Chasing down a small leak in boat?

[WYRD]

Recently bought a new to me 29 ft laveycraft NuEra. The boat takes on a little bit of water that will activate the bilge after about 2 hours. I have check all of the through transom penetrations and everything looks good I also climbed underneath the boat and inspected all of the gel coat. There are quite a few little abrasions from beaching it and a few what I assume are rock chips. Below are some pictures that don't look to be the cause of water intrusion but I would like to get some of your input.

 

[WYRD]

Additionally, at each step location there are four of these holes that appear to be symmetrical in layout. @Gelcoater @lavey jr do these have something to do with the layup process for a step?

 

[WYRD]

I also noticed this small area. Is this something that I need to be concerned about?

 

[WYRD]

Here's a video of that shows the areas around the steps.

 

[Done-it-again]

Yikes sure doesn't look pretty..... 1 or 2 chips looks to be at fiberglass, but not sure if water can penetrate that.

Activating the bilge in 2 hrs doesn't sound like a little bit of water. Have you checked the transom seal to make sure its not leaking? Mine did as the bolts were loose.

 

[WYRD]

Yikes sure doesn't look pretty..... 1 or 2 chips looks to be at fiberglass, but not sure if water can penetrate that.

Activating the bilge in 2 hrs doesn't sound like a little bit of water. Have you checked the transom seal to make sure its not leaking? Mine did as the bolts were loose.

I went over everything on the transom but haven't dug into the outdrive yet. Mine has the Merc ITS transom assembly. From the inside of the engine bay the transom wall looks dry. The only thing I really can't get to is the plug seal on the inside to check that.

I had absolute do a pre-buy inspection on this boat and the only thing they noted was the keel showed signs of wear. Never made mention of the chips out of the gel and I did not feel like laying on the asphalt in 100° temperatures to check it out. Going to get it fixed regardless and I hope I can figure out where the water intrusion is coming from.

 

[renodaytona]

Chased a leak in my 25 Daytona for a season. Ended up being two of the drain plugs, pulled all three of them and re-sealed and was good to go after that.

 

[WYRD]

Chased a leak in my 25 Daytona for a season. Ended up being two of the drain plugs, pulled all three of them and re-sealed and was good to go after that.

That's going to be my next place I look. But in my searching I discovered the flaws in the fiberglass and gel coat. Don't think that's the source of my water but I think it's definitely something I need to look into repairing as well.

What sealant did you use to install the new drain fittings?

 

[Runs2rch]

I went over everything on the transom but haven't dug into the outdrive yet. Mine has the Merc ITS transom assembly. From the inside of the engine bay the transom wall looks dry. The only thing I really can't get to is the plug seal on the inside to check that.

I had absolute do a pre-buy inspection on this boat and the only thing they noted was the keel showed signs of wear. Never made mention of the chips out of the gel and I did not feel like laying on the asphalt in 100° temperatures to check it out. Going to get it fixed regardless and I hope I can figure out where the water intrusion is coming from.

Ask previous owner. Member on here.

 

[renodaytona]

That's going to be my next place I look. But in my searching I discovered the flaws in the fiberglass and gel coat. Don't think that's the source of my water but I think it's definitely something I need to look into repairing as well.

What sealant did you use to install the new drain fittings?

I used the 3M 4200 as to not be permanent incase I ever had to pull them again. The 5200 is permanent and a pain to remove from what I read.

 

[WYRD]

Ask previous owner. Member on here.

I noticed a little bit of water in the bilge when we did the test drive. I mentioned it and he said he was not aware of any water intrusion issues. He did just have the Cuddy floor completely replaced and re-carpeted because of water damage to the wood floor but he thought that was a plugged drain not letting the water get back to the bilge area. I had asked for pictures of the repair but neither he nor absolute had any. I'm now wondering if the damage to the floor was caused by the water intrusion but there's no evidence of that since I cannot see below the Cuddy floor area. Not the kind of issues you expect to have when buying a late model higher end boat.

 

[Done-it-again]

Ask previous owner. Member on here.

or it should have been mentioned during the purchase to be transparent

 

[Runs2rch]

or it should have been mentioned during the purchase to be transparent

That is a given. Unless he truly didn't know or never noticed. Plenty of boat owners that are not mechanically inclined, don't check anything, add gas and go.

