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  1. #1
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    All Welded Lowe Roughneck Hull Leak - Can't Find The Leak

    Got this problem with my 2008 Lowe Roughneck 1448.

    I have had the boat for about 8 months now. Last summer, I noticed it would take on a little bit of water and I thought it might be seeping through the drain tube. The hull is super clean. Over the last couple of months, the leak started to become noticeably worse and I had the feeling it wasn't the drain tube.

    I tried filling the boat with water just to diagnose where the leak was coming from. Go figure, it held water perfectly. I had the drain tube replaced recently just in case, and that didn't make a difference at all.

    The leak is kind of really bad now while I am running the boat. It takes on about a gallon of water or more for every 20 minutes I run the boat. While at rest, it's not so bad, only takes a tiny bit of water. It's still a bit concerning.

    I wonder if there's possibly a crack in the hull weld that's flexing while the boat's running and it's becoming worse.

    My boat has a floor. It has foam under there which I've really wanted to get rid of anyway.

    Thinking about pulling the floor and seeing what's there.

    Appreciate any suggestions on how to diagnose and fix the problem. I think once I find the leak, its just a matter of having someone weld that area again?

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    #2
    I have one of the Lowe Roughneck 1455's and mine cracked right beneath the vertical deck support. I had to pull the floor and cut out all the insulation in that spot and weld it from both sides. Actually the welds on the braces under the floor broke. I went ahead and welded all of them all the way across in that area.
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  3. Member Mechanic Bob's Avatar
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    #3
    Have you looked where the boat sits on the bunks? If exposed to salt water, you could have some pitting from corrosion between the bunks and the aluminum hull. I had that happen to an aluminum boat I owned a few years back.
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    #4
    Thanks, Bob. This boat has never been used in saltwater. The hull is really in terrific condition. Super clean. I think it has to be a crack in some of the welds that flexes when the boat's running.

    Not sure how else to explain why the boat takes on a lot of water while running and not so much while just floating at rest.

  5. Member Bill Reynolds's Avatar
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    #5
    I had the exact symptoms with my RT188 taking on water, mostly when under power. I tried all the same things as you, and then some, to find the leak. I made a mistake though, when I put water into the boat with a hose, I raised the front very high because I thought the leak was at the transom. I found no leak, but when I made a run on the lake I would take on enough water for the bilge pump to come on.
    Turns out I had a crack in the hull material near the center keel extrusion up near the bow. It was at or slightly under the water line when the boat was at rest but took on water when under way.
    long story but wanted to share so you could examine your test methods.
    I had a friend that had a leak that was covered by one of his trailer bunks like Bob said, we had to raise the boat off the bunks slightly and then put water in the boat with a hose to find it.

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    #6
    Hey Bill, yeah. The boat was pretty full of water and I lowered the jack just to make sure the water would be spread out evenly.

    I think once I remove the floor and take out the foam it will be much easier to find the leak. The floor isn’t carpeted or covered with anything (luckily, because I planned to put down HydroTurf a little while ago but never got to it!). A bit of a pain to drill through all of those pop rivets and remove the floor but I guess it has to be done to get the best possible fix!

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    #7
    Many times a hairline crack won't leak when water is put in the boat but will leak when the boat is in the water because of the extra pressure from the weight of the boat. You can add a bunch of weight to one side to make it lean, then the other to see if it is from one side and not the center.

    If you have a water pressure gage or speedometer, check the hoses for a crack before you do a bunch of floor removal. Both of those can leak when underway.

    You can also go to an industrial supply store and buy some spray dye penetrant crack detector to check the welds.

    You can tell I am old and would do everything possible before pulling the floor.

    Good luck.

  8. Member Mechanic Bob's Avatar
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    #8
    I would jack it up off the bunks a take a look before I started on removing the flooring. You may not be in "Saltwater" but given your location, I betting there is a lot of brackish water.
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  9. Member tcesni's Avatar
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    #9
    Any chance that is leaking through a fitting where live well hose and live well meet or similar?

  10. Member Mechanic Bob's Avatar
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    #10
    Quote Originally Posted by tcesni View Post
    Any chance that is leaking through a fitting where live well hose and live well meet or similar?
    I highly doubt he has a live well as it is a 14' x 48" wide Jon boat.
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    #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Mechanic Bob View Post
    I highly doubt he has a live well as it is a 14' x 48" wide Jon boat.
    According to the website you can get them with a center live well and side console steering.

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    #12
    There’s no livewell or any kind of hose fittings on my boat. Only opening is supposed to be the drain tube.

    And again, pretty sure to the extent of 99.99% certain that this boat has never been used in saltwater.

    Hoping to take another look at it this weekend.

  13. Member Mechanic Bob's Avatar
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    #13
    Did you ever find the source of you leak?
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    #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Mechanic Bob View Post
    Did you ever find the source of you leak?
    No. It’s interesting. It was pretty bad in cold water. But once the water got above 50 it wasn’t as bad any more. It has slowed down significantly and on one or two trips the boat only took on a tiny bit of water. Didn’t want to mess around with the boat any more during the best time of the year.

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    #15
    Park on a dry level surface, with the plug in fill the bilge area with water up to the floor. Sit back and look for a wet spot on the ground and trace it back from there.
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    #16
    Worse in cold water tends to lean towards lower motor mounts leaking. I’ve had the same issue.

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    #17
    Quote Originally Posted by E-rude_Dude View Post
    Worse in cold water tends to lean towards lower motor mounts leaking. I’ve had the same issue.
    Hmmmm. That could very well be it. There’s a jackplate on the boat. Not too keen on the idea of pulling it off... but maybe I’ll do it one day this summer.

    Thanks for the tip.

  18. Member Mechanic Bob's Avatar
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    #18
    Just pull one bolt at a time, and fully seal it.
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    #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Mechanic Bob View Post
    Just pull one bolt at a time, and fully seal it.
    Ok I’m always willing to learn new things. How do you reseal between jp/motor and transom if you don’t pull it off?