Water in the Bilge?? Where is it coming from

[boatnfly]

Ok I need some help, i have a 2008 SV211,In great condition well cared for. But I am getting a good amount of water in my bilge. Can't figure out where it is coming from.
I tried:
Not removing the drain plug, pulling it out of the water and looking for where it drains out of.... I figured if its coming in somewhere it should come back out of the same place once out of the water NO LUCK
I tried putting the flush muff on it to see if it was coming from an intake hose (NOPE)
I tried aiming a hose at the hole that houses the hydro gate.. figured its typically under water and it is high enough that on land the water wouldn't leak out.(NOPE)
I can see the ballast hoses and cocks, nothing leaking there
So when i put the boat in the water (engine OFF or ON no difference) and observe the hatch open to see the bilge, I see water slowly accumulating... where the devil is it coming from??
IDEAS??

[GCSuper]

Most likely place would be the packing around the shaft.

[boatnfly]

I thought so too, but so you think it would leak back out of the packing?
any ideas on how to repack it myself... I'm just trying to imagine getting at it

[a0128]

So when i put the boat in the water (engine OFF or ON no difference) and observe the hatch open to see the bilge, I see water slowly accumulating... where the devil is it coming from??
IDEAS??

Sounds like your rudder shaft is leaking.

[Tallredrider]

Just to be sure, you should shut off the water intake on your engine and put the boat in the water. If your leaking is still happening, then you have at least isolated that the engine is not the source. Do your ballasts each have shutoff valves? Do the same for those. Just listening to the story, my money is on the rudder or prop shaft.

[scottb7]

How fast does it fill?

It could be any fitting. But I would try getting under the boat and be sure that the screws holding all the fittings on are tight. I was testing stuff this spring and I had the 2 screws out on below referenced part. And while on the muff thing 2 streams of water were coming into the boat, just from the screw holes. They go all the way thru the hull.

http://www.nautiqueparts.com/waterst...tomofboat.aspx

[NautiqueJeff]

From your manual:






Check the shaft packing and the rudder packing, and if leaking excessively, snug them up a bit.

[nukemustang]

I would pull the engine side curtains and put it in the water to see if it is leaking from the shaft penetration or the rudder penetration. Those are very difficult to see from the top. Also could be leaking from one of the hoses to the raw water pump on the front of the motor.

Some other sources of water could be the built in cooler (this drains directly to the bilge but should be "slow" as the ice melts) or ballast tank with a cracked or busted fitting at the tank pretty much resulting in directly filling the bilge with lake water. The tanks in the rear you would have to pull the carpeted tank cover, but should be able to see those pretty easy.

[swatguy]

As mentioned could be shaft packing or seal as well as rudder. You could in essence fill the inside and not get a leak. But minute your boat is floating the pressure from boat pushing on the water will now force water to the leaky seals.

[boatnfly]

Late this week i will crawl under and check all hardware screws. Will also check prop and rudder seals. I'm thinking its one of those. Does anyone know of YouTube for help on actually getting to the rudder or prop shaft?
I don't know about you but anytime i lift the engine cover and even think about putting a hand somewhere in there, i come out with a cut or scrape from some unknown source.
Also seems to happen when i try messing with my Fiat Spiders engine. I think its an "non-mechanic" thing ;-)

[nukemustang]

Cuts and scrapes are okay, I hate the fiberglass that always seems to work its way into places... and then spend a few days with red bumps...

It's kind of a pain to get the engine dividers out but does make access much easier. I unbolt the top brace on the drivers side to remove and reinstall it easier. The one on the port side you can lift up and shift over to remove. I don't know of youtube videos to help with that... it usually involves a few swear words on my end.

[boatnfly]

All, thanks for your insight and suggestions.... I did a thorough inspection this summer. AH HA, the upper plate surrounding the rudder has a crack through it. I see water leaking. Summer is too hot and not enough time to address it, thank God for bilge pumps. Here I am post season, pulled the port ballast tank, stuffed myself down there and pulled it all apart. New packing, new caulking, new bronze upper plate.

[boatnfly]

All is well, Rudder shaft packing replaced, no leaks. Tough reach but do-able

[Evening Shade]

Glad you got it fixed. So it was the rudder plate in the bilge that had the crack in it?

[boatnfly]

Yes, easy fix. Thought it was grease on the plate it was actually cracked. But boy was it tough to get to had to remove port ballast tank and climb in, twist reach and blindly work
but all done.