 

[WYRD]

That is a given. Unless he truly didn't know or never noticed. Plenty of boat owners that are not mechanically inclined, don't check anything, add gas and go.

I am definitely not here to call anybody out. I do have some frustrations with absolute for not doing a thorough pre-buy inspection. However, I'm a big boy and I should have done a more indepth inspection myself. My intuition told me the water on the test run wasn't right but I just figured it was so small that it could have been from washing the boat or something that absolute had ran it on the hose during their inspection which happened just before we took it out on the water test.

My post here is intended to get educated advice on how to go about repairing some of these issues and locating the cause of the water intrusion. Nothing more.

 

[84miller]

I have found past leaks by either leaving the drain plug in after removing the boat from the water....or put the drain plug in and put some water by hose into the boat (best way as hull is dry). Then look for leak from the outside of the hull. Good luck....

 

[FreeBird236]

I wouldn't panic, I'd guess the water is from the outdrive seal or nor being tight enough. Most of those nicks wouldn't leak but should be epoxied, in fact some of those look like someone as dabbed some epoxy on other chips. The wrinkled area I'm not smart enough to guess what causes that, bit I'd guess that's the way it came out of the mold.

 

[Lair Dawg]

I am definitely not here to call anybody out. I do have some frustrations with absolute for not doing a thorough pre-buy inspection. However, I'm a big boy and I should have done a more indepth inspection myself. My intuition told me the water on the test run wasn't right but I just figured it was so small that it could have been from washing the boat or something that absolute had ran it on the hose during their inspection which happened just before we took it out on the water test.

My post here is intended to get educated advice on how to go about repairing some of these issues and locating the cause of the water intrusion. Nothing more.

At a minimum, I would tap test the areas of concern to see if there are underlying problems that are not visible, think hard about running the boat until you have a clear understanding of said defects.

 

[WYRD]

At a minimum, I would tap test the areas of concern to see if there are underlying problems that are not visible, think hard about running the boat until you have a clear understanding of said defects.

Nice 1st post thanks for the advise will look into that

 

[Done-it-again]

That is a given. Unless he truly didn't know or never noticed. Plenty of boat owners that are not mechanically inclined, don't check anything, add gas and go.

But does the seller work for a boat shop?

anyways back to the issue at hand...

 

[mash on it]

I'd check the water lines from the transom/ drive to the water pump intake side. This can weap/leak when the boat is at rest, and form a vacuum when under way. Seen a few factory plastic Merc water pumps have hairline cracks at the intake side of the pump.

But I'm a ditch pump guy.

Dan'l

 

[WTR&PWR]

Man this sucks to read. I climbed under the boat to clean it all the time and never noticed the rock chips. Kind of hard to tell exactly where they are at? I feel like absolute climbed through the whole thing I wish they would’ve caught it. The ones near the bunks may be from getting it on or off the trailer based on the photos. Can’t get the video to load with my service right now maybe it spells it out better there.

I’m the previous owner and this is a bummer. My kids were in and out wet all the time and I used the rear seats as ice chests which drains into the transom so a little water in the bottom seemed fairly normal I thought. I hope it’s a cheap fix- again what a bummer to hear.

 

[WTR&PWR]

But does the seller work for a boat shop?

anyways back to the issue at hand...

No I don’t. I wish I was more mechanically inclined on these issues honestly. Really the first high performance boat I’ve owned so a bit of a learning curve. My last was a 23’ eliminator with 350/bravo 3.

 

[WYRD]

Man this sucks to read. I climbed under the boat to clean it all the time and never noticed the rock chips. Kind of hard to tell exactly where they are at? I feel like absolute climbed through the whole thing I wish they would’ve caught it. The ones near the bunks may be from getting it on or off the trailer based on the photos. Can’t get the video to load with my service right now maybe it spells it out better there.

I’m the previous owner and this is a bummer. My kids were in and out wet all the time and I used the rear seats as ice chests which drains into the transom so a little water in the bottom seemed fairly normal I thought. I hope it’s a cheap fix- again what a bummer to hear.

As I stated this is not a call out thread just looking for advice on how to correct the flaws and damage I've encountered and how to track down the source of the water intrusion. I'm sure it will be reasonably simple to resolve once I can identify the source. I'm hoping that some of the seasoned gel coat guys will take a look at the pictures and respond.

