Lots of Water from Drain Plug - 2021 212

[throttlebc]

We had our first full day in the new boat yesterday and had a blast! It's so torquey and responsive to the throttle! We did tubing, cruising, and lots of in-and-out through the day. When I had it on the ramp on the trailer and pulled the drain plug, it seemed like a lot of water came out... This is my first boat so I didn't know what is expected, but after searching around this forum, it is probably more than I want. I also noticed that the cleanout ports had about 4" of water on top, so I know we were getting lots of water on the back deck.
I'll check out the anchor drain issue and get some silicon for the rear thru-hull fasteners. I also wasn't aware if the bilge pump was running or what was it's settings, so I'll pay more attention there next time. I like the touch screen controls, but sometimes a physical button and corresponding light is easier to use! Anyways, I'm not concerned and this seems to be a common issue. If I don't see anything obvious, I'll check with the local service dept. While I agree that holding the manufacturer to task for quality, I also know they won't give me a free loaner boat like the Mercedes dealer will. I also enjoy fixing things on my own and learning how it all works. Fingers crossed it's easy to remedy!

 

[mkbcaptain]

This sounds pretty normal to me. The factory bilge pump just isn’t low enough. I’ll turn mine to Manila mode just before pulling out of the water, and nothing pumps out. Then I pull the drain plug and it drains for a while. A lot of guys on here have added a second pump at the lowest point. Lazy manufacturing is what I chalk it up to.
just turn yoir bilge on just before pulling the plug to verify.

 

[EricE]

If you have allot of water on top of the cleanouts, my 1st guess would be your getting water into the bilge from the tray that is screwed in where the cleanouts ports are. Many reseal with silicone and that usually takes care of most leaks. I have a 212s, and the only time I get water out of the drain plug is when I've been doing allot of watersports and there is allot of stopping and starting sending water onto the back deck.
i haven't bothered to seal the clean out tray yet...

 

[suke]

If you have allot of water on top of the cleanouts, my 1st guess would be your getting water into the bilge from the tray that is screwed in where the cleanouts ports are. Many reseal with silicone and that usually takes care of most leaks. I have a 212s, and the only time I get water out of the drain plug is when I've been doing allot of watersports and there is allot of stopping and starting sending water onto the back deck.
i haven't bothered to seal the clean out tray yet...

yup, this! Had this problem on my 2020 212x. It was sealed horribly from the factory. Pulled the whole hatch, sealed it as well as all the screw holes, and around the clean out tubes. Barely any water comes out now, unless I get caught in a rain storm.

 

[212s]

If you have allot of water on top of the cleanouts, my 1st guess would be your getting water into the bilge from the tray that is screwed in where the cleanouts ports are. Many reseal with silicone and that usually takes care of most leaks. I have a 212s, and the only time I get water out of the drain plug is when I've been doing allot of watersports and there is allot of stopping and starting sending water onto the back deck.
i haven't bothered to seal the clean out tray yet...

Yup, I agree with this too - did the clear silicone seal around the plastic panel and screws last week, and she is now dry as a bone after hours on the water. Once the warranty is up, I'll be doing the stainless steel scupper replacement as I can see that being a source of water intrusion if it cracks or breaks off. Mine is just above the water line, but it gets slapped with water all day from wake waves.

 

[212s]

This sounds pretty normal to me. The factory bilge pump just isn’t low enough

Ideally there should never be any water in the hull just from floating or driving the boat. The factory bilge isn't just too high, it's in the engine compartment of my boat and does not reach the bottom of the hull. There's enough room under the engines to hold gallons of water that would never get pumped out if you didn't pull the drain plug. I don't want any water in there and $5 for a tube of exterior silicone sealant can make that happen.

 

[mkbcaptain]

Ideally there should never be any water in the hull just from floating or driving the boat.

Yes, I agree. I may have to do the same thing!

 

[ctyke]

Easy job, remove the screws, plus loosen 3 pipe clamps, 1 for each cleanout tube, the other for the drain. Scrape away the old silicone and marvel at the crappy job they did applying it. Re-apply silicone and reverse the process. Also, shop vac out all the leftover manufacturing material. Next trip out I had zero water come out.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/2020-ar210-mod-build-thread.26152/post-471514

 

[throttlebc]

Good stuff! I'll do this before we take it out again Saturday and report back with pics of the factory seals.

