Entire engine bay full of water (With Pics)

[Beachbummer]

that was too easy. I am more worried that mine will be like scot where he had to use his boat to get leverage.

Well that was my second one.. The first one i tripped forward when it finally loosened after pushing for a good 30 seconds, but the camera wasn't on or set up then.

 

[tahmad575]

Thank you for all the replies, I need to get a couple things out of the way first.
I have been saving up for this particular year and model of boat since I was 18, I was planning to purchase one in the next couple of years but I found this for sale for $7,000. It was a project boat with engines needing tuning, broken steering/ throttle/ shift cables. I knew I could handle the work so I drove down to Miami from NJ to pick up and trailer a boat for the first time. It took me a month to get it running and fixed, So far I have spent another 7k on parts to fix it and its been running amazing, I've gone out about 40 times this season and enjoy every second of it.

@Liveto99 I really appreciate your help and support, that's a great website but take no offense when I say this, If I wanted to rent a boat I wouldn't have bought one, I take a lot of pride in restoring my boat and my car. It feels amazing that I actually own a boat and I enjoy every single hour of labor I put into it.

@Betik I honestly am grateful for the wisdom and I know it would be wise to bench it for the season but I lucked out (Knock on wood), found and isolated the leak, and have fixed it hopefully permanently. I don't really go by the norm of when to take my boat out of the water for the season or when to drop it in. I was out there early april, enjoying a brisk 50 degree breeze while I had the lake to myself, I plan on keeping the boat out on the water until late October. For me this is new and when I go on the water its cool seeing my friends but I like to rock out by myself and do my own thing.. explore new areas. I was the first one on the water and hopefully i'll be the last one to pull the boat out this season.

@Beachbummer & @Betik My plan is to change the impellers and bearings and do some extreme preventative maintenece this winter so that I can have a completely care free season next year. I tried to take off the jet unit housing, 4 bolts that hold the wear ring housing I think (attached pics) came out really easy but I couldnt seperate it from the main unit. The unit that bolts onto the transom plate was very tough. I could not break the 5 bolts free no matter how hard I tried with my hand tools. Since I found and isolated the leak I figured to leave the jet unit alone, curiosity got me and I wanted to see what was in there lol I guess i'll wait until winter to tear it apart. Also thanks a lot for sharing that video of breaking the impeller nut free, it will come in very handy ?


SO here is what I did tonight.
Firstly I took off the steering cable from the jet unit head, The 3M 5200 came off so easily, With one good pull with pliers it came out as one big chunk... I then backed the steering cable into the boat, found a rubber hose and wrapped it with electrical tape at one end, pulled the thin end of the hose from the inside of the boat through to the outside, yanked and pulled on it until the electrical tape part of the hose was plugged in the steering cable hole.
I then removed the starboard side waterbox (Big metal cylinder, the one in the middle, below the cleanout hatch) I then Filled the boat with the same amount of water as last night (about 3ft of water in the bilge), There was no more leak. The entire outside of the boat was bone dry.
I then drained the water, Cleaned the scupper valve, It looked new and the seal was good on it. Dried the area around the port steering cable hole. Used a wire brush to clean the hole really well. I used acetone to clean up any oil or residue left by the silicone. then Used the wire brush to clean that area some more. I wanted to make sure my prep was good this time. When I originally replaced the steering cables I did 0 prep and I guess that's why the seal came free. I then mixed the two part epoxy and let it get thick and while I waited I adjusted the cable so that once I apply the epoxy I could quickly tighten the nuts on each side of the hull. I applied the epoxy (its very thin and settles at the bottom) the epoxy cures in 10 hours, and is workable in one hour so after i'm done writing this I'll be applying a second coating of epoxy on both sides of the hull to ensure a proper seal. I am going to wait until tomorrow night to perform a leak test after this epoxy has cured and will leave the water in there overnight and leave a piece of cardboard on the floor beneath the boat to see if there is any leak.

