I have a 17' outboard that I purchases last June that always has water in
the bildge area. Is this normal?

NO. There is a leak of some kind unless your putting the water in by way of
swimming and water sports when you get back into the boat.
You don't say how old the boat is but if over 5 years old, I would suggest
you take a weekend and remove every bolt that goes into the transom (one at
a time) and clean, silicone the hole, and reinstall. You need to do this to
prevent transom rot anyway. Chances are you have a leak around one of the
motor bolts or the drain plug. By the way, make sure the drain plug is in
good shape and sealing properly.

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



"Ernie" wrote in message
...
I have a 17' outboard that I purchases last June that always has water
in
the bildge area. Is this normal?

Is the 17 o/b Aluminum, F'glass or what? You do have a leak somewhere, and
if the stringers are wood, that is NOT a good thing. How much water???
Could it be from wash-down or splashing while riding?
--
RichG
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners

"Ernie" wrote in message
...
I have a 17' outboard that I purchases last June that always has water
in
the bildge area. Is this normal?

How much water? What do you use the boat for? What kind of hull?

There's a lot of things that can cause it - ranging from rain water, to
getting in and out of the water into the boat (e.g. swimming, or the dog
getting in and out), to a leak.

The boat was bought brand new last June and was in the water till end of
September 2003. It's a fiberglass boat.


"Tony Thomas" wrote in message
news:1Tydc.108576$JO3.77503@attbi_s04...
NO. There is a leak of some kind unless your putting the water in by way
of
swimming and water sports when you get back into the boat.
You don't say how old the boat is but if over 5 years old, I would suggest
you take a weekend and remove every bolt that goes into the transom (one
at
a time) and clean, silicone the hole, and reinstall. You need to do this
to
prevent transom rot anyway. Chances are you have a leak around one of the
motor bolts or the drain plug. By the way, make sure the drain plug is in
good shape and sealing properly.

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



"Ernie" wrote in message
...
I have a 17' outboard that I purchases last June that always has water
in
the bildge area. Is this normal?

You've got to figure out how the water got in there.
Was it stored outside during the winter? Can you crawl around underneath and
look for a crack or puncture of any kind? Are the drain plugs really snug?
Can you get it up on a trailer and put just a little more water in to see if
you can find where it is leaking out? Are there any additional thru-hulls
( Depth finder, etc) that come through the hull? How MUCH water was in
there?

regards,
RichG
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners

I have Portland Yacht Services of Portland, Maine checking it out. They
told me it is definately not normal and that they will tend to it. Thank
God I checked this out. Thanks you all for your help.

"RichG" wrote in message
. ..
You've got to figure out how the water got in there.
Was it stored outside during the winter? Can you crawl around underneath
and
look for a crack or puncture of any kind? Are the drain plugs really snug?
Can you get it up on a trailer and put just a little more water in to see
if
you can find where it is leaking out? Are there any additional thru-hulls
( Depth finder, etc) that come through the hull? How MUCH water was in
there?

regards,
RichG
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners

Good for you. Right action and the right time! --
RichG
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners


"Ernie" wrote in message
...
I have Portland Yacht Services of Portland, Maine checking it out. They
told me it is definately not normal and that they will tend to it. Thank
God I checked this out. Thanks you all for your help.