i have gone over this boat from stem to stern and cant find the problem, the boat is a not mine but im working on it. the owner says the boat takes on water to the point the bilge kills all 3 batteries then it starts rising in the cabin but will not go beyond a certain height then maintains that height. i said this is impossible but he says this has happened several times. im totally baffled.i have checked all the bellows, transom, hoses and the boat is out of the water & i checked it for cracks. nothing.
2000 mariah shabah taking on water
- Thread starter stang32
- Start date
FWIW- A quick search turns up a post on the Mariahowners forum by another owner stating his Mariah has a leak where the gear oil hose goes through the transom.
I believe boats under 20'? have to have inherent "level flotation" for O/B's and "basic flotation" (bow stays above water) , for I/O's . Optional for larger boats.
Could the boat have been sitting on shallow bottom?
While on the hard , you may have to fill it to the reported level w/ fresh water to look for external leaks , or possibly splash it and thoroughly inspect for a source.
Is there perhaps an anchor locker drain or other thru-hull drain at the forward waterline , which if compromised inside the boat will take on water until the heavier stern sits lower in the water and the bow rises just enough to raise the drain outlet sufficiently above water to prevent full sinking?
Nylon thru-hull drain fittings are renown for cracking or breaking off, and drain hoses with sags hold water , freeze in winter and split.
I believe boats under 20'? have to have inherent "level flotation" for O/B's and "basic flotation" (bow stays above water) , for I/O's . Optional for larger boats.
Could the boat have been sitting on shallow bottom?
While on the hard , you may have to fill it to the reported level w/ fresh water to look for external leaks , or possibly splash it and thoroughly inspect for a source.
Is there perhaps an anchor locker drain or other thru-hull drain at the forward waterline , which if compromised inside the boat will take on water until the heavier stern sits lower in the water and the bow rises just enough to raise the drain outlet sufficiently above water to prevent full sinking?
Nylon thru-hull drain fittings are renown for cracking or breaking off, and drain hoses with sags hold water , freeze in winter and split.
First, THANKS for helping a fellow boater!!!
If it's MerCruser Alpha powered, the Lower (the one going to the drive) Shift Cable Bellows is Suspect One. If it's got a VP in it, I don't know how Volvo seals the shift mechanism.
On Alpha, that big Drive Bellows will ruin the Gimble Bearing and the U-Joints, but the little Shift Bellows will let much more water into the hull. Look around the Inner Transom Bracket, starboard side. I could see and hear the trickle on ours. Exhaust Bellows won't let any water in.
Wasted-Away transom bolts can do it too. Or the transom itself going spongy and not letting the outer transom bracket seal to the transom surface.
If it's MerCruser Alpha powered, the Lower (the one going to the drive) Shift Cable Bellows is Suspect One. If it's got a VP in it, I don't know how Volvo seals the shift mechanism.
On Alpha, that big Drive Bellows will ruin the Gimble Bearing and the U-Joints, but the little Shift Bellows will let much more water into the hull. Look around the Inner Transom Bracket, starboard side. I could see and hear the trickle on ours. Exhaust Bellows won't let any water in.
Wasted-Away transom bolts can do it too. Or the transom itself going spongy and not letting the outer transom bracket seal to the transom surface.
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2000
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- 2006
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- 359
On No Roses, a trailered boat, bilge empty at launch, upon return from HOURS of trolling when the boat was placed on the trailer quite a few gallons of Lake Michigan water poured from the bilge bung after removal of plug. I checked every hose fitting, the bedding around all the through hulls and found nothing.
I used the garden hose and put many gallons of water into the sealed bilge as Sandy mentioned above. Found the culprit, on the transom there are (4) SS machine bolts that go through the outer aluminum skin, wooden transom and then through an aluminum brace. The water was leaking from one of these (4) bolts. I removed and re-bed them with an underwater caulk.
Problem solved, bilge stays dry now while underway.
I used the garden hose and put many gallons of water into the sealed bilge as Sandy mentioned above. Found the culprit, on the transom there are (4) SS machine bolts that go through the outer aluminum skin, wooden transom and then through an aluminum brace. The water was leaking from one of these (4) bolts. I removed and re-bed them with an underwater caulk.
Problem solved, bilge stays dry now while underway.
ok, just to follow up, i know people tend to not let you know final outcome.
the bottom of the shift cable bellow had a small hole in it. i did not see that and i LOOKED big time, so sometimes you just dont know.
the worst part about it is i did not find the hole, the customer did, stupid, stupid, stupid.
you had to lie on your back and really look at it in order to find the hole, so i missed it, what can i say.
but here's the kicker, the bilge pump, a real nice atwood, has an external float. the float activates the bilge ok but when the float goes ALL THE WAY UP, it ****s the bilge down, of all the time to cut off, that's crazy,
the bottom of the shift cable bellow had a small hole in it. i did not see that and i LOOKED big time, so sometimes you just dont know.
the worst part about it is i did not find the hole, the customer did, stupid, stupid, stupid.
you had to lie on your back and really look at it in order to find the hole, so i missed it, what can i say.
but here's the kicker, the bilge pump, a real nice atwood, has an external float. the float activates the bilge ok but when the float goes ALL THE WAY UP, it ****s the bilge down, of all the time to cut off, that's crazy,
I read an article called "Why Boats Sink" and that Shift Boot was the top reason for I/O sinkings. The "moored at the marina and next morning she was under" kind.
rb2@gr5t Stang: Glad you found it. PITA to change that Boot, but... You fixed something now that could only get worse... It highlighted the Switch problem so you can avoid a future disaster... It wasn't a deeply seated problem like failed transom assembly, its mounting, probably the transom itself...
rb2@gr5t Michael: NO ROSES is a story I hate to hear. That kind of leak usually spells Rotted Transom. It's a scary phase of an I/O Re-Power... You get a quote on the Engine, the Labor, on and on. They'll say (or should say) "We'll have to check the transom too." So I get the Dreaded Transom Call... "Boat's transom is Good, but MerC Transom Assembly is shot." More $$$, but at least the new engine doesn't have to come out in a couple seasons to replace that part.
Now, for that Bilge Float Switch...
rb2@gr5t Stang: Glad you found it. PITA to change that Boot, but... You fixed something now that could only get worse... It highlighted the Switch problem so you can avoid a future disaster... It wasn't a deeply seated problem like failed transom assembly, its mounting, probably the transom itself...
rb2@gr5t Michael: NO ROSES is a story I hate to hear. That kind of leak usually spells Rotted Transom. It's a scary phase of an I/O Re-Power... You get a quote on the Engine, the Labor, on and on. They'll say (or should say) "We'll have to check the transom too." So I get the Dreaded Transom Call... "Boat's transom is Good, but MerC Transom Assembly is shot." More $$$, but at least the new engine doesn't have to come out in a couple seasons to replace that part.
Now, for that Bilge Float Switch...