RT178 Taking on water

[illini71]

I have a 2018 RT178 with a ETec 25hp and everything has been great so far. So the other day I ran into some rough water and when I got to my spot the bilge started duping water. It only happened once there but when I was loading up up the boat the bilge pump started dumping water out again.

I see no visible signs of cracks on the boat itself. Awhile back I did notice water draining from drain but no water draining from the plug. At the time I didn’t think much of it. I keep the livewell on empty and never had an issue or water in the livewell.

In another instance that happened that may be related. I never use the livewell so one day I opened it up and was surprised to see it half full. That’s the day when I loaded up the boat and noticed no water coming out of the plug, only the livewell drain.

I’m stumped cause all the connections look good.
I did put on a Atlus jack plate and Talon and these issues all happened after the install. The JP bolts are sealed and don’t see any water seeping in from there.

Today I jacked up the boat and trailer to unhook and the darn bilge pump started pumping out water. I keep my boat outside with a ranger cover. Could it be rain water maybe? Like I said I’m stumped. This all started after that run in rough water. Any help would greatly appreciated.

[Cerus]

The livewell will fill up a bit when on the water - that’s normal. Was the plug in good and tight? Should be very snug.

Bit confused on the rest. Did you have it hooked up and covered when it was raining? Shouldn’t be any water in it when it’s trailered and the plug is out.

Best way to test for leaks is to put some water in the bilge and livewell at home with the plug in and livewell set to auto/recirc (not empty) and look for water leaks around the outside.

Also I could be mistaken but I think Ranger won’t warranty a boat that didn’t come with a jack plate from the factory.

[illini71]

I contacted ranger and they said an Atlus 4in is perfectly fine. Even though recommend the micro he said it was fine as long as I don’t go any bigger like 6in.

I will give that a try in the morning and see if I see anything. I always run with the livewell on empty. Should I keep it on recirculate when using the livewell.

Thanks

[alli ss]

Can you even get on plane with a 25hp? Id say judging by your story that you either have a crack from the ruff water ot your install is leaking somewhere. If it didnt leak before you put poles on and started leaking after the install, id be starting right there.

[Cerus]

I contacted ranger and they said an Atlus 4in is perfectly fine. Even though recommend the micro he said it was fine as long as I don’t go any bigger like 6in.

I will give that a try in the morning and see if I see anything. I always run with the livewell on empty. Should I keep it on recirculate when using the livewell.

Thanks

On empty it will fill up partially and then empty when on plane. How ya run it when in use depends on the situation. Once full recirculate does what it sounds like. No fresh lake water - just cycles the water that’s in it. Auto will pull in fresh lake water whenever it runs.

I agree with the above for the most part. Could be a coincidence though and your plug just wasn’t tight enough. I’ve done that on occasion. It helps to wet the o ring a bit too.

[illini71]

It will just takes a half mile. It did not leak after the install this happened way after I installed the JP. I used the minn Kota bracket to keep from putting any holes back there. So there can only be two bolt holes from the JP that could cause any seeping and their sealed.

The boat sat for a few days with the water in the hull and saw no water leaking out.

[illini71]

I’m hoping it’s a simple plug issue I’m going get out tomorrow and really monitor it. Cause everything is in order. I’m using a remote flow right plug and maybe it wasn’t in all the way that.

[eriedude]

Had the same deal. If you don't get the drain plug in properly it will leak quite a bit, enough to get the bilge pump going. That's not the best drain plug assembly imho.

[Bill Reynolds]

There is a possibility that you have a crack in the front of the hull. I know of 3 RT series boats that had to have the hull replaced because of cracks in the aluminum substrate.
To test for this,
place the boat on a level surface and lower the tongue so the front is lower than the back. With the plug in, run water into the bilge so that it fills the front of the boat. This crack will be hard to find but if it is there it will probably be close to welded center keel.
This is a long shot but I mention it because your symptoms are the same as mine and my hull was cracked.

[illini71]

I took the boat out today to see if I could see anything. I shut off the water to the livewell and kept looking for any seepage and nothing. Here’s what I think, we’ve had a ton rain mixed with me running my boat with the livewell on empty. The mixture of rain and the livewell overflow and the drain plug not being totally seated is likely the issue.
I had it out for about 6 hours and no issues on the water

[CBuckBassin]

I chased this SAME problem on my 198P. Cause was a split water hose leading to my speedo. Couldn’t for the life of me figure it out. Try pulling the splice apart and plugging it off right at the transom to see if that helps.

[alli ss]

Put grease on the drain plug o ring

[jml]

I have to use my pliers to get my plug tight enough. Was leaking when hand tight.