Thanks again for the replies, I will post a final update tomorrow.

 

[Gym]

@tahmad575 unless I'm misunderstanding what you're doing with this epoxy you would be better served using 3M 4200 or Lifecaulk when dealing with your steering cable components. This will allow you to remove these components at a future time. Steering & control cables do have a life expectancy especially if you boat in salt water.

 

[Seadeals]

I am late catching up on this thread; but for others, I agree you don’t need epoxy to be water-tight. You want the cables to be removable. It takes some skill to get a good seal on that without it looking like hot mess; but sealant just in the right place (between the washers) is what counts. I replaced cables a few years back and the starboard cable is already taking on water like the old one. I lube it and grease the shaft/plastic seal before launching but may need to replace again if it stiffens up.

I am also glad you are enjoying it all. Epoxy, 4200, 5200, lifecaulk, or whatever else is no biggie As long as you are happy with it.

 

[Liveto99]

I am jealous of anyone who gets to use there boat that much. If you were going to take everything apart this winter and are having trouble with some bolts I would put some penetrant on any bolts you’re gonna take out every week from now until this winter when you disassemble it. Since you got the boat in Miami it was used in salt water so having a month or so for penetrant to get in and loosen up the bolts could save you a lot of headache’s trying to take them apart.
Between April 15th and today I have gotten out 1 time on my boat, it would pay for me to have just rented one.

 

[Beachbummer]

For the pump once you get the bolts out, there are a few notches on the pump where a large flat head screw driver fits as a wedge to pull the pump. If the pump is stuck (it happens) jiggling/attempting to rotate the shaft can help get it loose. Winter is a good time to do it.

 

[Gym]

For the pump once you get the bolts out, there are a few notches on the pump where a large flat head screw driver fits as a wedge to pull the pump. If the pump is stuck (it happens) jiggling/attempting to rotate the shaft can help get it loose. Winter is a good time to do it.

@Beachbummer Is absolutely correct. My wife did this for me and I had it out in no time.

 

[tahmad575]

Final update

@Gym Thanks for the advice I'm not very good with a caulking tube so the 3M 5200 is very hard for me to apply in that area. You have a great point about the epoxy being too strong of a bond for me to remove once I need to change the cables again. I figured I could use the Debonding agent mentioned previously. I know it will be a lot of work to remove the stuff but at least now I know that this is a good seal.

@Seadeals Since I used the 3M 5200 and my application failed on me I am not confident enough in my skills to apply caulking to have tried it again. This epoxy is pretty good stuff and you are correct it's not the ideal product for this particular job but for me it's gotten the job done well.

@Liveto99 Damn man I'm sorry that you can't take the boat out as much as you would like. You're probably busy working so more power to you . I head over to my slip every weekend, Saturday after work and Sunday all day, also some nights after work during the weekdays. If you're ever in the lower Hudson near the statue of liberty, let me know. Thanks for the PB blaster tip, I'll definitely try that because it's imperative that I change the impellers and bearings, I know they're in ok shape but I want to put in new ones to have that feeling of comfort since mine are eroded with salt water from the previous owner.

@Beachbummer Thanks I wasn't really sure what those notches were for but I tried to use a flat head screwdriver and it would bend the screwdriver so I stopped because I didn't want to chip or break those notches. I'll be sure to keep you posted during winter when I do a dedicated pump tear down job

@Cobra Jet Steering LLC I have a question: since I was messing with the steering cables I wanted to properly adjust and align them so I read a previous post where you mentioned that you use a long level and make sure that all four edges of the jet pump heads are flush with the level. I adjusted the steering cables because before I had just used my eyes as a level (completely inaccurate I know).
I tried my best to adjust them and it still left me with a 0.45mm Gap on the inside side of the jet pump head. Basically .45mm (toe in) on both jet pump heads. I have attached pictures to show what I'm talking about I'm wondering if that is okay.
Also when I put my jet unit heads in the forward position there's like 1/2 inch slack. I have attached pictures to make it easier to see what I'm talking about. Is my current example one picture okay?

