Scary Moment

[wavelength]

After lots of work we finaly launched on Sat. for our first shot at grouper trolling. On the way home I decided to check out my new pump and live well system that the old owners said they never used. All apeared good with lots of bubbles and water movement. At the dock with the bait well still full the auto bilge pump came on Water is entering the bilge from the live well and this will be this weeks project. I have a 1100 pump wired for auto and a 2500 on manual for back up.

[GradySailfish]

Scary feeling indeed. A couple years ago I was running my Grady White to the marina for haulout when not far from my dock, the engine thermometers showed my engine temps were waay high almost overheating....I stopped opened the engine box too see raw cooling water pouring from the heat exchangers. I shut the enignes down and pumped water out....I later found the screws on the cupholder next to the helm. Turns out my father had opened the heat exchangers to let the raw water drain out because we were excpecting a really cold few days (this was late Dec....temps in the teens at night) Well after draining the heatexchangers of raw water he never relaced the plugs.! I replaced the plugs and was back in business.

Those first few seconds when you see that water where it doesn't belong are indeed scary.

Do you guys suggest totally closing up the foward drain hole on the 20 MA or should I just change the plastic fitting to a bronze?

[Hooper]

Grady-

They mean to replace the nylon fitting with a bronze one. I took it a step further and sealed it off. Felt Good too! I may do it to all of them in fact!!!

[Snookerd]

I witnessed a 20SF 5 miles off the Jupiter Inlet last weekend sitting almost bow straight up heading toward the inlet with one guy on the bow and the capt gunning it while standing on the front console seat reaching over the windshield steering. I assume the bildge was full. he got it leveled out, but it wasn't easy.

[Phan000]

There was a faulty wire causing the auto-bildge to not activate. I also filled the hull with water while the boat was leveled on a trailer at my home. Not really any leaks. I suspected that the live well was leaking into the hull, but it is compartmented off and is probably not the source of the water. The forward through hull is old and should be replaced, but there was negligible leakage when the hull was filled at home.
I do have the original height transom and water seems to splash though the steering/wiring boot in the splashwell and also under the lids to the battery boxes. Other than that I cannot explain how all that water hot in the bildge.

Is filling the hull while the boat is level on land an accurate way to test for leaks?

Also, the backup auto bildge and the highwater alarm sound like a good idea. This was a good wake up call.

[eggsuckindog]

My bow fitting my 18 leaked but only when I was really loaded, drove me nuts till I found it. You guys just made my mind up on the high water alarm only $60, I was doing 2 separate pumps but wasn't going to do it.

[wavelength]

You've caused me to react, I've installed a high water alarm and pulled out all the brass sleeves for the plugs. I bought the tool the replace them and followed someones advice about letting the holes dry out. New sleeves will go in this weekend. I'm also going to pull off the cover above the live well and caulk everything that has a hole.

[radioshop]

I also carry one of the good old fashioned bicycle pump style manual bilge pumps. There's lots of good places to stash one under a gunwale or, under the console shelf. It's cheap and ultra reliable. Not the fastest method, but it will work.

[Phan000]

I found the leak yesterday... Everyone was right, it was not wave action. The tube for the starboard deck drain has a crack in it. I always put plugs in the deck opening of these drains and didn't realize that they could still leak...Duh. The question now is how do I remove and replace both of these?

[thewalshies]

http://www.classicseacraft.com/forum...b=5&o=&fpart=1