Taking on water

[pathosmusic]

Today on the lake I ran the bilge a few times and noticed quite a bit of water, solid stream for about 30-40 sec. When I got home and took the plug out it ran strong for about 4 min before turning into a drip, even tho the bilge pump wasnt pumping more water out on the lake.

While sitting on the back and taking some wakes over the transom, I noticed there are 2 holes where obviously a ton of water was getting in from the back being sumberged during those wakes. I attached a picture of them here. I washed the boat down and for fun i just put the hose in one of those holes and sure enough, a steady stream of water started out of the drain, but nothing out of the bilge pump. Should these have something covering them? I never thought much of them because Ive only had the boat for a year and didnt get out on it that much.

Also why would the bilge pump not be kicking the water out? It does kick some out on the water, like i said, but there was a ton coming out of the drain plug in the driveway and the bilge pump didnt see any of it.

Holes.jpg

[tracer1]

Looks like access holes for the transom/jackplate bolts. And yes, they should have plugs in them.

[pathosmusic]

Looks like access holes for the transom/jackplate bolts. And yes, they should have plugs in them.

Where the heck would i find these? Should i just measure the hole and try to find any old rubber plug?

[Zpilot]

Where the heck would i find these? Should i just measure the hole and try to find any old rubber plug?

Ranger parts will have them.

[mikesxpress]

Replace your OEM pasties. Those OEM stick on's are a PIA.




I requested these "samples" from Caplugs.


Tap them in and pop them out when you need to check JP bolt torque. They seal the hole just fine with no adhesive goo.

[jc2bg]

Nice, Mike! [second pic]

[tracer1]

If you measure the holes, you can probably find them at Lowes. I replaced one of mine and it's the same as those in Mike's picture. They were in the pull out trays at Lowes.

[pathosmusic]

This still doesnt answer my question of why the bilge pump wasnt spitting this water out? Also the drain has been slowly dripping overnight and is still going. Is this normal?

[jc2bg]

This still doesnt answer my question of why the bilge pump wasnt spitting this water out? Also the drain has been slowly dripping overnight and is still going. Is this normal?

How long have you owned the boat, and if a while/years, has it been exhibiting this issue all along, or is this new? Bilge pumps won’t remove every bit of water; they simply are not mounted low enough/flush enough to the bottom of the bilge to pump the bilge dry. And depending upon the angle of your boat at rest—that is, how high or low the bow is—enough water might be trapped forward in the hull to continue to trickle for days. If you want to get all the water out, remove the drain plug, jack the bow up high, and that should do it. You might even place some sort of container or flat pan beneath the drain to get an idea of how much water really was there.

Even brand-new boats can take on water when backing down the launch ramp in the morning, or from heavy wave action, etc. Most frequently, this water comes in through the engine rigging hole. If the boat in your signature is the one in question [1996], it might be taking on a small amount of water from various sources. It’s not uncommon for a gallon or so to remain after the bilge pump stops pumping, but all this speculation assumes that your bilge pump is mounted appropriately, working as designed, and so forth. You’ll never get every bit of water out of your bilge with a bilge pump, but getting in there and inspecting your pumps might be a step toward getting the maximum. Anything is possible, including the bilge pump breaking loose from its fastenings and lying on its side, in which case it would not function optimally.

[tracer1]

^^^^^ +1

[1BADAIR]

Auto bilge is normally higher. After my auto shuts off the manual one will still pump more out

[jc2bg]

Auto bilge is normally higher. After my auto shuts off the manual one will still pump more out

True this. ^ I do not know whether the OP has an auto bilge pump, but if one is mounted as on the newer Rangers, it does remove nearly all bilge water.

[pathosmusic]

How long have you owned the boat, and if a while/years, has it been exhibiting this issue all along, or is this new? Bilge pumps won’t remove every bit of water; they simply are not mounted low enough/flush enough to the bottom of the bilge to pump the bilge dry. And depending upon the angle of your boat at rest—that is, how high or low the bow is—enough water might be trapped forward in the hull to continue to trickle for days. If you want to get all the water out, remove the drain plug, jack the bow up high, and that should do it. You might even place some sort of container or flat pan beneath the drain to get an idea of how much water really was there.

Even brand-new boats can take on water when backing down the launch ramp in the morning, or from heavy wave action, etc. Most frequently, this water comes in through the engine rigging hole. If the boat in your signature is the one in question [1996], it might be taking on a small amount of water from various sources. It’s not uncommon for a gallon or so to remain after the bilge pump stops pumping, but all this speculation assumes that your bilge pump is mounted appropriately, working as designed, and so forth. You’ll never get every bit of water out of your bilge with a bilge pump, but getting in there and inspecting your pumps might be a step toward getting the maximum. Anything is possible, including the bilge pump breaking loose from its fastenings and lying on its side, in which case it would not function optimally.

Super informative response, I appreciate that! I am a new owner of this boat, as well as new to boating in general so I'm still learning about these things. I did notice that there was some "gunk" in the hole this morning with the water dripping, and that there was a small amount of water still visibile under the floor drains. Maybe i need to pull out the floor drain covers and blast the hose down there to give it a good cleaning, as well as remove the oil tank and plate it mounts on to get under it and see if there is more "stuff" holding the water back causing a slow drip. I will also check the bilge and its mounting situation to make sure it hasnt tipped or is mounted weird.

You are correct that this doesnt have an auto bilge, at least not the way i bought it from the last owner. I was out on the lake for another 5 hours today, mostly tied up to other boats on the sand bar. Didn't take any wakes or water over the transom, and there was maybe a 1/2 gallon of water that came out when i pulled the plug, and i only ran the bilge once before i went back to the boat ramp. SO that is good news. I know the bulk of the water from Saturday was from taking wakes over the transom and through the bolt holes.

[tracer1]

Looking at the picture you posted, it could be getting water from the access cover ( I believe that what is shown) and most definitely from the rigging tube that is torn up. As John said jack the tongue of the trailer as high as you can. Also, check the live well plumbing for leaks at the hose fittings. Just take a garden hose, run water in the live wells and check for any leaks. Most of the time it's from somewhere you least expect. Be sure and replace that rigging tube or you'll always have water in it.

[pathosmusic]

Looking at the picture you posted, it could be getting water from the access cover ( I believe that what is shown) and most definitely from the rigging tube that is torn up. As John said jack the tongue of the trailer as high as you can. Also, check the live well plumbing for leaks at the hose fittings. Just take a garden hose, run water in the live wells and check for any leaks. Most of the time it's from somewhere you least expect. Be sure and replace that rigging tube or you'll always have water in it.

I'm dropping the boat off next week to get the motor looked at, and I mentioned the water thing and he said he will take a look and see if he notices anything more than what I asked here. Appreciate the responses from everyone, will update when I know more!