Water In the Hull

I'm new to boating and I noticed the first time I took my 19 foot Procraft out after runnning up the river the hull had some water in the bottom. It was probably about two inches deep. Is this normal and much water would you be concerned with.

[jeffman]

MIKE,

I would start to get real concerned when the water started running over the gunnels! Seriously, you will get a small amount of water in your bilge from time to time from shutting down too fast and the wake coming over the back of the boat and onto the back deck. If you keep getting water in the bilge, you may have a cracked housing on one of your live well pumps, or one of your fittings.
If you think you have a crack in the hull, you can check it by putting the boat on the trailer and running about six or eight inches of water into the bilge area, then crawling under the boat and looking for water dripping.

Thanks, I really don't believe I have a crack in the hull. I stayed on the water for about six hours the other day and the bielge area never took on more than a couple inches of water. Anyway I will try the suggestions you gave me.

[jeffman]

MIKE,
A couple inches in the bilge during a six hour day is not enough to worry about.

JackL

[Rich]

I think you are fine-I always have a couple of inches in the bilge after a day on the water.

Great tip, Jack-thanks!

[catfishtonyd]

Mike. Â*You've probably got either a live-well, line, valve, pump, or fitting somewhere leaking. Â*My guess would be a valve since you said in another post that your livewell fills even when the push/pull guizmo is to "closed". Â*Next time you take it to the lake, make sure the bilge is dry, then check it during the day, especially if you use Â*the livewell. Â*

Another place it can come in is around the drain plug.

It could also come from backwash coming over the back deck when you come off plane. Â*Trim the engine down as you're slowing down, then as the wave catches up to you, "goose it" (the throttle) just a bit, and the stern will lift a bit.

A couplei inches isn't enought to get really worried about, but you like to know where it's coming from.

[zman]

2 inches isn't so bad. My boat used to get about 3 inches every hour till I had a couple rivets welded. The only thing that you should be worried about is is it enough to sink the boat, and it takes a lot more water to sink most boats (many wont even sink if they are filled all the way up with water).

First place I'd check though if I were you would be the drain plug. I had some water in my boat just the other day because it wasn't tight.

[basstard]

man, i never get water in my boat. :exept when i forgot to put the plug in..

[macgyver]

[quote author=bassmasster_2 link=board=Boats;num=1115940530;start=0#7 date=05/20/05 at 21:06:23]man, i never get water in my boat. :exept when i forgot to put the plug in..[/quote]

Well them I'm guessing you never take your boat out except with bright sunny days with no wind, and never go over 5 mph ??? Everyone get water in their boat from time to time

Lizards

[bass72542]

Yea i would say you have nuthin to worry about i always have a couple of inches in myy boat i figure there was some trash around the plug or somethin

[Bin]

sounds like you will be ok

They are probably correct on the cracked pump housing....however, check your motor mounting bolts too. I was taking on water in my Triton and was told it was pumps...couldn't find a problem with the pumps, however I did find that my lower mounting bolts (jackplate to transom) were very loose and that is what was leaking.

Needless to say...the water in my hull was the least of my problems, now my boat is being sent back to Triton to get the transom fixed (wallowed out mounting holes).