BA...mine leeks a little bit too. But its not a Hermco...its a home made
Fishing in a slosh water gets in via 3 deckplates, cable clam, rigging tube...you name it.
This year I added a switched bilge pump to it. I was sick of hand pumping it at the end of the day. The boat is moored and it dosnt leak at rest while moored.
I am going to try your fill it with water trick to test my 5200