 

[anmut]

I believe the anchor locker drain is a culprit too. Last weekend we had a second family with us, another two adults and three kids, and all we did was drive to the sandbar and back, no water sports. When we got to the sand bar I took the anchor out and the locker had a ton of water in it. By the time we pulled out that night and I took out the drain plug, it drained for a few minutes at least. However the bilge never kicked on when we were out on the water like it does when we're surfing. I think it was from all the weight on the bow and doing no wake speeds.

 

[212s]

Easy job, remove the screws, plus loosen 3 pipe clamps, 1 for each cleanout tube, the other for the drain. Scrape away the old silicone ...

Wait, what silicone? There was no silicone that I could see. Granted I didn't remove the cover as it was held down with the tube clamps, but there was no residue from silicone that I could detect above or below the cover (looked inside the hatch cover). That's why I sealed it with a large bead of silicone. I think if Yamaha had done a decent job of sealing the cover from the factory, I wouldn't have a drop of water in the boat.

 

[212s]

I believe the anchor locker drain is a culprit too. Last weekend we had a second family with us, another two adults and three kids, and all we did was drive to the sandbar and back, no water sports. When we got to the sand bar I took the anchor out and the locker had a ton of water in it.

Can you quantify "ton of water"? My anchor locker can only hold a couple cups of water before it runs out the locker drain. My locker is a sealed compartment and can ONLY drain out the bow drain hole...is yours different?

By the time we pulled out that night and I took out the drain plug, it drained for a few minutes at least. However the bilge never kicked on when we were out on the water like it does when we're surfing. I think it was from all the weight on the bow and doing no wake speeds.

I found that the bilge area is NOT the lowest part of the hull. The bilge pump is several inches above in the engine compartment and will not pump out the water in the lower part of the hull and centerline keel area. If your hull is taking in water, you can get several gallons in there long before it gets up high enough for the engine compartment bilge to pump it out.

 

[212s]

Yes, I agree. I may have to do the same thing!

It's not hard at all, and it makes a big difference when worrying about water intrusion.

I'm good now, but I do want to look at the cockpit self-bailing drain through-hull fitting - seems it could crack or break and allow water into the hull after years of service. I prefer to fix that as soon as the warranty is over and keep my keel dry.

 

[EricE]

Can you quantify "ton of water"? My anchor locker can only hold a couple cups of water before it runs out the locker drain. My locker is a sealed compartment and can ONLY drain out the bow drain hole...is yours different?

I found that the bilge area is NOT the lowest part of the hull. The bilge pump is several inches above in the engine compartment and will not pump out the water in the lower part of the hull and centerline keel area. If your hull is taking in water, you can get several gallons in there long before it gets up high enough for the engine compartment bilge to pump it out.

My anchor locker is the same way on my 212s. Only a tiny bit of water can get in there and there is only one hole for the bow drain.
I can't see much water getting in there. I just soak it up with a small rag.

 

[AZMark]

Not sure about the new boats but a lot of the older ones have a very rough opening on the inside of the anchor drain hole where water can get inside between the outer hull and anchor locker.

 

[suke]

Not sure about the new boats but a lot of the older ones have a very rough opening on the inside of the anchor drain hole where water can get inside between the outer hull and anchor locker.

my 2020 was still the same. I sealed the edges of it really well with marine loctite sealant.

 

[212s]

Not sure about the new boats but a lot of the older ones have a very rough opening on the inside of the anchor drain hole where water can get inside between the outer hull and anchor locker.

I'll have to have another look...thought it was sealed up but maybe not...

 

[throttlebc]

OK, I pulled the rear panel and sure enough, there was only a very thin bead of silicon and there were places were there was none. I cleaned up the old stuff and put a thick bead all around and was sure to include the screw holes and a thin layer on the inside of the clean out tubes. I also sealed the screw-in part of the quick access panel. While I was there I vacuumed out the rest of the dust and metal from the drain area and verified the bilge pump works fine. I didn't check the anchor locker drain, but I will when we have it out on the water tomorrow. Fingers crossed this solves the issue!

 

[Beachbummer]

I put a gasket on there so I did not have to re apply silicone every time I open the hatch.

 

[mkbcaptain]

Where is this hatch located that you are referring to?