1987 Osprey Striper 170 Side Port Question

[actualcivil]

Hi Dear members.

New member here. I have owned this boat for 4 years, but I admit i am the type who doesn't know too much about it but trying to get there.


I own a 1987 Striper 170 and recently i have been noticing more water in the bilge that i have seen before. I am trying to track down the culprit and see what the entry point may be. It has come down to the drain plug area and this port on the right side of the hull which i am not sure what the function is

do you know what this port is and what it does? I always thought it was for the live well to suck water into it. I have a live well in front of the center console but i never was able to bring water onboard, so I assumed it's only a recycling pump.

I am attaching the picture of the port on the side of the hull and another of the live well to show how many ports it has in there.

any help would be greatly appreciated!!

[Capt. Bob]

That is either the fish box drain or the live well drain. I need to dig into some old post to see which.

[actualcivil]

Thanks Capt. Bob
what is a fish box? i know i have a live well and the casting area has multiple storage areas with one that has a drain. That one drains into the bilge. The live well i have drains into the deck. So i am not sure that one is a drain. I always just assumed its the inlet for the Live Well but i stuck a hose in it and ran the pump but not water made it to the live well.

[Capt. Bob]

what is a fish box? i know i have a live well and the casting area has multiple storage areas with one that has a drain. That one drains into the bilge. The live well i have drains into the deck. So i am not sure that one is a drain. I always just assumed its the inlet for the Live Well but i stuck a hose in it and ran the pump but not water made it to the live well.

The large storage area on the casting deck can also be used as fish storage (box). That drain should be connected to the thru hull you framed in the photo. One would not want fish scales and other debris flowing directly into the bilge. If there is not a hose on it, there should be.

A raw water pick up(scoop) would probably be located more toward the stern and under the hull and have a pump mounted on top of it. I'm not sure your model came with a pick up.

Curious, when you placed the hose in the thru hull, did any water end up in the bilge?
Thru hulls placed that close to the waterline should have a hose connected to prevent unwanted water from entering the hull.

[wingnut]

I have an '86 170. When I began gutting it, that through hull was cracked and the hose from the center forward hatch (the only one with a drain) was badly deteriorated. Definitely worth a look. It does not draw water in though, it only lets water out when you pull the plug at the bottom of the compartment.

However, in mine, that through hull is WELL above the waterline... If yours is below, there may be something else going on.

Question for you - are you getting lots of rain, and have you checked to see if the water accumulating in your bilge is fresh or salt? If it's fresh, a good place to start is the area between the liner and fishing rod holder cutouts, as it's not really sealed and water can easily get down into the bilge.

[Capt. Bob]

Pic of my 86 - 170.


The fish box thru hull drain is visible. It is indeed above the waterline in somewhat calm water but well above is relative I would say. The stern thru hull for the bilge is also visible. I would say that is well above the waterline.

My point is that while underway in a less than dead calm sea and also coming hard off of plane could result in water entering the thru hull in that location. When the hose is connected, seawater cannot enter the hull. This may be an additional point source for not only water in the bilge but also in the tank coffin.

[wingnut]

Agreed, "well above" is a relative term... above the waterline in any case. If it's below the waterline, then there may be a soggy situation belowdecks.

May help if we knew about how much water we're talking about. A few gallons after a long day out? Half a bilge full after sitting in the water for a couple days?

Either way, the forward hatch should drain through that through hull, not into the bilge, so that hose is likely gone, deteriorated, or disconnected. This is what mine looked like prior to replacement.

[Capt. Bob]

Thanks for confirming Wing. It was 2 Aquas ago since owning the 170 and I wasn't sure but it was logical. My 86 didn't have a bait well under the front seat. About the only "dry" storage area, again a relative term. Water getting in the thru hull certainly wouldn't help his tank life.