GAMBLER LEAKING WATER

I JUST BOUGHT A USED 1999 INTIMIDATOR 20 AND IT HAS A BAD WATER LEAK. IT LOOKS LIKE THE TOP CAP WHERE MOUNTS TO THE HULL IS LEAKING. ANYBODY HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM. WHAT IS THE BEST FIX?

we've had another on here ask about the top and bottom halves seperating and letting water in but i can't find the thread! i'll keep looking.....

is this a common problem with gamblers?

No, this is definitely not a common problem with Gamblers.

You might want to check your bildge pump in the bottom of the boat. My pump had a crack in the neck, replaced pump and no more water.

WATER ONLY COMES IN WHEN RUB RAIL IS IN THE WATER. THERE IS A POST ABOUT A 209 SINKING FROM THIS.

It sounds like you need to reseal all along the back under the rubrail; that'll cure the problem.

mine was leaking.

It was leaking at the transom ....not between the top cap and hull, but
around hoses that entered the hull.


The dealer resealed EVERYTHING on the transom and the leak dissapeared!

Gamblers are sealed with a bead of silicone around where the top cap and hull come together... Get yourself a tube of marine grade silicone rubber, and go around the underside of the entire topcap and reseal... Entire project should take less than an hour, and it was a standard maintenance item for me as I fish a lot of timber... We had a name for the short trees that come up just to the rub rail and catch the silicone, "Silicone Grabbers" and they could often take off strips of silicone over a foot long or more... Reseal with a product like this

http://www.basspro.com/servlet...sults

Like I said, this was a regular maintenance item for me... http://www.bassboatcentral.com/boardstuff2/beers.gif

DO YOU NEED TO REMOVE THE RUB RAIL ? WOULD 5200 3M BE GOOD TO USE?

No, you shouldn't need to... Just get down there and take a look, you'll see the space that needs the silicone right under the rubrail where the hull meets the top cap... Not sure about that 3M Product, that link in my above post is what I used... http://www.bassboatcentral.com/boardstuff2/pimp2.gif

I had the same issue. 3m 5200 will work fine.

Yep, been their...

My 95 Intimidator had to have the rub rail removed from the back half, re-epoxy seam and new pop-rivets. I was told the epoxy they used back then did not hold up over time as well as the new stuff they use.

My local Gambler rep (Ken from PA) did the work in his driveway in a few days at no cost. Great guy and did a great job. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/bows.gif

I'm happy to say the boat is back to jumping waves just as well as when it was new.


Modified by 5 Alive at 6:53 PM 10/17/2006

I called Gambler on early monday called again after lunch. Still waiting on a return phone call. Is the warranty on the hull good only for the first owner.

who's this Ken in Pa?

I forget his last name but he lives around NE Philly. He was handing the Gambler sales for Highway Marine so you can try them.

Mine leaks also,especially when launching or loading the boat when the back end rub rail is in the water for any length of time.

Merc... It seems that this problem is more common than folks want to admit and when I talked to Bob A. about it a few months ago, he wasn't willing to cover it under warenty. (I was the orignial owner) I bought the new glue from Gambler on my dime and fixed it myself. It wasn't that bad of a job, just frustrating after spending the money on a high end boat like this.

But before you go down this road, fill the boat with water using a garden hose and see where the water comes out. If you don't have sealed batteries (AGM, Gel-cell) remove them first. The leak could be from hose fittings, pumps, etc. Even if it is from the seperated top cap, you need to know exactly where it is so that yo don't have fix the whole boat.

If you determine that the topcap is seperating, shoot me an email and I can talk you through the repair. It isn't to hard to do yourself.

I posted a little bit about the repair under "sunken 209" below.

The dealer I bought it from is going to have it fixed for me. They said is going to remove the rub rail and fix it right I hope. Some one already put silcone on the bottom of the rail and it didn't work. What kind of glue did they send you?

Merc.. It was an appoxi(sp) type of adhesive. No brand name markings on the cans. It is the same stuff that they use to "glue" the current boats together. Bob told me that the stuff that they used back in the 96-98 time frame had given them some problems. Glad to see your dealer is stepping up to help you out.

STILL WAITING TO GET MY BOAT BACK.