Water ingress mystery

[HeavyDinSC]

Gang, I'm looking for a little insight here. I've got a 1983 Aquasport 170 with a 2000 Yamaha 100. She's been running really well for the past two or so years. (I've had it for four, but spent some time upgrading.) I had the boat out both days this past weekend. One day she was in the water for four hours running wide open half that time with just one person on board. The following day she was in for three hours with five people on board and never went over 10 mph. On Day 1 with one person on board, no water accumulated in the hull, but on Day 2, she nearly filled up and took about seven or 10 minutes to drain once I pulled the plug. 

I'm thinking that the through hull fitting for the anchor well drain (up front to starboard) might be cracked and therefore letting in water when the boat is loaded down. That's really the only hole in the boat. If it's not that, then I really can't figure out how I got all that water on board. Any thought on this guys?

Thanks.

[RickK]

That sounds like a possible entry point. The hull was loaded so it sat deeper in the water. Check every thru-hull.

[boatnamesue]

Does an '83 have scuppers?  If so, are your scuppers plugged or do you use the flaps/ball?

And does an '83 have the starboard removable access panel?  If so, is there hole at the forward most area of the inset deck nearest the console?  Some owners have drilled a access hole here to run the fuel tanks sender wire from below deck to above deck. 

IF you have scuppers and IF there is an access hole where I described and IF this hole was not sealed, this is where water can duck under the deck into the bilge.   

[wingtime]

There are only a couple of places water can get into the bilge of your 170. 

The thru hull fitting on the forward starboard side that is the drain for the center fish box is one possible location.  If the hose itself is leaking or has come loose from a fitting is one possibility.  Or the thru hull itself is cracked usually from UV damage.  When I bought my 170 it had a plug in that thru hull fitting.  Good thing I investigated why.  The drain hose had come off of the drin in the fish box and was laying in the bilge...  so the boat would have sunk if I had taken it out!  I can tell you changing out that drain fitting and connecting up the hose was a pain in the A$$.  I'd post pic but photobucket won't let me.

The other source is the fwd end of the rigging trough under the console.  There is a hole in it where the fuel line and some wires go down into the hull.  Water in the scupper area can travel up the rigging trough and in thru that hole.  I plugged mine up with some weatherstrip putty.

Oh and if you don't have any yet... get yourself a set of TH Marine ball scupper.  They will help prevent most of the water coming in thru  your scupper drains.

Not sure if this link to pics will work or not:

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j196/wingtime/1987%20Aquasport%20170/DSCN2444.jpg

[HeavyDinSC]

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful responses. My boat does have scuppers in the transom and I installed the pingpong ball type devices, which seem to keep most of the water out. Unfortunately, I wasn't on board when there were five people on the boat, so I didn't see if that was the culprit, but it is the No. 1 suspect. 

As wingtime and boatnamedsue suggested, water is likely coming in through the transom scuppers (when the boat is heavily loaded), traveling up the wire chase channel that sits to starboard and then into the hull by way of the hole in the forward end of that channel that allows the fuel line to get to the tank.

I'll be investigating it all more closely this coming weekend and will take photos so that I can share what's really happening. If it's not the scuppers in the transom, then it has to be the fishbox drain to starboard because those are the only through hulls in this vessel.

Thanks again.

[boatnamesue]

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful responses. My boat does have scuppers in the transom and I installed the pingpong ball type devices, which seem to keep most of the water out. Unfortunately, I wasn't on board when there were five people on the boat, so I didn't see if that was the culprit, but it is the No. 1 suspect. 

As wingtime and boatnamedsue suggested, water is likely coming in through the transom scuppers (when the boat is heavily loaded), traveling up the wire chase channel that sits to starboard and then into the hull by way of the hole in the forward end of that channel that allows the fuel line to get to the tank.

I'll be investigating it all more closely this coming weekend and will take photos so that I can share what's really happening. If it's not the scuppers in the transom, then it has to be the fishbox drain to starboard because those are the only through hulls in this vessel.

Thanks again.

When I installed a new fuel tank I also sealed that hole where the fuel sender wires run through.  Prior to sealing, this was the reason I would always have water in the bilge by the end of day.  You wouldn't think much water can travel up the inset panel, but it does.  Every time the boat pitches forward, that's where the water is going then feeding down into and out of the fuel coffin into bilge.

[minionsram]

Checking the scuppers and thru hull would be the start. I know on my 170 someone had drilled a hole in the trough at the back and one in the wire channel so water would drain into the bilge ( and a few others i have yet to fix) check those areas as well. Is the SC in the name for the state? If so where in SC are you. Im in the lexington area.

[HeavyDinSC]

OK, mystery solved. As Rick and others suspected, the culprit was the through-hull on the starboard side that drains the centerline fish box. (We non-fisherman call those storage lockers lazarettes.) Anyway, I poured a bucket of water into the locker and none of that water came out the through-hull. It all leaked directly into the hull and came out where the drain plug goes in the transom. So what was happening was a fully loaded boat (six people on board) was pushing that through-hull beneath the waterline and water was constantly coming in where the hose in that drainage system has detached.

I think the hose likely got dislodged when I installed a new fuel fill line a year ago or so. It was a bear to snake that large hose through the access, and I'm sure I wasn't very delicate in performing that work. At any rate, because I can't access the inside of the through-hull to reattach the hose, and I don't really use the locker for fish-keeping, I'm going to grind off the outside of the through-hull fitting, fill the inner area with close-cell foam and then fill the final 3/4 of an inch with epoxy to make sure it's watertight.

Here are some shots of the through-hull and fish box drain. (If I can figure out how to post photos again.)
 

[HeavyDinSC]

By the way, I meant to say thank you for all the informative responses. Really appreciate you guys taking the time to help out here. I'll try to post images of my fix. Probably going to do that in a few days.
 

[wingtime]

There should be a access pie plate on the inboard wall of the forward starboard fishbox that will let you see and access the hose connection to the drain in the center fisbox. Also if the problem is the thru hull fitting you can always cut in aND install a new access plate. That center box seems to collect water and I think you will regret blocking it off. Also that's a bunch of work and you will never match the gel coat properly.

[HeavyDinSC]

Wingtime, you're correct, there is some access to the hose via the inspection port you mentioned, but I won't be sealing off the fishbox drain, I'll simply let it drain into the bilge as it's doing now. I know it will be a little tough to match the gelcoat, but I don't mind it being a shade or two off. Applying a patch this size really won't be that much work and I'll be a lot more comfortable knowing I have one less hole in the boat.
Thanks again.

[HeavyDinSC]

Guys, I apologize for not finishing up this thread. I did eventually resolve the water ingress issue, but it was a bear to get my mitts around the detached hose and work it back over the nozzle at the bottom end of the drain because access is so limited. I had to do this by going through the inspection port that sits inside the starboard fish locker. Before reattaching it, I slipped two stainless hoseclamps over the hose, one in either direction. After tightening those, I haven't experienced any leaking while underway. Another problem solved with the help of the collective braintrust at Classic Aquasport. Thanks!

[wingtime]

The same thing happened on my 170.  The drain hose was laying down in the bilge.  This was a very dangerous situation since the thru hull is just above the waterline...  a little extra weight on the bow and water would have poured in thru the drain hose into the bilge...  sinking the boat.  The PO had simply placed a rubber plug in the thu-hull.... good thing I investigated whey there was a plug there....  The drain fitting in the fish box was plugged up and damaged too.... so I had to replace it and reconnect the hose thru that little inspection plate... so I feel your pain.  I'd post pics... but well photobucket sucks.

[Woodeneye]

same thing happened to me....detached drain hose. Scary.