Now I’m really confused

[RUGER]

Boat leaked again.
I pumped about half of it out before I left the lake.
Got home leveled it out to see where it's dripping.
There's like three drops under the boat.

 

[Pilchard]

Is the water still in it? If so, lay the tongue of the of the trailer on the ground or tilt it bow down and see if it leaks out of the keel.

What does your livewell pickup look like? Can you snap a picture of it?

If it's a high speed pickup like one of these, I bet your plumbing is busted and it's forcing water in when underway.

This is what I was saying in your other thread about needing to look in the bilge when you are on plane. Preferably when you first put the boat in and it's dry so the leak is obvious.

 

[Pilchard]

Also, if your boat is a tiller, which I think it is, you might need a buddy to help so they can hold the tiller while you get your head down in the bilge while in plane.

You maybe could spray the garden hose up through the pickup and see if it reveals the leak on the other side.

 

[TNReb]

Also, if your boat is a tiller, which I think it is, you might need a buddy to help so they can hold the tiller while you get your head down in the bilge while in plane.

Please video this.

 

[tnanh]

Buddy has a boat that was leaking bad when throttle down. I thought it was the corners of the transom but it was just leaking through the bolts that bolted the motor on. Was an easy fix but might want to check the transom just to be sure. Only leaked when throttle down to get it in plane. I am not too sure a 16 foot basstracker has a high speed pickup.

 

[Pilchard]

Buddy has a boat that was leaking bad when throttle down. I thought it was the corners of the transom but it was just leaking through the bolts that bolted the motor on. Was an easy fix but might want to check the transom just to be sure. Only leaked when throttle down to get it in plane. I am not too sure a 16 foot basstracker has a high speed pickup.

It might not. I'm unfamiliar with small aluminum boats generally and what you say makes sense.

I've seen many times though when water coming in when on plane. Most were related to the livewell pickup. One was a separation between the cap and hull.

Generally speaking if a leak is at the transom, the water would exit the boat through whatever hole there is when on plane unless it's being forced in in a way that is stronger than the pressure created by the forward momentum.

 

[RUGER]

It might not. I'm unfamiliar with small aluminum boats generally and what you say makes sense.

I've seen many times though when water coming in when on plane. Most were related to the livewell pickup. One was a separation between the cap and hull.

Generally speaking if a leak is at the transom, the water would exit the boat through whatever hole there is when on plane unless it's being forced in in a way that is stronger than the pressure created by the forward momentum.

Here is the inlet and outlet for the livewell.
Water ain't coming in there lol

 

[Pilchard]

I see. So your livewell system is designed to only pump when not on plane.

It's getting in somewhere else.. but you already knew that…lol.

The metal strip on the V you described is the keel guard. Can you tilt the boat forward and then spray water in so that it would rest against this to reveal a leak?

Other than this, you'd want to put the boat in the water, fully drained, and inspect in every location you can. If there is water accumulating, you'll know the leak is below the waterline.

If no water accumulating in the bilge, run for a while and then stop and look in the bilge. If there is water, you'll know the leak is above the at-rest waterline. Likely places for this are on the back 1/3 of the boat and possibly much higher on the boat than you'd think.

The way I found the leak on a glass boat that was between the cap and the hull was by taking a piece of paper(card stock) and sliding it between the cap and hull all around the boat. When the paper hit the spot where the separation was happening, it slid right between the cap and hull. This would only get water against it when on plane and the design of the hull made water come up the side of the boat and hit that spot perfectly allowing water to get in.

 

[RUGER]

I see. So your livewell system is designed to only pump when not on plane.

It's getting in somewhere else.. but you already knew that…lol.

The metal strip on the V you described is the keel guard. Can you tilt the boat forward and then spray water in so that it would rest against this to reveal a leak?

Other than this, you'd want to put the boat in the water, fully drained, and inspect in every location you can. If there is water accumulating, you'll know the leak is below the waterline.

If no water accumulating in the bilge, run for a while and then stop and look in the bilge. If there is water, you'll know the leak is above the at-rest waterline. Likely places for this are on the back 1/3 of the boat and possibly much higher on the boat than you'd think.

