water in the hull of boat

[topcat]

I have water in the hull of my boat , it got there from a seam in the bow of the boat that is seperating. and has taken in water, the floor is very strong accept for the seam in the bow. My question is can I drill a hole in the bow and pump out the water and then repair the floor were the seam and the hole will be drilled? thanks in advance for the help.....topcat

[Mike Cork]

What kind of boat have you got? and what kind of material is it made out of

Where is the water, that you can't get to it, most boats have access to all areas of the hull, or at least the areas that you can't reach are not closed off?

Anyway sounds like you got a good plan but I would be leery of drilling and extra hole in a fiberglass boat and then repairing it. If you need to drill the hole get you some tubing and a 20 bilge pump and make a permanent pump for that area of the boat That way the hole you drill will look like it's supposed to be there

If you can answer some of those questions and I know you will get some good advice from some of the guys and gals on this site, seems like we have some experience in fixing things Just wish we didn't break them so often

[Ranger375]

Good questions Mike...I agree the last thing I would want to do is drill a hole and create another potential place for a leak.  If there is any other way I would sure try to find it.  As far as the seam...finding where the leak is...is the hardest part sometimes.  Fixing it should not be that difficult especially with it being at a seam.

[topcat]

Hi Mike and Ranger thanks for your replies i appreciate it very much.To answer your questions, I have a Skeeter Baron fiberglass boat. I agree tha that putting another hole in the boat is not the answer to the problem, but i have ran out of ideals. I have searched the boat over and there is no way to get to the water in the hull beneath the floor that I can see. I can remove water from everywhere but the hull of the boat. There is the possiblity of using a bilge pump, which would require me to  make a hole that i don't really want. are there any other ways to remove that water? Thanks in advance for you help in this matter.    oklahoma with water I can't drink. topcat

[Mike Cork]

If you can see it, maybe you can get a small hose to it and syphon it out. You could use the mouth method (I think they call it the oklahoma credit card ) or they sell a small little pump at most parts houses that is manual and will suck the water out.

What are you looking threw that you can see it?

[topcat]

Hi Mike:
thanks for your reply, I am seeing it as it runs out of the seam that is in the bow. I noticed it when i jacked up the boat to replace a tire on the back of the tralier, and the boat was leaning to one side, then the water started to come out of the seam. As long as it was level there was no water, thats how I knew that the seam had pulled apart. If i had never changed the tire I would not have known, needless to say i left the tire off  hoping that it would all run out but it has not. Thanks for you help in advance.... Looking at water I can't reach in Oklahoma

[Ranger375]

You know I was thinking...Mike have you ever heard of water getting in between the seams of the laminate...I have heard of this...it is usually very brown water that comes out.  Usually this happens when someone adds a ladder or something like that and they drill the pilot holes for the screws...whent they do the water comes out.  I can't remember for the life of me what they did about it.  The thing is it isn't in the hull space it is between the hull layers.

[Mike Cork]

Ranger I have heard of that  but it was a double hulled boat and the water got in between the hulls. The one time I seen it there was a crack involved as well.

Top Cat, I am not familar with the Skeeter Baron, is that a model of boat that Skeeter boats puts out or is the Skeeter Baron the brand name? How big is your boat?

Would it be possible to say back the boat up on some ramps or something to get the nose as low as possible, if you had a hill or something that could add to the angle you might be able to get the nose of the boat low enough.

[topcat]

  Hi Mike and Ranger
Thanks for you input it really means a lot. my boat is made by Skeeter baron and it is a 17ft fiberglass boat. it appears that the water is not down in the hull just trapped somehow under the floor. the water is not brown it is crystal clear, could it be rain water that is runing into the seam and held up there with no place to go., just a guess since the water is so clear. Thanks for your assistance in advance. trapped water in Oklahoma...... ....topcat

[topcat]

mike skeeter put the boat out...thanks for your help...topcat

[Mike Cork]

It could be possible? Is this a definite crack or is the water coming from the seem of the top cap and the hull? I have seen before where the silicone they use to seal where the two halves come together has come off and lets water in under the rub rail that goes around the boat?

Does your boat have a bilge pump in it?

It seems very strange to me that a boat would have areas that didn't drain into the bottom of the hull and then run out threw the drain plug or could be pumped out with the bilge pump. Skeeter didn't make a double hulled boat as far as I know (that doesn't mean they didn't  ) The water being clear doesn't necessarily mean that it is rain water unless of course you are fishing Louisiana then any lake water would appear very dirty But you might be on to something here, if it is possible for the rain water to run into the crack.

[topcat]

Hi Mike:
Thanks for the post and you help in this situation. Mike the water is coming from the seam or crack in the floor, it only shows up if the boat is not level and the front of the boat is lower than the rest of the boat. Mike i do have a bilge pump in the boat.
I am going to try pumping the water out of the boat, I will post you concerning  the results of my effort. the water in the boat does not smell, so it is my conclusion that the water has not been there very long. thanks for your help in advance Mike..I hope that when I post, the problem will be history....    water logged in Oklahoma  :)Topcat

[Mike Cork]

Beeing clear and no smell, I think you might be right on with the rain water any news on how the bilge pump worked?

[Jared LeBlue]

Ok, I'm having a hard time getting a vision on where this water is. Basic make up of a boat: Top Cap made of fiber glass, Hull made of fiberglass, stringers made of comsite or wood overlaid with fiberglass, foam, composite or wood floor with a fiberglass over lay. Where is this water? If it was between the floor and the hull it would drain to the back. If your fiberglass is seperating you may have some bigger issues. If it's the fiberglass over lay seperating from the floor it will eventually dry out but your floor is going to buckle especially if it is wood. I hope it isn't anything serious but if I were you I would take it to a fiberglass shop and let them have a look at it.

[topcat]

Hi. Rattle:
Thanks for you advice and concern, the water, I think is between the floor and the hull.  The floor is not buckling yet, there is a seam about 3ft from the bow. the bow drops down about a foot and then the floor goes straight back , well at the end of the drop there is a seam that has begun to seperate. the water is slowly coming out there. I am going to use the blige pump this evening and see if i can get rid of the water. The floor is solid and has no weak points in it,  it is even strong where the seam is. thanks for you advice and concern...please respond...would like to here more of what you think...water problems in Oklahoma...Topcat

Mike...thanks fo your advice..i will report back this evening after the blige pump is used and the boat is raised in the front and lowered in the back.....pumping water  in Oklahoma.....Topcat

[Mike Cork]

It should work Topcat, curious as to how it goes

[cmegee]

Look at getting some type of seam sealer once the water is out. Try either a little fiberglass or some type of silcion.

[DAWG]

Try taking a  of where you see the water coming in at and post it so we can see where you are talking about