Bilge Water Level on G23

[schaabj]

I had a problem recently putting my boat in the water for the first time with water continuously coming into the bilge. Some investigation reviled it was the screws from the new engine intake scoop under the boat which was installed by my dealer along with the NSS.

Those leaks were fixed by my dealer today and now I can see they are no longer leaking, however, I still have some water in the bilge area. Not enough to run the bilges on my 15min water test tonight.

I was just wondering how much water should be expected in the bilge of the G23? I attached a picture of my bilge after about 15 min of running.

[ers906]

I have the same amount of water if I accidentally take a wave onto the transom cooler, it drains into the bilge. That may not be what is going on here but a place to start I guess

[nyryan2001]

I would also remind you that although you thought your hull was completely dry to begin with, there could have been some water pooled up somewhere else in the hull. It's a massive hull, tons of nooks and hidden areas..... It's not till you start moving the boat around that that water has a chance to move and drain to where you can see it.

Also wish the Link display had a bilge cycle counter, for both bilges, so you knew how often your bilge pumps ran... Right now we don't know if its running unless we see it. Malibu had a warning like an engine fault whenever the bilge would activate.

[gate9869]

It could be coming in from the shaft seal. I heard a lot of gs have this problem from the factory, including mine ! I'm not sure on this but I think when the bilge is running the blue light on the key pad for the bilge gets brighter. ( I THINK) I will double check this next time out because mine constantly runs. I'm hoping the parts for the shaft seal come in soon !!

[NautiqueJeff]

Agree. It is likely the shaft packing. They have a new design that they're using now that fixes the issue.

[schaabj]

Agree. It is likely the shaft packing. They have a new design that they're using now that fixes the issue.

Jeff, is this a recall from the factory which will be fixed on all boats? or just something they are doing different on the newer ones?

I think it could have been residual water from the previous day on the water, but I will keep monitoring it to ensure the water level stays low.

[JamesHawk101]

My boat had the shaft packing problem but had way more water in it then that.

[bsurfin]

My boat had the shaft packing problem but had way more water in it then that.

is the shaft packing bad, or just loose? What do I look for?

[JamesHawk101]

Well mine if you opened the little transmission hatch while under way there would be water spraying everywhere at a really high force.

[schaabj]

Update on this I have run the boat for another weekend of fun on the water and still have the same issue with the water in the bilge. I am not taking water over the walkway, water appears as soon as its floating. This is not normal I am thinking and not very good for a boat that costs as much as a Ferrari.

Every day it is taken out of the water on the trailer and there is a good 2" of water still by the drain plug. The bilge will run constantly all day in intervals. I am certain it is not from the scoop they installed anymore.

I am wondering if anyone else has ideas? I am thinking Jeff is right and it is the packing, however I would like to be sure so that my service time in the fall is short and sweet.

My dealer has said they replaced 3 G23 ballast bags already due to misaligned screws protruding into the fill cavities and puncturing them. I am not certain if this is my problem as the bags seem to remain full and i seem to still get water when they are empty, however we are constantly filling them. The levels on the bags are done by time that the pumps run correct? As in there is no sensor to tell if a bag leaked? My dealer said they tested this by filling the bags on the trailer in the yard and then seeing which one was empty the next morning. I might try this to rule it out.

I am thinking of at least plugging the holes going into the cavity where the plug and batteries are to see if the water is filling in the back by the motor / prop shaft or from the front somewhere (Belly Ballast). Any other ideas of what I can try to better determine the leak?

[JamesHawk101]

I'm pretty sure water can't get out of the ballast bag container so that in the situation a bag totally blows it doesn't sink the boat. It's more then likely your packing, that's the problem I had with my G23

[bsurfin]

Update on this I have run the boat for another weekend of fun on the water and still have the same issue with the water in the bilge. I am not taking water over the walkway, water appears as soon as its floating. This is not normal I am thinking and not very good for a boat that costs as much as a Ferrari.

Every day it is taken out of the water on the trailer and there is a good 2" of water still by the drain plug. The bilge will run constantly all day in intervals. I am certain it is not from the scoop they installed anymore.

I am wondering if anyone else has ideas? I am thinking Jeff is right and it is the packing, however I would like to be sure so that my service time in the fall is short and sweet.

My dealer has said they replaced 3 G23 ballast bags already due to misaligned screws protruding into the fill cavities and puncturing them. I am not certain if this is my problem as the bags seem to remain full and i seem to still get water when they are empty, however we are constantly filling them. The levels on the bags are done by time that the pumps run correct? As in there is no sensor to tell if a bag leaked? My dealer said they tested this by filling the bags on the trailer in the yard and then seeing which one was empty the next morning. I might try this to rule it out.

I am thinking of at least plugging the holes going into the cavity where the plug and batteries are to see if the water is filling in the back by the motor / prop shaft or from the front somewhere (Belly Ballast). Any other ideas of what I can try to better determine the leak?

That sounds like a really good test to isolate the problem. Can you fill the bilge area with water while out of the water and see if you can see if water leaks from the shaft area?

[schaabj]

That sounds like a really good test to isolate the problem. Can you fill the bilge area with water while out of the water and see if you can see if water leaks from the shaft area?

That is a really good idea, I will try that out. Its not a massive leak as the bilge is only running every ~10 mins but i should be able to see something coming out. Thanks!

[schaabj]

Agree. It is likely the shaft packing. They have a new design that they're using now that fixes the issue.

Jeff,

I was thinking about this a little more and most recently had the NSS system installed on my boat. I was looking at the pictures you put up of it going on the planet nautique boat and there is a lot of holes.

I asked my dealership about this being a potential cause and they assued me that all the screws used for it just went in to the fibreglass (Not through the hull due to lack of access to that area) and that there is no way this could cause the leaks.

That being said last year before this install I do not recall the bilge running or any water in the hull without a wave coming in the boat from stopping too fast.

Do you think the NSS install could have caused this kind of water ingress?