I bought a Starter/Deep cycle combo with 800CCA and a brush to clean the
battery connectors. I cleaned the connectors and the boat started fine with
my old 575 CCA deep cycle battery. I replaced it with my new battery and Im
keeping the old in the boat for backup.

Took her out for an hour and all is running beautifully.

Leak question: Ever since I got the boat when you step down about 3 inches
into the cuddy area (just has the bed thing)the floor was damp. Previous
own said that it was always damp and thay he never figured out why. Well I
did.

When you pull the boat up out of the water if its still at a slant and you
take the back plug out all is fine. If you pull the boat up onto a forward
slanted surface, before you take theplug out you can see a little trickle
stream of water coming into the cuddy area from where it meets the deck of
the boat. I would assume this isnt supposed to happen and that it just be a
leak right there from the water that the plug releases. Can I just cauk
that up with something?

I can take some pics of the area Im talking about tomorrow. I'll try to
pull the carpet back tomorrow too and investigate further.

'87 sea ray seville 19 foot
--Cameron

before you take theplug out you can see a little trickle
stream of water coming into the cuddy area from where it meets the deck of
the boat. I would assume this isnt supposed to happen and that it just be a
leak right there from the water that the plug releases. Can I just cauk
that up with something?

I can take some pics of the area Im talking about tomorrow. I'll try to
pull the carpet back tomorrow too and investigate further.

'87 sea ray seville 19 foot
--Cameron


Is this water on the deck surface, and then
running into a failed joint between the deck and the superstructure? If so, you
can probably seal it up and "get by" for a while.

If the water is not visible on the deck but simply appears where the deck and
the superstructure intersect each time the boat is tipped back, it sounds like
you could have a saturated core under the foredeck. Not the best possible news,
if so.

Is this water on the deck surface, and then
running into a failed joint between the deck and the superstructure? If
so, you
can probably seal it up and "get by" for a while.

If the water is not visible on the deck but simply appears where the deck
and
the superstructure intersect each time the boat is tipped back, it sounds
like
you could have a saturated core under the foredeck. Not the best possible
news,
if so.

What are you calling the area that you step 3 inches down into when you go
into the cuddy area, the superstructure?

The water is no visible on the deck of the boat and it is dry as can be at
all times. Also I do not see the water trickle when I am in the water
whether the boat is tilted forward or backwards. You also do not see the
water when the boat is on the trailer unless the boat is on level ground or
slanting downward and the plug has not been removed.

So this water that comes out when you remove the plug (wherever that comes
from) is leaking out into the cuddy area, but we are only talking maybe a
cup or two full in the 5 minutes it takes me to go park and walk back and
take the plug out.

Im going to rip the carpet back today and see if i see a hole or soemthing
that I can caulk up. I'll also take a pic of any hole I see.

--C

"Ree-Yees" wrote:


When you pull the boat up out of the water if its still at a slant and you
take the back plug out all is fine. If you pull the boat up onto a
forward
slanted surface, before you take theplug out you can see a little trickle
stream of water coming into the cuddy area from where it meets the deck
of
the boat. I would assume this isnt supposed to happen and that it just be
a
leak right there from the water that the plug releases. Can I just cauk
that up with something?


I'm a little confused by your description so let me see if I have this
right...

INSIDE the boat there is a seperation between the cuddy area and
back portion of the boat? There is water in this back portion of the
boat? If you pull the boat out of the water and have the plug out,
that water drains out the plug? But if you leave the plug in, then
the water slowly makes it's way from the back portion of the hull
into the curry area?

When you say "deck" I'm assuming you mean the floor area where you
stand and not the deck that is up at the top of the boat?

IF what I've said above describes it correctly then....
Yes, you should be able to calk the area between the back portion of the
hull and the cuddy area to keep the water off of the cuddy floor. Do this
when it is dry.

But that still begs the question, where is the water that is getting in to
the back
area coming from? If it's not much water then it's nothing to worry about.
It
might be just spray or water from getting in and out of the boat - whatever.
A
little water is no big deal. But it it's more than a litttle you want to
know how
it's getting there. Question: If you go out and use the boat for, say, an
hour
with the bilge pumps shut off (but useable if you need them) and then pull
the boat out....how much water comes out?

PS: My first boat was more like one big leak than a boat. I constantly had
to
feed her batteries - even when just setting at the dock - to keep the pumps
running. A bad buying decision on my part. But I learned a lot. Learned how
to
fiberglass. Learns all about batteries, how to wire them up, and lots of
other
stuff not related to the leaks.

What are you calling the area that you step 3 inches down into when you go
into the cuddy area, the superstructure?

