Taking on water
 

Help! I bought a Use Hydrosport 17ft fishing boat. Every time I go out
I take on water. When I'm just sitting there, water comes over the
transom and swamps my boat. This happens in water with a light chop or
rough waves.When I get home I pull the plug and get 50-60 gals. of
water from the hull. I've taken it in but all I get is a run around. I
can't find any leaks or cracks. Does anybody have any ideas? Is there
a reason for the stern to sit low in the water? I can't even stand in
the back of the boat without havig water up to my ankles. Thanks

What engine do you have on this boat. Obviously it should not do this. You
have too much weight in the rear. Have you added anything that weights much
to the rear of the boat.
If you are carrying large tackle box, extra batteries, full tank of gas,
water in the livewell, anchors, etc... then you need to shift as much
forward as you can.

Also, you need to verify you don't have any leaks as opposed to water coming
in from over the back. A livewell hose leak can really fill the boat
quickly and cause the rear of the boat to be weighted down.

Also, do you not have a bilge pump to pump water out with. I would hate to
think I had 50 to 60 gallons of water (that is 8 x 50 = 400 lbs) in the rear
of the boat. That will definetly weight it down.

--
Tony
my boats at http://t.thomas.home.mchsi.com

"BobS" wrote in message
m...
Help! I bought a Use Hydrosport 17ft fishing boat. Every time I go out
I take on water. When I'm just sitting there, water comes over the
transom and swamps my boat. This happens in water with a light chop or
rough waves.When I get home I pull the plug and get 50-60 gals. of
water from the hull. I've taken it in but all I get is a run around. I
can't find any leaks or cracks. Does anybody have any ideas? Is there
a reason for the stern to sit low in the water? I can't even stand in
the back of the boat without havig water up to my ankles. Thanks

Tony I have a 90 horse Johnson,this is the smallest motor Hydrosport
offers with this model. The only additional weight I have is a
trolling motor and spare battery total weight for that is @ 100lbs.My
father -in-law stays up front and he's around 200lbs.The livewell is
also up front. This is a center console boat,so the driver sits in the
middle of the boat. The bilge pump works but I would have to run it
constantly. If I sit in the middle and my father-in-law sits up front
water comes over the transom and will be 4 or 5 inches deep in a
matter of minutes. I think water gets into the hull by going thru the
access ports. I don't know but you would think I could get up and walk
around the boat without having to swim from stem to stern????. And
Ihave had hose clamps relaced and the rear access port replaced and
resealed.

"BobS" wrote in message

Help! I bought a Use Hydrosport 17ft fishing boat. Every time I go out
I take on water.

Is your drain plug installed?

I suppose you could try putting the plug back in the drain hole. (Couldn't
resist this one)
"BobS" wrote in message
m...
Tony I have a 90 horse Johnson,this is the smallest motor Hydrosport
offers with this model. The only additional weight I have is a
trolling motor and spare battery total weight for that is @ 100lbs.My
father -in-law stays up front and he's around 200lbs.The livewell is
also up front. This is a center console boat,so the driver sits in the
middle of the boat. The bilge pump works but I would have to run it
constantly. If I sit in the middle and my father-in-law sits up front
water comes over the transom and will be 4 or 5 inches deep in a
matter of minutes. I think water gets into the hull by going thru the
access ports. I don't know but you would think I could get up and walk
around the boat without having to swim from stem to stern????. And
Ihave had hose clamps relaced and the rear access port replaced and
resealed.

"BobS" wrote in message
m...
Tony I have a 90 horse Johnson,this is the smallest motor Hydrosport
offers with this model. The only additional weight I have is a
trolling motor and spare battery total weight for that is @ 100lbs.My
father -in-law stays up front and he's around 200lbs.The livewell is
also up front. This is a center console boat,so the driver sits in the
middle of the boat. The bilge pump works but I would have to run it
constantly. If I sit in the middle and my father-in-law sits up front
water comes over the transom and will be 4 or 5 inches deep in a
matter of minutes. I think water gets into the hull by going thru the
access ports. I don't know but you would think I could get up and walk
around the boat without having to swim from stem to stern????. And
Ihave had hose clamps relaced and the rear access port replaced and
resealed.

I would take it back to the dealer and tell them to fix what ever is wrong
or you are going to report the boat to the Transportation Safety Board and
have the specs of the boat challenged. Obviously there is a problem with
the hull. If you are using the smallest offered engine and are not carrying
too many people/gear (more then what the capacity plate specifies) then
there is something wrong with the hull. You should never get water coming
over the sides under normal conditions (except when slowing down a following
wake can come over the transom if you are not careful). Have you considered
calling the manufacturer, their contact info should be on the certification
plate. See what they say, if the TSB pull the certification on this boat
they can no longer sell it... They have a vested interest.

good luck,
mark

check your boat level from forward to aft along the water line. Making sure
that it's sitting level in water, I suggest floating boat in shallow water
viewing it from the side, the shore is a good place to look from.
Some boats not all, you could also use a 4' level on the gunnel rail just to
get an idea where boat sits in water as well.


