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Leak issue help

kirkll

Regular Contributor
I have had this boat in the water enough now to determine i have a small leak somewhere in the stern drive location, but haven't determined exactly where its coming in. It was not really enough water to concern me too much, and i've has other priorities i've been working on.

But the last time we went out and spent the whole day on the water we had a lot more water coming in early in the day. then it slowed way down again. The only thing that i did different from the morning hours than the afternoon was that when we first started trolling with the outboard, i used the trailer switch on the out drive to bring it all the way up in hopes of less drag and better steering with my kicker.

In the afternoon we ran up and down the river a bunch, and i didn't worry about raising the out drive up while trolling here and there, and we took on much less water. it was a noticeable difference. We took on zero water while running too. but that makes sense.

My question is this. Is it ok to use the trailer button to raise the out drive all the way up while in the water ? Did i screw up? Or is it ok , but help determine where its leaking because i'm leaking more in this trailer position? Kirk
 
Ayuh,.... Tiltin' the drive shouldn't make any difference, at all,......

My guess is the drive bellows is holed,....
 
Well I did some tests today.... put it in the water with it in trailer position. Well of course I did. With it down the dad burn thing drags on the asphalt and it really shortens your skag in a hurry.....

anyhoo... I pulled the engine cover and had my wife raise and lower the outdrive all the way up and down while in the water. Not a drop of water came in. Starting in the lower position I had her turn the steering both left and right hard over..... nothing.

We did the same thing in the trailer position, and when she was hard to starboard on the wheel this thing was leaking badly. I could see it coming in on the port side of the engine, but without a mirror really couldn’t see where it was coming in. My guess would be the shift cable bellows has a small split in it that only opens up in the trailer position with the wheel hard over to starboard.

we fished from 5:30 am to 4 pm, and we ran up the Columbia about 10 to 15 miles testing out a new prop at different rpm levels and fished all the way back. I checked the bilge several times during the course of the day, and bet we only took on a couple gallons of water. I ran the Bilge pump 10 seconds max before she was dry. Did that a couple times.

I think it’s time to get the bellows done in this old girl. What do you think? If we have to go into this thing and pull the out drive, I would think replacing all the bellows and checking the gimble bearings out too would be the way to go. I’m also missing a trim sensor on the port side of the outdrive.... it’s just gone....

your thoughts? Kirk
 
Your life, but I wouldn't take that thing out again until I have the repairs done. Boating costs money. Pay the man.
 
Your life, but I wouldn't take that thing out again until I have the repairs done. Boating costs money. Pay the man.

Well that was a helpful contribution.....

I bought this older boat knowing fully well I was going to have to roll up my sleeves and work on it to get it into shape, and am going to have to put some money in it. A lot of this work is beyond my capabilities, and I will have to take into the shop. But I’m going to play with it a bit along the way. The first think I took care of was bilge pump replacement, new batteries, and replaced all the cables and MBSS so if I end up with a leak or take water on I’m covered.

Well now I’ve got a leak, and I’m testing the bilge pump system out. I’m happy with how that works too. I set up two switches. One on auto with a sensor/float powered directly from my house bank. And one at the helm I can manually operate. I’m not mooring this boat, and don’t believe I’m in danger of sinking it as long as I keep my eyes on things. It’s not leaking THAT bad....

What I’m trying to do right now is learn as much as possible about trouble shooting different issues, and fix what I can myself. Pulling the drive and replacing bellows isn’t something I’m comfortable with. My question is..... Do you guys think I should have the shop replace all the bellows why they have it apart? And check out gimble bearings too? We plan on hanging on to this boat and using it a lot.

thanks, Kirk
 
My question is..... Do you guys think I should have the shop replace all the bellows why they have it apart? And check out gimble bearings too? We plan on hanging on to this boat and using it a lot.

Ayuh,..... All of that, 'n a new lower shift cable,.....

How old is the hull,..?? the transom could also be rotten, causin' the leak,....
 
The boat is 30 years old, but I see no indication of any rot in the transom, or any other leaks other than what I just found. She’s rock solid in that dept.

I suppose I could try and remove the plug fitting and check that area out closer, but there are no leaks around it, and tapping it with a hammer around the plug it seems solid. I’m of a mind to leave it alone rather than opening up a can of worms requiring bondo and glass work if it’s not needed. Now If that area was soft, that would be a different story.

ive got the boat scheduled for a full service on the outdrive to include the lower shift cable. Thanks for your feed back.
Kirk
 
You cannot know if the transom is rotten just by visual inspection. You need to do a plug test to determine this. It involves cutting out a plug with a hole saw and having that core sample analyzed. I'm sure that's probably not too high on your list but it's really the only way to get a real notion of the state of things.
Tapping test only tells you if there is de lamination. While that would certainly point to a problem, it's not out of the question that you could have hollow sounding area that is just the result of poor layup at the factory and not a deterioration.
Just leaving it alone and hoping for the best is a solution. The boat probably won't sink or anything dire like that, it's just that if the transom is indeed rotten then the boat has almost zero value. You can't sell it like that. Well, I guess you could but it's like selling a car with a rotted out chassis and not telling.
Anyway, I hope you don't think I was being snide with my comment. I was merely hoping to point out the seriousness of boating with a ripped transom bellows. It's the only thing between you and Davey Jones' locker and running around with it like that puts you in danger. Nobody wants that.
I understand the need to keep the costs from going through the roof. However, if you lose the boat, or yourself to a simple preventable thing that's a tragedy.
 
