How much water in bilge is normal in a SV-211? (pic inside)

[jhoffy22]

While surfing today over the course of a few runs, I would build up approximately 5 inches of water in the rear of the boat in the bilge area (roughly 1.5" above the top of the drain plug handle). I have my vent taped because the wake shaper can shoot water into the vent if not. Does this seem like too much water? The manual gives no indication of what an acceptable water level in the bilge area is.

[ScooterMcgavin]

Yes that’s abnormal amount of water. I would start looking at where it’s coming in from. You can fill hull on the trailer and see if you can locate where the leak is. Something is going on.

[jhoffy22]

Yes that’s abnormal amount of water. I would start looking at where it’s coming in from. You can fill hull on the trailer and see if you can locate where the leak is. Something is going on.

I'll give that a try. I did some troubleshooting and found that the bilge really only fills up with water when weighted down with ballast bags (one 740lb bag in each locker and one 500lb bag + hard tank in belly).

[NautiqueJeff]

It is likely coming from the rubrail area. The seal between the deck and the hull was not perfect on those boats. To fix it, pull the rubrail and seal the area between the hull and the deck.

Also, you should make a habit of having your auto bilge pump on when running the boat so that the water never gets that high.

[jhoffy22]

It is likely coming from the rubrail area. The seal between the deck and the hull was not perfect on those boats. To fix it, pull the rubrail and seal the area between the hull and the deck.

Also, you should make a habit of having your auto bilge pump on when running the boat so that the water never gets that high.

Thanks for the info. I actually had the auto bilge pump on and it was still retaining this much water.

Have you resealed the hull and deck before? If so, did you use sealant in the screw holes for the screws that hold the piece of rubber on the boat?

[bturner]

Something is wrong with your pump as well then as you should never have that much water in the bilge. You're very close to the level of the bearing on the coupler which is not good. The other issue I see is with taping the vent. You need to figure this out as well as the vent is there to "vent" fumes that can cause a fire or explosion in the engine compartment. Maybe make some kind of spray shield or something but you really need to have that vent working IMO.

[BigRedSV211]

If the water is warm, check your heater core. Mine was leaking and I had that amount of water after a day, but it was warm.

[jhoffy22]

If the water is warm, check your heater core. Mine was leaking and I had that amount of water after a day, but it was warm.

I'm relatively confident that it's not any leak from the engine or components because it only happens when the boat is weighted down for surfing.

[MTRBTR]

I would second the rub rail. They are known on some of the 211s to let in water. I have seen YouTube videos of it. And yes you could use 4200 and try to reseal. I also agree with the above post that your auto bilge pumps don’t seem to be working properly.

[jhoffy22]

It would seem that my stern bilge pump isn't working. I think I hear it kicking on to check for water but it's definitely not pumping any water out and the bilge is full. Time to figure that out.