Drain plugs and bilge pump

[Billy Marlin]

I was able to do a little more digging on my boat but still baffled by the drain system and bilge pump. From what I can tell the 2 plugs in the changing room/under center console front seat might lead to the hull but definitely will drain if you pull the drain plug in front of the motor. I pulled these plugs while on a flat surface and saw no difference and they definitely do not drain directly out. The only bilge that seems to do anything is in front of the motor so I don't think this boat has a hull pump out. While on the water I only noticed water being pumped out if it got over this pump. Just to the right of the pump directly below the motor is a hole with a mesh screen that I believe leads to the hull. So as of right now I believe the hull has to fill up with water enough to come up through this screen into the motor compartment. Then almost get to the motor before the bilge pump can actually pump out the water.

This weekend going to pull the bait bucket holder and do more investigating unfortunately I put a good bead of silicone down that I will have to replace. I thought I saw a bilge pump down in the hull but going to have to confirm that because I had a LOT of water drain out when I put my boat on an incline.

There is a drain hole in the front anchor compartment which I don't know where that drains too either. Called Yamaha and sat on hold for 45 minutes before giving up. Spoke with the level 1 customer service and they could only tell me what the owners manual says. Of course it does not say anything about the anchor drain or the compartment drains.

 

[highanddryinco]

The anchor locker drains out near the bow. You'll see a small plastic drain on the exterior, starboard side if I remember correctly.

I believe you're correct on the bilge pump. The one in front of the motor is the only one there is. I wish there was something back in that lower hull bilge area like you mentioned.

I did my interior wash out like I described in another post and like you, am still a little confused. I don't know just how "sealed" that back hull area is from the rest of the boat. Best bet I think, keep all off those plugs in place, especially the one right in front of the bilge pump. That one seems to have some effect on separating the front and rear. I had it plugged when I did my wash out of the front compartments including the console. Then I opened up that plug and had a pretty good head pressure of water escaping the front trying to go rearward.

 

[Billy Marlin]

Ok so the anchor drains out directly that is good to know and the deck drains also feed out directly. So now the big question of the day how the heck did I get 2 inches of water in the changing room? Granted we had a rain of about 2-3 inches. My boat is currently back in the boat slip and I closed all the drain plugs after draining the whole thing. Will see if any water has somehow creeped up into the front compartment but I should not see any water since the slip is covered.

I will definitely be moving my pump to the hull and adding a float switch in the near future.

 

[Julian]

230 series owners like myself also were concerned about the location of the bilge pump, but @Bruce and I tested this and it only took a couple of gallons before it reached the bilge pump and began pumping it out, so not sure you will gain much by moving the pump further back.

We have had a few boats that began collecting water up front, and there were a few difference sources that were uncovered:

1. The anchor locker drain wasn't sealed, and when driving with someone sitting in the bow (or sometime with no one in the bow) water was forced into the drain hole (which leaked) and thereby leaked into the bow area of the boat and worked its way back.
2. Same scenario as #1, but rather than the anchor drain itself leaking, the anchor locker wasn't sealed well and water forced into it leaked out from the locker edges.
3. Speedo pitot tube came off and leaked
4. Cooler leaked (in an FSH...perhaps the forward fish locker is leaking?)
5. Is it possible that the drains to fish locker are leaking?

 

[Rauhdy]

I leave my 2015 AR240 in a boat slip annually. Every three weeks or so I trailer the boat to my house, clean it up, and put it back in the water. I noticed that when I pull the boat out, pull the scupper plug, I have LOTs of water coming out. Although the engine compartment is dry.

I keep a Yamaha mooring cover on the boat when not in use that covers the entire boat. I open all the drain plugs when im running the boat, and close when its at dock. When they are open and running the boat, I cant get the water out of the hull. Doesn’t drain the hull water, just small amounts that make it to the engine compartment.

Im sensing that I have water runoff from rain and capture water from watersports during the three weeks its in the water. The water collects in the hull and below the engine compartment where the bilge pump is. During the three weeks im hauling the extra water around until I can get the boat out of the water and drain the scupper plug.

When I pull it next weekend im bringing a 5 gallon bucket to see how much water the hull holds and how much I collect during the three weeks of recent heavy rains.

Not sure why Yamaha designed it this way as my older non-yamaha boats had the scupper on the inside of the boat so you could pull it as you were running and it would drain the excess water as you ran the boat.

Thoughts?