You cannot know if the transom is rotten just by visual inspection. You need to do a plug test to determine this. It involves cutting out a plug with a hole saw and having that core sample analyzed. I'm sure that's probably not too high on your list but it's really the only way to get a real notion of the state of things.
Tapping test only tells you if there is de lamination. While that would certainly point to a problem, it's not out of the question that you could have hollow sounding area that is just the result of poor layup at the factory and not a deterioration.
Just leaving it alone and hoping for the best is a solution. The boat probably won't sink or anything dire like that, it's just that if the transom is indeed rotten then the boat has almost zero value. You can't sell it like that. Well, I guess you could but it's like selling a car with a rotted out chassis and not telling.
Anyway, I hope you don't think I was being snide with my comment. I was merely hoping to point out the seriousness of boating with a ripped transom bellows. It's the only thing between you and Davey Jones' locker and running around with it like that puts you in danger. Nobody wants that.
I understand the need to keep the costs from going through the roof. However, if you lose the boat, or yourself to a simple preventable thing that's a tragedy.

Well I appreciate you explaining your thoughts on the serious nature of the leak in the bellows. Your last comment was a bit short, and not very helpful.

it might better serve my inquiry results by giving you a bit of my back ground. I’m not some bone head kid just trying to save a buck by patching things together so I can play with my new toy. I’m 64 years old with a 50 year background in construction , and I spent a few years building boats full time too. I’m a master craftsman in my field, but wise enough at this stage in life to know where to draw the line and seek advice from other masters in matters where I’m inexperienced.

with that being said, my boat mechanics experience is very limited. This is the first inboard I’ve ever owned. but I have had small boats with outboard motors for years, and built a few of those myself from a bare hull from wood and glass.
So I’m no rookie where it comes to structural integrity of this boat, and I’ve already drilled several holes in the transom and had a look at the core samples.

this 1990 Blue Water wouldn’t have been my first choice for buying a bigger fishing boat. But my wife found it, and she likes it, so we bought the old girl for a project we can do together. She is willing to help with getting her polished up and looking good again too. Not only that, but she’ll fish side by side in the pouring rain all day with me no problem. She’s got some sand....best fishing partner I’ve ever had.

Trust me guys... I’m watching this thing like a hawk when I’ve got it in the water. I’ve got a new kicker on it, (get me home motor) good bilge pumps, and most the time we are in the water we are using the trolling motor. We are also staying in fresh water at this time in known areas, and have all out safety gear aboard including a marine radio, flares, and the whole 9 yards. And.... it gets pulled out of the water every day at this point.

before we put this boat in the bays for out Fall fishing adventures, I’ll have this old girl in shop shape. I appreciate your help too...... Kirk

now you know..... “the rest of the story”...... Did I date myself on that one?



So
 
now you know..... “the rest of the story”......

Ayuh,...... Sounds like ya "Got a Plan", so go for it,.....

When replacin' the bellows, do All the wear parts at the same time, which'll be 'bout every 10 or 12 years,.....

Ya gotta go deep, so do it all,.....
 
Ayuh,...... Sounds like ya "Got a Plan", so go for it,.....

When replacin' the bellows, do All the wear parts at the same time, which'll be 'bout every 10 or 12 years,.....

Ya gotta go deep, so do it all,.....

That's exactly what my mechanic said too Bondo, but hours of use vs years may vary... He also recommended pulling the drive for inspection every 75-100 hours too just to check things out, and yearly if i plan on mooring it. It's not too expensive just taking a peek. but better safe than sorry.

He also told me that as long as i keep the lube and oil maintenance up regularly and keep those zirk fittings greased on the gimble bearing and pivot points, i shouldn't have to replace things as often, and everything works smoother.

From what i understand, the newer gimble bearings are grease less bearings with no way to lube them, and they replace them more often. I'm getting a hell of an education on boat maintenance.

Kirk
 
Thanks a bunch for the offer bro. At this time I think I’ll let the shop do this so I have an experienced eye to check everything else out in there.

I’ll more than likely get into more of this maintenance myself in the future as i get more comfortable with it, and may just take you up on that offer down the road a bit. Thanks a bunch, Kirk
 
FWIW, once you get it back, once you park it (especially on the trailer), put the drive down in the operating position...if you can, park it with the drive in the shade to the extent possible. Both will minimize the wear and tear on the bellows and increase its service life...
 
FWIW, once you get it back, once you park it (especially on the trailer), put the drive down in the operating position...if you can, park it with the drive in the shade to the extent possible. Both will minimize the wear and tear on the bellows and increase its service life...

Is that so the bellows are not stretched out all the way? Kinda makes sense... Kirk
 
Kirk, am thinking you are correct about the shift bellows. You can do the job yourself. But, if you are not comfortable, Take it to a shop.

Here is a tip, when you remove the out drive and are ready to remove the shift cable, buy a 9/16 spark plug socket, That is what fits the brass nut on the cable.
You are also going to need a short piece of stainless wire to secure the cable end with when you reassemble.
 
Thanks Bill, I’ll keep that in mind for the future, but I’ve got a date on August 3rd to take it in and have the whole thing gone through and replace all the bellows and gimbal bearing. I want a professional eye to check this out and take care of anything amiss while we are at it.... I want this thing in Ship shape before the Fall chinook run starts in September.

I’m also missing one of my trim sending units on the starboard side. That might explain why my trim gage isn’t working eh?

right now I’m going over the hull completely and repairing scratches and pulling off the lettering and pinstripes. Removing 30 year old pinstripes is interesting. Lol. It’s been awhile since I’ve done any gelcoat work. All the bright works need replacing too. The wood is just too far gone to refinish. That isn’t a huge deal for me as I have a professional wood shop with all the bells and whistles.

Then I’ll polish her up and replace the pin striping and lettering. Put some lipstick on this old girl. It’s a lot of work restoring an old boat, but it’s pretty satisfying once you get her looking good. I sure appreciate you guys helping me with the mechanics part of this..... Kirk
 
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