Newbie Question

B

BostonGrady7

Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2025
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Age
53
Hi there, so my father-in-law gave us his 19' grady white that's about 20+ years old. I've never been a boater but have been trailer-ing it for the last year and it has done well until recently. I started noticing water on the stern-starboard deck when not in motion. I cleaned out the scupper (I believe that's right, drain holes on transom), verified no water in the bildge, tested bildge pump etc. Then I noticed when swimming behind the boat, the starboard, stern is sitting a few inches lower in the water than the port side. So my suspicions are there is water somewhere in the hull although I can't see any in the bildge and no water comes out with bildge pump on. My brother in law said it always sits lower on the right because the gas tank is there, but this seems excessive, definitely a few, maybe 4-5 inches, lower on Starboard stern. I also noticed lots of water pouring out of the starboard (scup?) holes when pulling it up the ramp on the trailer.

Anyway looking for some advice for a newbie to troubleshoot? Pictures attached have red circles where I'm wondering what the function of these metal port holes are and maybe if they are to blame because of some drain malfunction?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5525.jpg
    IMG_5525.jpg
    212 KB · Views: 25
  • IMG_5526.jpg
    IMG_5526.jpg
    212 KB · Views: 26
The scupper has probably seen better days.
It’s normal for your bilge pump to kick on when loading on a trailer. Angle of the ramp/trailer runs water to the stern and bilge pump did its job.
 
Coastboater said:
The scupper has probably seen better days.
It’s normal for your bilge pump to kick on when loading on a trailer. Angle of the ramp/trailer runs water to the stern and bilge pump did its job.
Click to expand...
Thanks, would that cause it to sit 4-5" lower in water on stern starboard side regularly? Would the fix be to replace the scup flap on the stern starboard transom? I'm just thinking there was a small amount of water on the deck, that would probably not cause the whole rear to sink that much?
 
Those fittings are above the waterline. Trace them out. Scuppers are same height as the deck. If water is getting in that is where I would look. Bad scupper hoses are a common problem with older boats.

Boat should not list to starboard. Work this harder and help us help you.
 
With the info provided, it sounds like an imbalance elsewhere. Would be unlikely to have a substantial amount of water trapped by limber holes to the outside of the bilge. When you say that you cleaned the drain, did you snake it? Did you blast water down the drain, and verify that it exited the thru hull fitting? My deck drains occasionally clog and a quick blast of water will clear the clog.

The thru hull by the "T", should be connected to the aft bilge pump, and the one near the bow may be a forward bilge pump, or could be a drain elsewhere. The grady white site has manuals going back years, you should be able to find one for this boat.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BostonGrady7
The gas tank is in the middle of the boat (not on the starboard side). Correct? And you probably have a 192 Tournament?

I am only making a guess here, but... I know you said you didn't see water in the bilge but it also seems you may not have looked very hard otherwise you woul have noticed where the gas tank is.

Since when you pull the boat out, you're getting water out through the bilge pump exit, it means there IS water in there. There should NOT be water in there under normal use.

The deck is self bailing with NO scupper hoses. And it's normal for some water to enter through the scuppers with weight in the back of the boat since the weight forces the scupper partially underwater. BUT, all of that water should go right back out.

The only way water should make it to the bilge via the cockpit floor is if it's deep enough to go over the "dam" - look under your motor well, you'll see what I mean.

For this issue... you just need to put your detective hat on and figure out why water is getting into the boat. Maybe the garbaord drain is leaking? What other spots are possible leak points on your boat?

DO THIS: 100% COMPLETELY drain the bilge by using the garbaord drain with the bow tilted very high (which should always be done after boating)... put the boat back in the water right away... it should sit close to level.

You already (should) know that your battery (batteries) are on the stbd side (unless they are situated one on each side) - which can account for some list - but not the amount you are talking about. What other weight do you have on the stbd side?
 
  • Like
Reactions: BostonGrady7
Thanks for all the recommendations and insights I appreciate it. Last night here's what I did:
-Confirmed bilge pump working, used a hose and filled about 3" of water in the bilge, confirmed bilge is working on both standby and when switched on. The pump worked great fast and heavy flow out of garboard drain.
-Cleaned out the bilge of any leaves etc.
-Verified scuppers are clear and working by hosing deck.
-I know that both batteries are on the starboard stern side, not engouh to cause list.
-Nothing else that would cause that much list in terms of unbalanced weight on deck
Next Steps:
-Take to launch, back up on ramp, check bilge for any water that may flow back to the bilge when on a steep incline.
-After confirming bilge empty, continue to put boat in water, then check bilge for any water entry when at the dock or after being underway.
We'll see what happens and let you know , thank you.
 
there may be water trapped between a stringer (think longitudinal internal frame rail) and the side of the boat that isnt draining to the center bilge. these boats are foam filled so they still float when overturned. its possible that something is leaking water in and the foam has become water logged. first thing to check would be the deck drain hoses. they typically have about a 20 year life span
 
  • Like
Reactions: BostonGrady7
The 19 ft Tournament in the pix does not have a deck drain hose.
It has 2 scupper drains straight thru the transom on either side of the engine.
To answer the question about the circled drains in the pictures,
the front drains the insulated box under the starboard bow seat
the rear is the discharge for the bilge pump
 
  • Like
Reactions: BostonGrady7
Good to hear the bilge pump is actually operable and works as it should be. That was my first suggestion to make sure it is actually working before doing anything else. Second, I’m guessing that you’ve got a 185 Sportsman model? If so, what year? Per the brochure on the Grady White website it says that it’s a 60 gallon tank and it should be in the center of the floorboards, it shouldn’t be in the rear starboard side of the vessel. I would double check to make sure that’s a gas tank, of which at least for the 2004 model year brochure, it didn’t have an optional auxiliary fuel tank. My bet is it would be the optional 12 gallon raw water live well or a 10 gallon fresh water tank for the shower head on the back. And I imagine if it’s one or both of those and they’re full or water, as well as you have both batteries on that side at approximately 40+ lbs a piece… that it would very much cause the boat to dip down that far.

