"Mike C" wrote in message
ups.com...
The bilge is working in there. Could be some water from my water system
problems and playing with that. The bilge doesn't kick in until there
is about 2" water in the center section fo the engine compartment.


First of all, what you're referring to is a bilge pump, not a bilge. The
bilge is the confined area below decks. The bilge pump is what removes the
water that shouldn't be there in the first place. You need to get beyond
the "could be" stage of this situation and start living in the hard reality
of it. As long as there is any standing water in either bilge, you will
never discover the source. A wet/dry shop vac will remove most of the water
that the bilge pump won't address. Dry rags will get the rest. You need to
get both bilge areas to a bone dry state and then watch diligently for water
intrusion. The operative word here is diligence, and it appears to be
lacking in your efforts so far.

But in all honesty, you really don't appear to possess the skill set that is
required to properly diagnose and resolve the problem. I believe your best
move at this point is to call in professional assistance.

Well, though you were a little critical, at least it was constructive.
If I was an expert at this I obviously wouln't be asking for help on
the internet.

I vacuumed up the water in the engine compartment and the compartment
under the table in the cabin. The mid-ship bilge compartment was still
dry from last time. It turns out that the engine compartment and
forward compartment are connected. After getting that dry and watching
for new water, I vacuumed the carpet again. It stayed dry. Before, it
was wet again in 5 minutes. The water in the enigine compartment was
the problem.

The water got in there when my boat was dropped in the water. Since
they didn't winterize my boat, the A/C raw water strainer broke and
water entered the engine compartment until I saw it and shut the valve.
I thought the bilge would take care of it.

The fact that there was a good 1.5" of water in there concerns me a
little. The bilge is working, but doesn't kick in unitl the water is
pretty high. At what level should the bilge kick in? My guess is as
soon is there is any water.

Thanks everyone for the help. This was quite a relief not having to
have the boat pulled out of the water and looking at big repair $$$$.