NEED SOME ADVICE.

[BANDIT1]

First let me just say thanks to the people that developed this site and to the people who so unselfishly share their wealth of information with the rest of us. I recently purchased a 1987 222 Osprey from a friend of mine. The boat went down last year while docked but only the back end and it completely submerged the engine, which was a total loss. I have since put a 2003 200 H.P. Mercury Salt Water on the boat. The boat was only down for a few hours and the water never got to the console so all the electronics work fine. I have read a lot your post about the foam under the deck becoming water logged and I was wondering how I go about checking it without having to rip deck out since the deck seems to be very solid and has no soft spots. Any advice you guys have would be greatly appreciated.

[MarshMarlowe196]

Do you have a hatch / inspection plate on the floor near your transom?  If so, you may be able to see two of the stringers from that hatch.  If you can see them, you can drill a small hole into the side of the stringer to see if you can verify moisture in the stringer.  Then patch it up.  

That's a lot of if's, but its the one of the easiest ways to start.

[BANDIT1]

THE ONLY ACCESS IN THE REAR IS THE SMALL COVER TO THE BILGE AREA AND THEN THERE IS ANOTHER SMALL COVER IN THE FRONT BUT HALF OF IT IS UNDER THE FRONT OF THE CONSOLE. IM THINKING SOME ONE MUST HAVE MOVED THE CONSOLE FORWARD AT SOME POINT. I GUESS I COULD GET A SMALL DRILL IN THE BACK ACCESS HOLE BUT WHAT SIZE HOLE SHOULD I DRILL IN THE STRINGER ?

[MarshMarlowe196]

When you look in the hatch (if you can), you should be able to see the stringers. Since the stern of the boat was submerged, I would start there.  Honestly, unless you plan on cutting out the floor, there's no easy fix for waterlogged stringers. If the transom and floor are solid, and the boat doesn't seem to be sitting too low in the water, I'd just hang the new motor and go fishing until it becomes a real issue.

edit- the hole should be big enough to stick your finger in :) just be sure to patch it up well with glass

[BANDIT1]

Ok that sounds great, I really appreciate your help. Let me ask you another question, when I hooked the batteries up the fuel gauge went to full even though the tank was empty. When i dissconected the wire to the gauge it went back to empty and i was told that this means that the gauge is probably ok and that the sending unit is bad or that the wire from the sending unit to the gauge is shorted out somewhere. The problem is getting access to the sending unit since the access panel in front is partially covered by the console. the only way I can think of to get to it without taking the console loose and raising it would be to cut another hole in the deck and add another pie plate hatch in front of the other one. My question is whether or not there is anything under the deck in that area that i need to be aware of to avoid causing any damage like wires or hoses ?

[Capt. Bob]

If it were me, I'd loosen the console and tilt it forward.
I would not cut another hole in the deck unless it was necessary.
Removing the screws and tilting/sliding  is a lot easier than cutting the tank cover with it in place.

[BANDIT1]

Ok thanks Capt. BOB I will try that. Do you know how I can go about checking the sending unit to see if its working or if the wire is shorted out ?

[seabob4]

When a sender is not grounded, turning the ign key to run will cause it to peg to full.  Check the continuity between the black wire on the sender to a known "good" ground, batt neg or ground bus.  Whatever you do, do not apply 12V to the pink wire on the sender.  This will fry the gauge.  Senders work on resistance, not voltage.  The resistance range is 33-240 Ohms...

[MarshMarlowe196]

SeaBob-  Didn't you have a nice wiring schematic diagram for sending unit to fuel gauge?  


One thing I thought I might add to drilling into the stringer-  When/if you drill the hole, try to drill as close to the bottom of the stringer as possible, but not too close to the transom itself - like 3-4" forward of the transom.  This way, if there is a large volume of water present in your stringers, some/most of it can drain out.  If you do see water draining out of the hole you created, I would go ahead and do the same to the opposite stringer and let it drain for at least a few days before you patch it.

I've heard some people that have a water intrusion issue in the stringers have done this and actually plugged the hole with a drain plug.  They would pull the plug every few months and let it drain.

[BANDIT1]

Ok thank you both for your suggestions I will try that tommorow and see what happens.

[bumpster]

If the boat is in the water see where it sits at rest. If the back end was under and the foam is waterlogged there is a pretty good chance it will sit low in the stern

[Capt. Bob]

IMHO,
I'd be more inclined to worry about the fuel tank. If it is original, then it's a real good chance that it needs replacing. Couple that with the fact that water more than likely entered the coffin where the tank resides and it's just a matter of time.
A short time.

[MarshMarlowe196]

If the boat is in the water see where it sits at rest. If the back end was under and the foam is waterlogged there is a pretty good chance it will sit low in the stern

Good idea, but what seems like waterlogged stringers causing to the boat to sit low in the stern might actually be the weight of the outboard itself.  200HP EFI Mercury is >500lbs.

IMHO,
I'd be more inclined to worry about the fuel tank. If it is original, then it's a real good chance that it needs replacing. Couple that with the fact that water more than likely entered the coffin where the tank resides and it's just a matter of time.
A short time.

IMO- yes it might be cause for concern, but the fill/vent on the  tank is forward of the console, and since the stern of the boat was the only portion submerged, and for only a few hours, it's a good possibility it's ok.  I know my tank coffin has drain holes in it in the case water were to enter the coffin, not sure about your boat- but Bob's right, you'll never know for sure until you pull the tank.  I'm still running on the orginal tank in my boat (73'), but I pulled it out and had it pressure tested.  

Since it's the off-season, I'd say you should go ahead and unmount the console, pull the tank hatch, and have everything checked.  This way, you could find out if your tank's good (save some serious $$$ - tanks aren't cheap), go ahead and replace your fill/vent lines, replace/rewire your sending unit if needed, and place the console back in it's original position so you'd have a forward hatch you can actually use.

[slvrlng]

If you do drill into the bottom of the stringers I have heard of some people actually drilling a hole large enough to insert the end of a small wet dry vacuum. Tilt the hull up and let the vac run for awhile. The original foam is porous and the vac pull on the lowest point simply pulls whatever is in there out quicker by capillary action. If you get gallons out you know very quickly that there is a larger issue. If you can find a vac with a small enough end you can use his idea of simply plugging the hole with a drain plug rather than having to glass anything.