 

[4Waters]

Fill the boat with water and see where it leaks out

I don't have any answers, hope you find the source

 

[WTR&PWR]

As I stated this is not a call out thread just looking for advice on how to correct the flaws and damage I've encountered and how to track down the source of the water intrusion. I'm sure it will be reasonably simple to resolve once I can identify the source. I'm hoping that some of the seasoned gel coat guys will take a look at the pictures and respond.

Thanks Shane. Good luck

 

[Done-it-again]

No I don’t. I wish I was more mechanically inclined on these issues honestly. Really the first high performance boat I’ve owned so a bit of a learning curve. My last was a 23’ eliminator with 350/bravo 3.

My mistake, must have confused you with another inmate.

 

[port austin pirate]

check tansom seal around drive check any rubber bellows that seal drive or any other cable, wires that exit transom, and remmeber these bellows can look ok but may have small cracks that are hard to see but open when bellows is stretched allow water in age and usage will cause them to get brittle enough to crack, good luck

 

[Runs2rch]

As I stated this is not a call out thread just looking for advice on how to correct the flaws and damage I've encountered and how to track down the source of the water intrusion. I'm sure it will be reasonably simple to resolve once I can identify the source. I'm hoping that some of the seasoned gel coat guys will take a look at the pictures and respond.

Put the boat in the water. Check transom assembly, bellows, sea pump hoses. Will be easy to verify where it is coming from. Or like @4Waters said fill the bilge on the trailer, and start checking leak points. Easy to do.

 

[hallett21]

Fill the boat with water and see where it leaks out

I don't have any answers, hope you find the source

That will find if there’s a hull/plug issue. Best to do it when the exterior hull is absolutely dry.

I’m guessing water is coming through the drive somehow.

 

[WYRD]

That will find if there’s a hull/plug issue. Best to do it when the exterior hull is absolutely dry.

I’m guessing water is coming through the drive somehow.

That may be a last resort but I'm hoping to locate without the need to add water into the hull.

 

[Runs2rch]

That may be a last resort but I'm hoping to locate without the need to add water into the hull.

Why? It is one of the easiest ways. Have done it with many different boats.

 

[hallett21]

That may be a last resort but I'm hoping to locate without the need to add water into the hull.

If you’re living with it now adding water won’t hurt anything.

 

[WYRD]

Yeah I suppose it won't hurt anything just seems wrong to put a hose in the boat

 

[mash on it]

Yeah I suppose it won't hurt anything just seems wrong to put a hose in the boat

I'm assuming you've never had a jet bote? Leaks are common place.

Dan'l

 

[4Waters]

I'm assuming you've never had a jet bote? Leaks are common place.

Dan'l

Water coming over the transom from a wakeboat wake isn't a leak

 

[mash on it]

Water coming over the transom from a wakeboat wake isn't a leak

That only happened once, from the London Jet

Dan'l

 

[adam909]

I have a very slow leak that ive been trying to locate for the past 4 years. It will leak like half a quart of water over 3 days which isnt very much but it drives me nuts. Seems like yours should be easy to locate if its tripping the bilge pump every 2 hours. I would clean it out real good make sure the bilge is clean and dry then float the boat on the trailer. Then just watch it and start doing reach around to see if you feel any wetness under the transom

 

[port austin pirate]

just a thought, but for a smaller hull water inside may work, but it would seem to me that on any larger sterndrive hull the pressure put on the leak caused by the weight of the boat displacing water would be much greater the amount of water inside.

 

[Icky]

When's the last time the through hull penetrations were resealed? Exhaust, steps etc? Do you know if they fiberglass the holes for the exhaust?

 

[WYRD]

When's the last time the through hull penetrations were resealed? Exhaust, steps etc? Do you know if they fiberglass the holes for the exhaust?

It's a 2018 so I would guess its not been touched since if popped out of the mold

 

[WYRD]

I'm assuming you've never had a jet bote? Leaks are common place.

Dan'l

I grew up on a jet boat and my dad always taught me you always take off and go up River first that way when it inevitably breaks down on the first run you can always float back to camp.

 

[mash on it]

I grew up on a jet boat and my dad always taught me you always take off and go up River first that way when it inevitably breaks down on the first run you can always float back to camp.

Sorry your pops had that luck.