No. I misunderstood your description.

I thought you wre taking water into the cuddy from the foredeck.

The superstructure on a vessel in anything built above ("super") the deck. If
you have
a raised enclosure around a cuddy cabin rather than a spot you simply crawl
into
unto the foredeck, that raised enclosure is superstructure.

You could call the cockpit sole a "deck" as it is an exterior surface, but
since the cockpit sole is on a different level, etc, than the foredeck and
sidedecks (if any)
using a more specific word or phrase serves to minimize confusion.

Lots of times you'll hear that surface described as the "cockpit floor", and
while not all that nautical it certainly works for me.

Sounds like you could have some water caught in a section between frames and
stringer in the forward bilge. Maybe.
Two things to investigate: how is the water getting aboard in the first place?
And, did the builder put in a limberhole that has become plugged up?

I believe your description fit the scenario. There is a cokpit floor that
you stand on when you are in the boat. Then there is a step down into the
cuddy area about 3 inches deep. That is where the water will seep in.

Where does the water come from that pours our my back plug when I take it
out? This is where the water is coming from. When I take the plug out
after boating for a couple hours water pours our for maybe 5 seconds. This
is the water that seeps in if I do not remove the plug.

I have never ran the bilge pump out in the water. Am I supposed to cut this
on from time to time? Will it pump out this water that the boat accumulates
instead of letting it out with the plug when I get up on land?

Thanks for all the support!

--Cameron

"Gary Warner" wrote in message
...

"Ree-Yees" wrote:


When you pull the boat up out of the water if its still at a slant and
you
take the back plug out all is fine. If you pull the boat up onto a
forward
slanted surface, before you take theplug out you can see a little
trickle
stream of water coming into the cuddy area from where it meets the deck
of
the boat. I would assume this isnt supposed to happen and that it just
be
a
leak right there from the water that the plug releases. Can I just cauk
that up with something?


I'm a little confused by your description so let me see if I have this
right...

INSIDE the boat there is a seperation between the cuddy area and
back portion of the boat? There is water in this back portion of the
boat? If you pull the boat out of the water and have the plug out,
that water drains out the plug? But if you leave the plug in, then
the water slowly makes it's way from the back portion of the hull
into the curry area?

When you say "deck" I'm assuming you mean the floor area where you
stand and not the deck that is up at the top of the boat?

IF what I've said above describes it correctly then....
Yes, you should be able to calk the area between the back portion of the
hull and the cuddy area to keep the water off of the cuddy floor. Do this
when it is dry.

But that still begs the question, where is the water that is getting in to
the back
area coming from? If it's not much water then it's nothing to worry
about.
It
might be just spray or water from getting in and out of the boat -
whatever.
A
little water is no big deal. But it it's more than a litttle you want to
know how
it's getting there. Question: If you go out and use the boat for, say, an
hour
with the bilge pumps shut off (but useable if you need them) and then pull
the boat out....how much water comes out?

PS: My first boat was more like one big leak than a boat. I constantly had
to
feed her batteries - even when just setting at the dock - to keep the
pumps
running. A bad buying decision on my part. But I learned a lot. Learned
how
to
fiberglass. Learns all about batteries, how to wire them up, and lots of
other
stuff not related to the leaks.

"Ree-Yees" wrote:


Where does the water come from that pours our my back plug when I take it
out? This is where the water is coming from. When I take the plug out
after boating for a couple hours water pours our for maybe 5 seconds.
This
is the water that seeps in if I do not remove the plug.


5 seconds of water after having been out for a few hours doesn't sound like
any problem at all and quite normal. It could come from spray any light
sprinkle
of rain, or if people go swimming from their dripping. There may also be
some
very small leaks that a drip....drip....driping into the hull. That is
really not a
problem.


I have never ran the bilge pump out in the water. Am I supposed to cut
this
on from time to time? Will it pump out this water that the boat
accumulates
instead of letting it out with the plug when I get up on land?


If it's not much water accumulating down there then you don't have to run
the
pump. In some ways, it's probably just as well not to run the pump and then
to see how much water total you are accumulating. But, yes, if you wanted
to keep that water out you could run the pump from time to time.

Generally I'd run the pump once and a while while still (not driving) and
watch to
see how much water it pumps out. If it pumps for more than a second or two
(or more than I'd expect) then I know there is a problem to go look at.


Also be aware....the bilge pump can not get ALL the water out. Most pumps
can not get down to the very last drop. And when they shut off all of the
water
that is in the hose runs back down, out the pump, and back into your bilge.
This is normal.




Thanks for all the support!

--Cameron


Most welcome. Thanks for bringing a boating topic into the group