Regards,
Ron





"BobS" wrote in message
m...
Help! I bought a Use Hydrosport 17ft fishing boat. Every time I go out
I take on water. When I'm just sitting there, water comes over the
transom and swamps my boat. This happens in water with a light chop or
rough waves.When I get home I pull the plug and get 50-60 gals. of
water from the hull. I've taken it in but all I get is a run around. I
can't find any leaks or cracks. Does anybody have any ideas? Is there
a reason for the stern to sit low in the water? I can't even stand in
the back of the boat without havig water up to my ankles. Thanks

Something is NOT clear here. Water does NOT come over the transom unless the
stern is way too deep into the water, or something is protruding into the
water and driving a spray into the boat.. A smaller h.p. than normal engine
is lighter than the boat is supposed to support. It might not EVER get you
on plane, but it shouldn't cause what you are describing.

Do you have a hydrofoil; tabs; or any other devices on the stern? Do you
have a transducer; speed indicator; baitwell intake; that is spraying water
back up and into your boat? Can you post a picture of the stern of the boat?
Is the engine size ( short/long shaft) correct for the boat??? Do you have
"self draining" openings at the deck level that could be plugged??

What depth is the engine's anti-cavitation plate relative to the bottom of
the hull?? Could the hull be full of water ( if it is a foam impregnated
hull)? Could the transom be full of water due to screws not being sealed?
That, by itself, would weigh the transom down and bring on some of the
conditions that you describe.

Some of the conditions I've asked about only cause troubles when the boat is
moving. The way you describe it..it sounds like too much weight is in the
stern..perhaps due to a water-logged transom??? Can you weigh the boat,
motor and trailer and then subtract the known weights of the motor and
trailer and find out if this boat has absorbed a lot of water? I don't know
if the hydrosport has a foam core, but it certainly sounds like a
super-heavy hull.

Tell us more please. RichG
--
RichG manager, Carolina Skiff Owners Group on MSN
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners

"BobS" wrote in message
m...
Help! I bought a Use Hydrosport 17ft fishing boat. Every time I go out
I take on water. When I'm just sitting there, water comes over the
transom and swamps my boat. This happens in water with a light chop or
rough waves.When I get home I pull the plug and get 50-60 gals. of
water from the hull. I've taken it in but all I get is a run around. I
can't find any leaks or cracks. Does anybody have any ideas? Is there
a reason for the stern to sit low in the water? I can't even stand in
the back of the boat without havig water up to my ankles. Thanks

"BobS" wrote in message
m...
Help! I bought a Use Hydrosport 17ft fishing boat. Every time I go out


Had an 18ft Wellcraft..... pulled the boat up to an island we were camping
on for the night, left the engine down too use as an extra anchor as the
tides kept shifting (it was an inboard ) next morning the boat was full
of water , seems the engine had stressed the transom and cracked it a little
, the transom was a little rotten anyway , had replaced the floor a year or
too earlier , this may be a similar situation.


Phil

Once went fishing in the salt in a 17 foot outboard boat that had never
been used in the salt. We had a nice halibut up to the transom and was
trying to figure out what to do with it, when I noticed I was standing in a
lot of water!
To make a long story short, there was no boot around the cables where they
passed thru the transom so water was passing thru with every little wave.
Duct tape helped but some water was still coming in because the upper
fiberglass was not sealed to the hull glass!
G
"RichG" wrote in message
. ..
Something is NOT clear here. Water does NOT come over the transom unless
the
stern is way too deep into the water, or something is protruding into the
water and driving a spray into the boat.. A smaller h.p. than normal
engine
is lighter than the boat is supposed to support. It might not EVER get you
on plane, but it shouldn't cause what you are describing.

Do you have a hydrofoil; tabs; or any other devices on the stern? Do you
have a transducer; speed indicator; baitwell intake; that is spraying
water
back up and into your boat? Can you post a picture of the stern of the
boat?
Is the engine size ( short/long shaft) correct for the boat??? Do you
have
"self draining" openings at the deck level that could be plugged??

What depth is the engine's anti-cavitation plate relative to the bottom of
the hull?? Could the hull be full of water ( if it is a foam impregnated
hull)? Could the transom be full of water due to screws not being sealed?
That, by itself, would weigh the transom down and bring on some of the
conditions that you describe.

Some of the conditions I've asked about only cause troubles when the boat
is
moving. The way you describe it..it sounds like too much weight is in the
stern..perhaps due to a water-logged transom??? Can you weigh the boat,
motor and trailer and then subtract the known weights of the motor and
trailer and find out if this boat has absorbed a lot of water? I don't
know
if the hydrosport has a foam core, but it certainly sounds like a
super-heavy hull.

Tell us more please. RichG
--
RichG manager, Carolina Skiff Owners Group on MSN
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners

"BobS" wrote in message
m...
Help! I bought a Use Hydrosport 17ft fishing boat. Every time I go out
I take on water. When I'm just sitting there, water comes over the
transom and swamps my boat. This happens in water with a light chop or
rough waves.When I get home I pull the plug and get 50-60 gals. of
water from the hull. I've taken it in but all I get is a run around. I
can't find any leaks or cracks. Does anybody have any ideas? Is there
a reason for the stern to sit low in the water? I can't even stand in
the back of the boat without havig water up to my ankles. Thanks