I would, and do, change out the rubber scupper flappers every season. You can get them from your local GW dealership at $10 or so a piece times 3, or online for considerably less. I believe the ones for my boat are a 1.5” scupper flapper and imo are cheap insurance for not potentially having an issue with your boat. As when I first bought my boat, if you’d stand in the back corner then water would start to pool in. After swapping them out, I haven’t had the same problem again. Another option would be to separate out the batteries if possible, so you’ve got one on each side as opposed to two on the same side of the boat. That will help out a bit with the weight distribution as will draining whatever water you might have out of that tank you mentioned, as a gallon of freshwater weighs 8.33 lbs/gallon. And even saltwater weighs 6 lbs/gallon. If you’ve got at least 10 or more gallons in there, you’re talking about 60-100+ lbs of water, and then say another 80-90+ lbs from the batteries. Lastly, attached is the 2004 brochure from the GW website, of which you can download it or whatever year your boat is. Good luck and keep us up to date.

 
  • Like
Reactions: BostonGrady7
cap said:
The 19 ft Tournament in the pix does not have a deck drain hose.
It has 2 scupper drains straight thru the transom on either side of the engine.
To answer the question about the circled drains in the pictures,
the front drains the insulated box under the starboard bow seat
the rear is the discharge for the bilge pump
Click to expand...
Thanks for that, I was trying to track down where the front drain originates.
 
Mustang65fbk said:
Good to hear the bilge pump is actually operable and works as it should be. That was my first suggestion to make sure it is actually working before doing anything else. Second, I’m guessing that you’ve got a 185 Sportsman model? If so, what year? Per the brochure on the Grady White website it says that it’s a 60 gallon tank and it should be in the center of the floorboards, it shouldn’t be in the rear starboard side of the vessel. I would double check to make sure that’s a gas tank, of which at least for the 2004 model year brochure, it didn’t have an optional auxiliary fuel tank. My bet is it would be the optional 12 gallon raw water live well or a 10 gallon fresh water tank for the shower head on the back. And I imagine if it’s one or both of those and they’re full or water, as well as you have both batteries on that side at approximately 40+ lbs a piece… that it would very much cause the boat to dip down that far.

I would, and do, change out the rubber scupper flappers every season. You can get them from your local GW dealership at $10 or so a piece times 3, or online for considerably less. I believe the ones for my boat are a 1.5” scupper flapper and imo are cheap insurance for not potentially having an issue with your boat. As when I first bought my boat, if you’d stand in the back corner then water would start to pool in. After swapping them out, I haven’t had the same problem again. Another option would be to separate out the batteries if possible, so you’ve got one on each side as opposed to two on the same side of the boat. That will help out a bit with the weight distribution as will draining whatever water you might have out of that tank you mentioned, as a gallon of freshwater weighs 8.33 lbs/gallon. And even saltwater weighs 6 lbs/gallon. If you’ve got at least 10 or more gallons in there, you’re talking about 60-100+ lbs of water, and then say another 80-90+ lbs from the batteries. Lastly, attached is the 2004 brochure from the GW website, of which you can download it or whatever year your boat is. Good luck and keep us up to date.

Click to expand...
Thanks for your response and ideas. I'm trying to track down my paperwork to find out model/year. Yeah it doesn't have any supplementary tanks, just the gas tank. What I was referring to was my brother in law said the tank was on the right and it always listed to the right, but he's a software sales guy, so I don't think that's right, I can't imagine designing a boat with the whole tank on one side. That said, I have an empty bildge now although I think even over night the bildge has filled with more water and there's been no rain, so I'm starting to suspect that there is water slowly leaching from one of the stringer compartments @Ekea mentioned and slowly draining into the aft bildge overnight. I pumped it out an hour ago took a picture and will see if for whatever reason more water appears over night. My next test is to do what I mentioned above and brinig it to marina, check bildge with it on the ramp, see if water fills bildge from somewhere else in the hull before I put it in the water. If not, put it in the water and monitor bildge. I'm hoping there is not water in one of the stringer compartments because then that's going to get complicated troubleshooting where its coming from.....stay tuned!
 
BostonGrady7 said:
Thanks for your response and ideas. I'm trying to track down my paperwork to find out model/year. Yeah it doesn't have any supplementary tanks, just the gas tank. What I was referring to was my brother in law said the tank was on the right and it always listed to the right, but he's a software sales guy, so I don't think that's right, I can't imagine designing a boat with the whole tank on one side. That said, I have an empty bildge now although I think even over night the bildge has filled with more water and there's been no rain, so I'm starting to suspect that there is water slowly leaching from one of the stringer compartments @Ekea mentioned and slowly draining into the aft bildge overnight. I pumped it out an hour ago took a picture and will see if for whatever reason more water appears over night. My next test is to do what I mentioned above and brinig it to marina, check bildge with it on the ramp, see if water fills bildge from somewhere else in the hull before I put it in the water. If not, put it in the water and monitor bildge. I'm hoping there is not water in one of the stringer compartments because then that's going to get complicated troubleshooting where its coming from.....stay tuned!
Click to expand...
There’s a hull number stamped on the outside stern of the boat, usually on the starboard side, that will give you the year, make and model. If you enter the number on this site, or others on Google, you can get the year, make and model. Or, the last two numbers of the hull number should be the year, like mine for example the last two digits is “04”.

 
  • Like
Reactions: Peter A and BostonGrady7
You must log in or register to reply here.