Heaps of water in boat back at ramp

[Hacky123]

Hi there I own a 2008 Formosa 520 centre console with a 90hp Suzuki 4 stroke fitted.

Today when arriving back at the ramp at Spinnaker Sound I pulled the bungs as usual & had at least 20 - 30 litres of water come out. This is the first time this has occurred but I used the live bait tank pump about three times today (haven't used it much before). Could the pump be leaking or is it normal for a bit of water to build up in the hull from the pump?

I'm fairly new to boating & I'm a little worried that I might have a crack in the hull or something?? Any advice much appreciated!


Cheers
Hacky

[scottar]

Could be anything from a leaky bung to a leaky pump/hose to a pin hole or crack. Have a good look over the hull from the outside and see if you can find anything of concern. Check the Orings on your bungs, the surface that they seal against and the condition of the sealant and rivets that hold them in the back of the boat. Check any other fittings that go through the hull below the water line. Check the bait tank itself and any fittings/lines for it.

If you cant see anything obvious you have two options. You can put the bungs in and part fill the hull and look for water getting out. Be careful about adding too much though as you may do damage to the hull or trailer. The other is to put it back in the water and have a good hunt around while using the bait pump. It may even be worth removing floor panels etc before you go to the ramp to make this process easier.

[Hacky123]

Thanks a lot Scott I'll start at the obvious point with the bungs & go from there


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[fishychrissy]

Hi Hacky,
I took my boat out for the maiden voyage on Friday and noticed water leaking into the bilge from the drain hole of my plumbed bait tank.
Not a steady stream but you could notice it running into the bilge.
Was out for 6 hours and when I got back to Spinnaker there was a fair bit coming out of the bungs there.
Not sure how I'm going to get in there to fix that one?
Cheers,
Chris

[Hacky123]

Hi Chris mine tends to leak as well but on the Formosa's the drain hole sort of sits out over the back of the transom so I don't think that's the issue. A mate of mine reckons the pumps on live bait tanks leak all the time & don't worry about it just use your bilge pump regularly.

Hope it's not the pump because they are almost impossible to get to in the Formosa they look like they are actually installed when the boat is welded together


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[Out-Station]

In my experience bait pumps don't leak, not that much water anyway. I'd check

Ensure bait tank overflow isn't findings it's way inboard
Ensure bait tank feed isn't leaking inboard while under pressure. (on)
Ensure that the hull bilge outlet isn't picking up water if it rough or sloppy and hence water running back though there, happens with poor placement of outlet
Check all hull piercings (bunts, skin fits, engine bolts) etc below line or copping slop
Check for cracks

Do last 2 by filling inside with warm water/detergent/food dye

Scott

Check all hull piercings below water line (skin fitting

[Hacky123]

Thanks for the tip on the dye Scott sounds a good idea


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[Out-Station]

Heaps of washing up detergent is the key, acts as a surfactant to get the water running through the smallest of spaces.

Scott

[Seahorse]

Hey chris, isnt yours a new boat?

[fishychrissy]

Yeah it is Greg, used it once so far.
Looks like it's the drain fitting of the bait tank, drain hose clamp isn't tight enough, or bad silicone work at tank outlet?
It's in a pain in the arse area to get to.
Cheers

[Noelm]

If its new, take it back to the dealer, problem solved.

[rexaway123]

when I got my Old (new) boat it leaked from day one.. could not work out where from till climbed under transom when out on water and saw little spurts every now and again from behind a hidden alloy panel.. turned out to be loeaking through motor mounting bolts not sealed right eventhough they looked like they had

went back to dealer and they fixed as Noelm says above should be the case

[snakecatcher]

I had the same problem on my quintrex - turned out to be the scupper drains which are supposed to have a one way valve on them, they don't work too well and water was coming back up the scuppers and into the boat. A touch of silicon around those sorted that out

[Hacky123]

Sorry snake if this is a very dumb question but what/where are the scupper drains?


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[Almako]

should install an automatic bilge and that 30 litres won't be there.
Still you need to find the problem, just saying...