Dan'l

 

[mjc]

It's hard to do but reach down and try to tighten the transom mount bolts. Hard to get much more than a wrench on them but they will tighten up some to give you an idea if it is leaking

 

[WYRD]

It's hard to do but reach down and try to tighten the transom mount bolts. Hard to get much more than a wrench on them but they will tighten up some to give you an idea if it is leaking

Boats in storage in Bullhead I'm back in SoCal. My game plan is to add water to the inside up to the top of the stringers disable the bilge and see if I can tell where it's leaking out of.

 

[WYRD]

Sorry your pops had that luck.

Dan'l

Not bad luck it just had a 455 olds in it. We became used to working on it

 

[WYRD]

I also noticed this small area. Is this something that I need to be concerned about?

View attachment 1395580

@Gelcoater is this something to be concerned about?

 

[Gelcoater]

I also noticed this small area. Is this something that I need to be concerned about?

View attachment 1395580

That looks like a simple mold surface flaw that transferred to the part.
It won’t be your water intrusion area or anything to worry about.
It could be sanded and buffed out. Maybe a couple of dabs of gel placed in any low spots. I wouldn’t worry about it personally.


Now this one

I’d imagine while you are crawling around under there you notice there are several, and places in fairly uniform locations.

They had several holes drilled into the mold, all plumbed with PVC pipe from the under side of the mold structureand all tied to one central point at the transom.
This was to aid in freeing the part from the mold.
Some compressed air directed through the port and the mold frees up.
Then hoist it out.
Was a less violent way of doing things.
Most guys walk around with a rubber mallet banging, rocking the mold, and more banging until it broke loose.

The only surprise to me is the Lavey guys were pretty diligent on cleaning them up. This one it seems slipped through the cracks.
I wouldn’t worry about them as a source of leak or any failure.

Most of the rest of the pics, from what I can see on my dinky phone are normal wear and tear and could use some touch up.

When's the last time the through hull penetrations were resealed? Exhaust, steps etc? Do you know if they fiberglass the holes for the exhaust?

They coated all holes with resin and in many cases brushed gelcoat in there too. Drive hole and exhaust holes etc.

 

[WYRD]

That looks like a simple mold surface flaw that transferred to the part.
It won’t be your water intrusion area or anything to worry about.
It could be sanded and buffed out. Maybe a couple of dabs of gel placed in any low spots. I wouldn’t worry about it personally.


Now this one View attachment 1396360

I’d imagine while you are crawling around under there you notice there are several, and places in fairly uniform locations.

They had several holes drilled into the mold, all plumbed with PVC pipe from the under side of the mold structureand all tied to one central point at the transom.
This was to aid in freeing the part from the mold.
Some compressed air directed through the port and the mold frees up.
Then hoist it out.
Was a less violent way of doing things.
Most guys walk around with a rubber mallet banging, rocking the mold, and more banging until it broke loose.

The only surprise to me is the Lavey guys were pretty diligent on cleaning them up. This one it seems slipped through the cracks.
I wouldn’t worry about them as a source of leak or any failure.

Most of the rest of the pics, from what I can see on my dinky phone are normal wear and tear and could use some touch up.


They coated all holes with resin and in many cases brushed gelcoat in there too. Drive hole and exhaust holes etc.

Thank you sir I appreciate your feedback and your expertise. Anybody you recommend either in Bullhead, Havasu or Southern California that could make the repairs and clean up the bottom including the keel?

 

[Gelcoater]

Thank you sir I appreciate your feedback and your expertise. Anybody you recommend either in Bullhead, Havasu or Southern California that could make the repairs and clean up the bottom including the keel?

My apologies
I typed out a response yesterday and apparently didn’t hit the submit button.

I’d imagine all the shops are quite busy right now.
I think I’d just enjoy it for the rest of the season and have it addressed in the fall.

Now, where the water is coming from would be my bigger concern.
Bellows maybe?
Drain plug mount, speedo or low water pickups, etc.
I’d be looking at anything mounted to the transom.

Edit*
Including rub rail fasteners be they rivets or screws.

 

[GETBOATS]

might be repeating previous but hull flaws and damage is not the source of your leak. pic in post 3 looks like a print of a flaw in the mold. I would dry the boat out well, launch on a quiet night, maybe even leave it on the trailer. after removing as much of the interior as possible. get your flash light out and you will find the leak. again its not the hull itself.