Taking on water

[jasonfish320]

Hey Guys, I took my boat out yesterday for the first time and everything ran and worked, except for the bilge pumps..(I'll be working on that tonight) This is my first bass boat (18ft 1989 Tracker fiberglass 1800tf w/150hp xp) The engine ran great with zero problems and about 90% of the controls and gadgets work without problem. However when I got it back on the trailer and pulled the plug I had more water than expected..about 1/2 gallon or so, drained in about 20 seconds. I was only on the water for roughly 2 hours. Do you believe this is water coming back over the transom or is something else going on here? I have to admit I toook it a little easy at first and had the boat standing right up on end before I figured out more throttle really helps the situation. Also notices some water coming over when I slowed down quickly from the wake. I'm sure if I get those bilge pumps working right it will really take care of the problem..but in the long run I'm psyched about how the boat handled..super fast and with the new hydraulic steering it's absolutely sweet! I'm going to try to get it back in tonight or tomorrow and get a gps reading on the mph, but I'm thinking somewhere around 60-65..any thoughts on the water intake and bilge pumps would be great...thanks!

[carolina-rig-01]

well...i would say that chances are, the water came over the splash well when you stopped quickly. if it were only a half a gallon then that is nothing to worry about. in fact an automatic bilge pump probably wouldn't even kick on with only a half a gallon of water in it. congrats on the boat and just fish the living he!! out of it.

[zooker]

either back wash or a leaky aerator connection..-check this the hose tend to bang around and can /will break the hose coupler off..

zooker

[OUTLAW]

I Agree with Carolina-Rig-01,
It doesnt take much for a half gallon to get in the boat,When ya slow down,dont do it too fast,gradually slow down,Or your own wake will push water in the boat.
By the way,Thats a hot boat!! Dont HotRod too much.I think it was a good deal. And good luck!!!!

[bassnman30]

Had a aerator tube that broke. I took it up to D&E and they fixed it. They had to dig into the bottum and replace the "L" shaped tube.
Before they fixed it the bilge would pump alot of water.
Now no water comes out, I can pull my plug and rarely get any water.

[zooker]

yeah i busted mine at the L also hit a dam pot hole..

was 1/2 way down harris when it got a touch moist on the floor..

zooker

[jasonfish320]

Last night I took a drop light and placed it inside the tank/battery compartment near the transom and shut the lights out in my garage in order to see if there were any holes or cracks, to my surprise there was only one small piece of rubber about 2 inches long missing from the seam and this was the only spot the light shined through, bought some clear marine sealant and patched it up, should be all set in 24 hours. On another note, what do you guys use to clean your livewells? I figured a non-toxic cleaner would be best so I picked up some simple green.

[zooker]

live wells do get funky..i use simple green also it works.

zooker