Bellboy taking on water

[BellBoyBob]

Hi All:

I would like a little advise on what might be going on with my BB. This season, I am taking on copious amounts of water while out cruising or tubing with family and friends. I have to turn on the bilge pump several times during a 2 - hour outing. The drain plug looks normal (and, yes, I did put it in!!). I have the original toilet in the cabin and as of last year, the rubber flap that seats snug against the bottom of the toilet to draw in water is not creating the seal it did. I don't use this illegal toilet but it has a water intake valve under the boat and a waste discharge port right at the bottom of the hull on the starboard side. Those are potential places where water might be coming in. I have not noticed water coming in around the toilet area but its coming from somewhere! The final possibility is that the hull has cracked somewhere and I am taking on water from that?? My cockpit floor is very soft now and will need to be replaced - probably in the fall. While the floor is out and if by then I have not found the source of the leak, I will put the boat in the water and see if I can see where the water is coming in. The boat is 51 years old, is a flat bottom hull that has banged on the water for half a century. Could I have ruptured the mold somewhere along the keel? Any of you had this experience? As always, any help would be most appreciated!

Best,
Bob

[trsexton]

Bob,

I had a similar problem a couple of years ago. It turned out to be a small crack near the front that by best guess was caused by previous owners beaching the boat. I would take on more water the faster I would go. The way I repaired it was I re-enforced the keel with multiple layers of fiber glass and epoxy.

[Tim_Mattson]

Finding leaks

Bob,
Water can work in weird ways ,water pressure does vary as you load and go.Even backing in can allow water in briefly while the rear Engine Bolts get pusher farther under than normal.
At the Welded boat factory,some leaks were found by filling the boat with water until it started making noise as it dripped or poured out.
Takes around 6`` of water to duplicate the pressure of 3-6 lbs which is what your hulls sees when floating.Put Salt in it and it will preserve your wood.
Other way to find it is to go out on water at night and use a flashlight to watch all corners and in bilges to see which way the water is coming from.
Weighting the hull down will amplify the water flow.Trashcans of water will load you up quick with 5 gallonbuckets(40 lbs each),or use people who trust you.Try weighting each end to see if it changes flow.
Now if none comes in until you motor,then you`ll have a flex crack that is opening when the hull flexes......possibly from recent blocking when you painted and had keel on blocks?
Another source to look at is right where trailer rollers or bunks sit.Patches and repairs are commonly hidden under these places ,or just happen when you hit that nasty pothole while on the road.
Goodluck,
TimM
Seattle

[Bflaherty]

Our Chris Craft takes on water while under way and I tried filling the hull with water and not a drop leaked out... Took two friends and no interior out on the lake to diagnose a bad seal between the hull and the deck.. Water rolls up the sides and catches the aluminum rub rail forcing it in through the seam in the aft corners... For us it is worse in high speed cornering, like while towing an innertube or wakeboard...

Goodluck!!!

[56glasspar]

I had a similar problem with my Glasspar Mariner. The water was in through a loose screw in the wood splash rain.

[Helmar]

I would suspect one of the through hull fittings and see if I could get them opened up as so I might be able to see any leaks around them.

[TheBronze]

I'm with Helmar. I bet one of your through hulls is leaking.

In preparation for laying in my new floor on my 404 (so close now!) I removed the toilet outlet, the intake, and some other mystery through hull on the port side floor as well as some sort of live well intake at the stern. They were all nice and lose when I pulled them so they would surely have leaked once I floated her. I glassed them over and will be sealing them up from the bottom. If you are going to replace the floor, I suggest taking these out and sealing them up. There is a good write up here on how to fix a hole:

http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/17.htm

Treat your through hole holes the same way and I think You'll be fine.

I did this on my Glasspar earlier this year when we ran into something below the water that put a 1/8 inch hole in the hull below the water line. Lots of water from a hole that small! After the fix, not a drop (I inspect after every run).

Lastly, if you are taking on so much water that you have to pump it out a couple times a trip, it might be better to start that floor project sooner than later. It would be a shame to lose the boat or worse by pushing the issue just to get some water time this "summer".

[Bflaherty]

I would agree that you need to really consider keeping the boat on the hard until the issue is resolved. Like Tim Mattson learned on lake union last year, it doesn't take much water to sink a boat in a hurry...

I am only using my boat as is because I was able to diagnose that the leak was above water line and so I know it's not going under on it's own...

If you already know you're going to replace the floor soon, it may be worth it to cut a few inspection holes along the keel, chines and thru hull fittings ao that you can hopefully narrow down where the water is coming from...

Goodluck!!

[BellBoyBob]

Thanks, all for your suggestions. I will try putting the boat in at night and see if I can detect the source of the water by flashlight. It may very well be that the scupper valve or the discharge port or the bilge plug are faulty. If not there, I will know the hull has a crack somewhere and investigate further.

Best,
Bob

[bham-rick]

Water Leaks

When you put the boat on the trailer it does not leak out ??? I found a small leak I had on the keel from the rollers. It was just a small crack and when it sat in the garage I could see a small puddle under the boat . One would think if it leaks in it would leak out ? I had to jack the boat up off the trailer and block it then put a few strips of fiberglass along the keel - no water now when I remove the plugs I don't get a drop. Got lucky this time

[BellBoyBob]

Well you make a point...I will try just that - leaving the boat on the trailer in the garage and filling the hull a bit with water then waiting to see if there is a puddle. Good idea!
thanks,
Bob