
If I go out on a sunny day for 6-8 hours, how much water should I expect to see in the bilge. I am noticing 3-4 gallons when I drain it. Is this normal?
kind regards
Mark
 
i think not. there might be a leak somewhere. i have a little water that stands in my current boat and my previous. not measured in gallons. ron
 
I agree...if its not raining and your not taking water over the side from high seas, you got water weeping in through areas such as thru hull fittings, scupper drains, raw water pick up, etc......may be time to loosen them all up and re-caulk each of them.
 
I was afraid of that

Hi
I was afraid of this. I did check the deck drains (tubings) and they felt dry. Is there anyway I can test thru hole fittings without taking them apart( not sure how to take them apart).
Appreciate your help
Mark
 
One other thing I have seen is a leaking fresh water hose if you leave the fresh water pump on. I have also seen a leaking saltwater fitting. On our boat I leave both pumps off when I leave the boat. A small leak with 40psi could become a real problem over time if left unattended.
 
markb8608 said:
Hi
(225 Tournament 1999)
I remove my bilge drain and empty the bilge each time when I take boat out of water. (I trailer it)
If I go out on a sunny day for 6-8 hours, how much water should I expect to see in the bilge. I am noticing 3-4 gallons when I drain it. Is this normal?
kind regards
Mark
Click to expand...

Close the sea cocks and shut the breakers for live well and wash downs if you have them. After your usual trip, check the bilge water. If the water isn't there, you have isolated it to live well or wash down plumbing ( although it could be thru hulls).

If you have something like a cracked thru hull, you are at risk for a more catastrophic failure if that fitting breaks off. Based on the amount of water you get, I would exercise caution until you remedy the problem

Live well and storage box drains are often an issue especially the plastic thru hulls. There are inspection covers usually and you might be able to see seepage.

If you get a lot of water over the transom, take a look at deck plate gaskets if equipped, especially in the transom well. Finally, check the scupper hoses and connections. Note that your scuppers may be above water at some times but below at others and if leaky, you won't see the leak when just sitting. Adding a few bodies aft while docked may help drop the scuppers below the water line.

Good luck
 
Are you certain it is saltwater? Check it, to see. I'm thinking it could also be from a leak, somewhere from your fresh water tank.
 
Capt Bill said:
Are you certain it is saltwater? Check it, to see. I'm thinking it could also be from a leak, somewhere from your fresh water tank.
Click to expand...
Other than tasting it ( yuck), it might be hard to tell. He could drain the fresh water tank and then see if the bilge continues to fill.
 
Moderate to heavy rain will leave some water in my forward bilge ('00 265).
It gets in through the anchor locker hatch and it's never enough to set off the forward bilge automatically. After it rains I just hit the switch and in less than a minute it's just spurting. If I were taking tons of waves over the bow I imagine it would be wetter! My aft bilge is usually bone dry!
 
I was in the same situation a while back. Found my leak to be the scuppers (both of them). Just took a little time with the water hose filling and blocking certain areas to find. After replacing, doesn't matter how long I am out, have less than a shot glass when I pull the plug.
 
Not sure if this helps but on two of my grady's (232 and a 306) I had one of the plastic elbows crack that was on a drain - if the waves hit the through hull the water would wash in, so it was difficult to find as it did not happen on every trip
 
I'd check all of your hoses first to make sure none are dry rotting or hard as a rock, if they are replace them they will fail. Also check all clamps, when possible double clamp ALL hoses in a boat, most builders do not, but should be doing so. You should check hoses atl;east once a season as a precaution anyways to stay safe.
If you have older plastic/nylon thru hulls, this would likely be the next likely cause, they crack from the sun and UV's and will allow water to seep in over time, this can be very very dangerous if you still have them. Best option is replace them with brass or chrome over brass, do not put in nylon again, they will again crack over time, do it once and be done for ever. You can coat the thru hulls with 3M 4200 as a quick fix, but this would be just to use the boat a few trips until work is done, not an actual fix.
If you use your wash down out on the water, it is possible your in deck acces hatches, the circular ones need new gaskets, they should be changed every 2 years at a min, and the ones you tend to open a lot more if your accessing something down there on a regular basis, might need to be replaced every year or sooner. The more they are opened, the more the gaskets wear and do not seal well, allowing water to get into the hull.
Other possibilities are that your getting spray over the bow and water is getting inthrough the anchor locker, this is a problem on some grady models more so then others and some water can accumulate this way. Also, it is possible the water was in the boat, but if you keep it on a trailer the boat is not level and does not drain fully when stored, and when on plane water moved aft in the boat, it could be standing water from rain etc that you only notice after running the boat and it moves and collects aft.
 
A useful way of testing the water lank for leaks without having to taste anything is to use a food dye.
 
I've successfully chased leaks on trailer boats by putting in the drain plug and adding enough water to cover all thru hull fittings. Adjust tounge height to avoid too much water weight. Look for drips.
 
I had fresh water in the bilge. It was coming from the faucet next to the fridge on my Sailfish. The hose clamps were loose.
 
Took boat out but did find leak

Hi
I took my boat out after removing live well. It was hard to tell where the water was coming from because I had not "plugged" the drain hose for the live-well thru-hull. I had about a gallon but it was hard to tell where it came from. .. Based on everyone’s feedback I shouldn’t have any water unless it is coming from rain. I stuff a rag in the live-well drain thru-hull and try it again next week. Thanks for all the great suggestions.
mark
 
use a cheapo red or green marker that is NOT waterproof and draw some lines around the bilge or anything that you suspect of leaking. The ink will run...
 
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