The way I found the leak on a glass boat that was between the cap and the hull was by taking a piece of paper(card stock) and sliding it between the cap and hull all around the boat. When the paper hit the spot where the separation was happening, it slid right between the cap and hull. This would only get water against it when on plane and the design of the hull made water come up the side of the boat and hit that spot perfectly allowing water to get in.

Where I fished yesterday is a no wake lake so we never moved very fast at all.
Only cranked the motor to move 5 different times a couple hundred yards at a time.
Rest of the time was anchored or trolling motor only.

 

[Pilchard]

Hmm… I'd look on the keel.

Does the rest of your boat have the same scum(dirt) line visible? Like in your first picture above? If so, your leak is below or at that line.

Was there as much water today as there was in previous days? One other thought….. next time your boat is full of water, level it off at the ramp and look for water leaking before you tow it home. Perhaps the water is leaking out on the drive home so that by the time you get home, the water left in the boat is too low to reveal the leak.

 

[Mtncur76]

Had the same problem on my boys boat filled with water,checked all hoses water sitting in boat no drips but every trip ended up with gallons of water in it was the rubber seal and nut holding the in and out for the live well. Looking at your pic that seal dont look right should not be all on one side take it off and chalk around it and put nut back on and tighten also check the one with out a nut and see if it moves

 

[Doecrusher]

I'd be looking at where the transom and bottom of boat meet with that drip coming out in the picture with expansion plug. Maybe get a flashlight and see if you can see any light shining through if you can access back there.

 

[Pilchard]

I'd be looking at where the transom and bottom of boat meet with that drip coming out in the picture with expansion plug. Maybe get a flashlight and see if you can see any light shining through if you can access back there.

Good eye! I didn't see the drip until you pointed it out. I'd guess that if it's leaking there you'd see water coming in through that spot the moment you backed the trailer in the water.

 

[rsimms]

Mystery leaks are frustrating. Just FYI, I had a mystery leak in a jon boat I owned once. It only leaked some of the time, never consistently. It took me FOREVER to finally realize that it only leaked when I had a partner fishing out of the back of the boat - especially a heavy partner. When I was fishing solo out of the front of the boat, it didn't leak a drop.

That allowed me to finally track down a broken rivet on the side of the boat, but back toward the stern. It was right at the waterline so if most weight was in front while fishing, that rivet was out of water and no leaking. But if there was more weight in the stern, it pushed the busted rivet below the waterline. I was really happy when I finally managed to solve that mystery.

 

[RUGER]

I believe I found it.
I still can't see it accounting for the amount of water I am getting but it is leaking.
Around the edge of the white plastic piece here.

 

[Smo]

Your leak ma be up higher…
Mo' water!lol

 

[Pilchard]

If that's it, it should be easy to tell… jack it up and fill it with the garden hose to cover that and take a look! Hope that's it… would be a very easy fix.

 

[Rabbitkil]

This fall clean it up and put a few coats of gator glide on the entire boat will seal it up good, and in the process of prepping it you will remove and reinstall all ports when you put it back together so you know everything is good … granted you plan on keeping the boat if not it wouldn't be worth the work

 

[Headhunter]

Under those washers I would for sure have silicone or some type of sealant. You would for sure see it.

 

[hammer33]

Do you have a bilge pump ? If so, make sure the outlet is above the waterline at all times. Used to beach my bass boat at a friends house with no problems until we got a bit of a rainstorm. It put a couple inches of water in the boat, no big deal but with the bow up on the bank, the water pushed the stern down enough that the bilge outflow port was now underwater. Filled the entire boat. Took a bit to figure out what happened.
Most of the bass style boats don't have a ton of clearance between the bilge/livewell outflows and the water line when at rest. If 2 big guys wind up in the stern (landing fish, dipping in the bait well etc...) its possible that water is getting in that way.
Looking at the photo, put some 3M- 5200 sealant around that fitting and see if that fixes your leak.