2000 272 my boat resides in a slip spring to fall i have noticed the forward bilge pump will at times throw water. I removed the berth inspection plate and have observed water at the bilge. My aft bilge remains dry and i have thoroughly inspected the forward hull for cracks in fiberglass and have found none. I was trying to locate thru hull fittings to see if they were leaking but am unable to locate inside the berth storage lockers. What do i need to do in the berth to determine if the thru hulls are leaking. any suggestions would be appreciated
TAKING ON water
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SkunkBoat
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At rest, your fwd bilge pump should always pump first and your aft bilge pump generally only runs when underway.
The bilge is connected fore to aft (unless a pass thru pipe is clogged). The fwd bilge sits lowest at rest so water will collect there first.
That may be from a leak or just from washing down or rain. It can enter from the anchor hatch, deck hatches & ports, flush cleats.
It is not unusual for heavy rain to get into the fwd bilge enough to pump.
So you have to take measures to rule those things out but also check as many thru hull fittings and hoses as you can see.
While docked, you need to start with a bone dry bilge and watch it over time over several dry days. Then you'll know if its a leak below the waterline or just water from the topsides.
The bilge is connected fore to aft (unless a pass thru pipe is clogged). The fwd bilge sits lowest at rest so water will collect there first.
That may be from a leak or just from washing down or rain. It can enter from the anchor hatch, deck hatches & ports, flush cleats.
It is not unusual for heavy rain to get into the fwd bilge enough to pump.
So you have to take measures to rule those things out but also check as many thru hull fittings and hoses as you can see.
While docked, you need to start with a bone dry bilge and watch it over time over several dry days. Then you'll know if its a leak below the waterline or just water from the topsides.
Having had a 1999 272 the sea cocks were all in the same compartment as the fwd bilge. You should be able to rule those out pretty easily. Other key areas for leaks in that boat - from experience - would be: overboard cockpit drains (dry rot hose), freshwater system (windshield wash valve), aft bilge access hatch (bad caulk) and over tightened drain plug.
For the drain plug, I spent days trying to find out where water was coming from using the methods from Skunk above.... I ended up doing the opposite. I pulled the boat, blocked it so water would pool in the front and filled the bow of the hull with water (be careful how much) to cover any lower thru-hulls, drained the boat and repeated the process with water pooling in the back. Sure enough within an hour, I saw the drain plug was the culprit.
Despite all my best efforts and good maintenance, I always had water in the fwd bilge. The back was typically bone dry. As Skunk notes, this is how the boat sits. Even when the drain plug was leaking, the aft bilge appeared dry to the eye but water would pool upfront. So be sure to check all of your thru-hulls and inspect if the pooling happens even without other water being introduced (rain or washing). Slowly you'll be able to rule out different culprits.
For the drain plug, I spent days trying to find out where water was coming from using the methods from Skunk above.... I ended up doing the opposite. I pulled the boat, blocked it so water would pool in the front and filled the bow of the hull with water (be careful how much) to cover any lower thru-hulls, drained the boat and repeated the process with water pooling in the back. Sure enough within an hour, I saw the drain plug was the culprit.
Despite all my best efforts and good maintenance, I always had water in the fwd bilge. The back was typically bone dry. As Skunk notes, this is how the boat sits. Even when the drain plug was leaking, the aft bilge appeared dry to the eye but water would pool upfront. So be sure to check all of your thru-hulls and inspect if the pooling happens even without other water being introduced (rain or washing). Slowly you'll be able to rule out different culprits.
On a dry day (no rain), how often will the pump activate? If it's doing it more than once I'd definitely be concerned, because of course that means water is continuing to fill the bilge over time. The technical nautical term for a boat with this condition is "sinking!" 
If you're brave you might try tasting the water to see if it's salt (assuming you boat in salt water).
You should be able to mostly rule out thru-hull connections by closing your seacocks and testing them one by one -- I'd recommend keeping your seacocks closed when you're not using them in any event.
If you're brave you might try tasting the water to see if it's salt (assuming you boat in salt water).
You should be able to mostly rule out thru-hull connections by closing your seacocks and testing them one by one -- I'd recommend keeping your seacocks closed when you're not using them in any event.
If you really think it is a leak from a through hull fitting, you might want to install a counter, to see how often the pump cycles, when left in the water.
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vocz
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Mine 2003. I replaced the aft drain plug socket set and it bone dry now. You can give the plug a few wraps of plumbers tape so the threads could bite and see if it gets better before replace it.
I have played 'find the leak' many times in my 282. When I first got it i noticed the fwd bilge going every trip. There were actually 3 leaks contributing to that one, the fish box 90 degree drain was cracked and likely had been since day one. It was mashed up against a small stringer and was broken during install. Since there was no seacock on that one, it's just an above the waterline overboard drain, water was squirting in every time the boat rolled side to side. Replaced the broken elbow. Then I had the livewell issues, this was leaking around the drain, apparently caulk was in short supply the day she was built, and they only went around it about halfway. Easy fix, all I had to do was remove the drain, clean, and re-seal. Then lastly the top of the livewell to underside of the deck. Big gap here, and water was sloshing up and over the lip and into the bilge. Filled in the gap with caulk and outdoor spray foam, like your sealing a drier vent. A few years later it was wet every time it rained, that was from the cockpit drain hoses and elbows, the lines were dry rotted and the drains starting to crack. With those replaced shes awfully dry now. It's only cup holders, anchor locker and a little around the bench seat in the back if it rains really hard. I used weather stripping from amazon to tighten up the bench seat and it's 90% perfect.
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thats a great idea didnt know there was such a thing....gonna order one on amazon today