water in bilge

[Chris Duval]

Greetings: I am getting a substantial amount of water in my bilge and was wondering where it may be coming in. I have checked for leaks and have found none and have replaced drain plug. The only idea I may have is that I used to run the boat and bring it back to the dock and up on its lift, but recently have used the boat more for water sports and is sitting in the water for longer periods of time. The boat is 86 22 with the thru hull at the water line, Could it be back washing up thru there? Any input would be appreciated. Chris Duval

[Morgan's Cloud]

Oh no .. not again :bonk:
The last time the leaking question came up on a 22 everyone chipped in and covered ALL the bases ... at least that's what we thought !
It turned out that the only place no one thought of was where it was coming in .
Through the trim tab pipe fitting !
Should'nt be too long before you have about 10 different things to check.
That's my guess :D

[Carl C]

There is a lot of good info in this thread that I posted this spring. http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?t=49003 My leak turned out to be an unusual one; A cracked gimbal housing. Of course the two bellows are the most common sources. If you can, take a bright flashlight on the lake and lay on the motor with your head to the side and look for water trickling down the transom. More good info here: http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?t=48638

[Pismo]

Hot or cold water? narrows it down some.

[Chris Duval]

Thanks guys for the input. I'll do some investigating. The thing that is disturbing is I haven't used the boat much at all in the past 4 years until this year. Up until this year I never had an ounce of water in the bilge, but I didn't trailer it until this year either whether that makes a difference or not. Thanks again, Chris

[Carl C]

The thing that is disturbing is I haven't used the boat much at all in the past 4 years until this year. The main bellows is probably cracked. Has the boat been sitting with the drive up?

[Chris Duval]

only when trailering, I tilt down with a support underneath when stored. Thanks for the insight, Chris