So I filled the boat up with water after adjusting and aligning the steering. There was no leak that I can see so I left a piece of cardboard on the floor beneath the boat. So far it's been 4 hours and there hasn't been a single drop. I think my problem is fixed.

Once again I extremely appreciate all the help and support this community has given me thank you.

 

[Gym]

@tahmad575 Not to belabor this discussion but calking can be applied the same way epoxy is applied. You can use a putty knife, flat stick or your finger. In fact I always smooth calking out with a wet finger to make sure the area is properly covered and smooth.

 

[tahmad575]

@Gym thanks for the tip, I definitely have to practice some more

 

[Stevepro172]

Isn't Greenwood lake closed! Everybody thinks it is so you must have the lake to yourself, except when I'm out there!

 

[the MfM]

@Gym thanks for the tip, I definitely have to practice some more

Blue tape and keep the tube of caulking cold.

 

[Matt Phillips]

Looks like this one may be solved. I'd still want to test it in the water and see how the seal does with the water pressure coming at it from the other side. It's a simple experiment, go dump the boat in the water, let it sit and check it leaks the best you can

I also like how you have been looking for this model of boat for years and have enjoyed bringing it back to life. There's pride to be had in a project boat when she's out there running like she was designed.

 

[tahmad575]

@the MfM thanks that's a great tip ?

@Stevepro172 the lake is in fact open and so is lake hopatcong, the dep only shut down the beaches at both lakes which are licensed by the health department. The media blew it out of proportion and in turn devasted the local lake businesses. I went to lake commission meeting when the dep and other state officials came, I'll post a pic of what I have to say about it because it's a complicated discussion

@Matt Phillips I definitely won't be leaving the batteries and bilge off now but I'll keep the bilge off when I'm on your water all day Saturday to gauge how much water intrusion I have. Hopefully I'll be all good for the rest of the season. I'm currently taking out some old screws used for transponders and depth Sounders, plugging them with 3M 5200 then putting the screw's back in just to make sure I have *edit" NO! more leaks in the future

 

[Julian]

@the MfM thanks that's a great tip ?

@Stevepro172 the lake is in fact open and so is lake hopatcong, the dep only shut down the beaches at both lakes which are licensed by the health department. The media blew it out of proportion and in turn devasted the local lake businesses. I went to lake commission meeting when the dep and other state officials came, I'll post a pic of what I have to say about it because it's a complicated discussion

@Matt Phillips I definitely won't be leaving the batteries and bilge off now but I'll keep the bilge off when I'm on your water all day Saturday to gauge how much water intrusion I have. Hopefully I'll be all good for the rest of the season. I'm currently taking out some old screws used for transponders and depth Sounders, plugging them with 3M 5200 then putting the screw's back in just to make sure I have more leaks in the future

I think you missed a "no" in that last sentence! Glad you found your leak....that was a big one! I would never boat with the bilge off....just have a normal day and see if you have any water. The bilge wont ever remove it all. Boats have bilge pumps because small leaks are common....

 

[Beachbummer]

Also, without a float, don;t just leave it for the whole day and then check, check the first 5, then 15, then 30, then 60 and every hour thereafter if you will have the bilge off. it could creep up on you and by end of day it could be too late. I hope I'm wrong, but best to check and worry for nothing, than not check and have it be too late.

 

[tahmad575]

@Beachbummer I'm not sure if it has a float or not but it only turns on when 1/4 of the bilge pump is underwater. I'll definitely hang out at my slip the first hour and check the seals I made thanks for the advice ?

@Julian Lol thanks I was using my phone that's a big typo, yeah it took 3 hours for the bilge pump to get all the water out the day when almost the whole engine but was full of water. I ordered a much bigger heavy duty bilge pump that'll come in next week, I'll install that in the middle compartment at the bottom of the engine bay