My boat flooded!!! Help!!

[BigAbe75]

You can counter that movement aft by just tapping one throttle forward, try it, you can balance it out to pretty much absolute neutral.

I’m not sure how much control I have with the E buckets. I feel like anything forward on the throttle will raise the bucket all the way, but don’t really know. Only way to see it in action is with engines running on the trailer. Surely, there is some adjustment that can be made though.

 

[zipper]

OH! Crap, forgot about that e throttle business. Works for my boat.

 

[ripler]

I'm assuming the dealership where the boat is now is the same dealership that serviced it before this problem? If so hopefully they realized they messed up and does everything they can to help you.

 

[Beachbummer]

@Beachbummer , all points well-made. Don't disagree at all. I was just thinking the size of the scupper (allegedly cracked, so a 'crack', but even completely removed) is, what? a 1" hole or so? Not pumped, but certainly with water pressure behind it. Then you have the bilge with a 3/8" hole, actively pumped. Yes, the bilge loses. But in 5 min? That is a pretty short time period.

You may be completely right and it may just be the scupper. But, were it my boat, I would be checking for more. Worst case you don't find anything.

Totally agree on the alarm. I added a 2nd bilge pump, too (redundancy at least, double capacity at best). I should have put it in the lower bilge, which is the other thing I would say about the stock design: an alarm and relocating the pump down by the bilge plug so you didn't start pumping 40 gal of water behind...

Could be. The scupper is 1+1/2 That's a big hole. I do think it would be pretty crummy luck to have both the scupper crack and something else allow water in on the same outing, BUT entirely possible there is some other water ingress point. Totally worth ensuring the bilge is dry and leak free the next few outings, and I'm sure the owner will be doing just that after this unhappy episode.

Eternal Vigilance is required on these boats, and any other with holes below the waterline. We are at the mercy of the weakest link between hoses, nuts, glue,scuppers, and hose clamps, that work constantly to keep water at bay. At failure of any of these parts, water comes in, sometimes in great quantity. It's not if, but when...

 

[mraz72]

Quick update on the boat status

1. I purchased a Rule Bilge alarm (audible and visible) that I just drove over to my dealer. ~$70 for the alarm online
2. Dealer said they would install the alarm which they said might take them 2-3 hours @$100 an hour. I'm ok with that. I even told them to pick the location of the visible part, I'm not that picky, as long as it looks clean. I'll upload some pics afterwards.
3. As far as any long lasting damage to the motors (or anything else) the dealer said no, pretty certain everything is good. they had to change the oil in both motors, then change the oil again in one of the motors (that was the motor that shut down on it's own). they also changed both air filters and replaced the cracked scupper valve. Total damage for that work is ~$1000.00. They have a call into Yamaha to see if it's covered, the dealer didn't see a reason why it wouldn't be.

Sounds like I should have the boat back for next weekend with the addition of a bilge alarm installed by the dealer. From my experience I would say a bilge alarm is pretty darn important, and if I were a dealer, I might sell one with every boat. I'd also like to see the alarm kill the motors if configured AND for a way for me to override that behavior if I need to. Where is Amazon in their smart boat functionality!!?? Why don't we have alarms that shut down systems etc.? I'm guessing we will, just a matter of when...

I plan on keeping the boat for years to come, looks like I sort of dodged a bullet lol. I'm going to ignore any thoughts of "Does the one motor sound different, or does it feel different etc." and just enjoy the thing!

Thanks again to this board and all of it's members who help those in need on a daily basis, much appreciated.

 

[Beachbummer]

Great News! One humble suggestion, be sure they wire the switch so if you pick AUTO there is no battery draw. I recall a wiring suggestion leaving a bright red bulb when on Auto position...that wasn't very battery friendly.

 

[Chief]

Can anyone verify the 2016 240 series scupper level (below or above waterline)? This below-the-waterline scupper placement was the single major design flaw on the SX-230 that I really did not like, but I thought this was fixed on the 24 foot models that replaced the 23 foot line. Somebody please confirm or correct me.

If the scupper IS above the water line, how could a broken scupper suck in water at that rate for a boat idling at a dock in calm water?

My scupper is ABOVE the water line, but on the boat ramp it will be underwater until the vessel is off the trailer and level.

 

[mraz72]

I was thinking along those lines, maybe the scupper is above the water line when level? Seems odd that THAT much water would have been ingested from just the time it takes to drop the boat. Unless the scupper is slightly above the waterline, when dropping the boat enough water was ingested that the scupper was now partially below the water line?

IDK, I'll use my goPro underwater when I get the boat back, to see where the scupper sits.

 

[JDFester]

I was thinking along those lines, maybe the scupper is above the water line when level? Seems odd that THAT much water would have been ingested from just the time it takes to drop the boat. Unless the scupper is slightly above the waterline, when dropping the boat enough water was ingested that the scupper was now partially below the water line?

IDK, I'll use my goPro underwater when I get the boat back, to see where the scupper sits.

One *possible* caveat to the possibility of the scupper being the sole culprit: with the engines idling in neutral, do the buckets direct the water from the pumps back at the location of the scupper? I know it does on my 190, but I am not familiar enough with the newer twins to know if that is the case...

There is a cover plate over the scupper that would defect a lot of that wash, but I could see it being a potential issue if water is being blown straight back at/into a broken scupper. And as it blows enough water in, the back gets heavier; from the description of the added weight at the ramp, it sounds as if it got enough water inside to pull the scupper down to the waterline, where it would draw in plenty with gravity, while still having the jet spray directed back too.

Just some thoughts.

 

[tdonoughue]

That is an excellent point. If your wash was directed at the scupper while cracked, it might also cause it to break the rest of the way. Plus, then effectively pump in water, as @JDFester notes. Very well could be.

 

[Julian]

So I bought a new scupper as I don't like having a plastic part like this at the water line and because when I replaced the one on my 2005 Sx230 in 2014, it snapped right off in my hand when I went to remove it.

So I went to do this job today, and step one is remove the old one. This one won't budge. So I suspect a couple of things are at play here.
1) the age of the plastic....the older it gets the more brittle it becomes
2) the more you use the boat and trailer it, the more flexing the plastic is subjected to
3) perhaps the parts vary somewhat in the molding process and some are thicker?

Suffice to say, mine is fine right now. I'll make it part of my annual spring and/or fall check to wrench on this thing to see if it snaps! (If I hadn't twisted my back, I probably would have just replaced it...but this is not a job you want to do with a pain in your back!)

 

[mrcleanr6]

This job on my 232 would have not been a big deal. The 275’s it would be a major project. Anything in the aft end of the 27’s is a major pia. You just dont have the room or access like you do on the 23 hull. Hell, i cant even get my hand within 10” of the bilge pump. I dont even know how your supposed to svc that if you ever needed to. Its a shame they didnt put an access hatch under the center walkway between the motors to get to the bilge area.

 

[Neutron]

Found the best tool to remove and tighten the nut. I didn't even know they made crows foot this big in 3/8 drive. Made for an easy job. I duck taped the scupper to the hull on the outside after applying 5200 before using the crows foot

 

[DaleP]

Hey Folks - I'm pretty new owner of a 2014 AR190 which was in very good working order when I got it earlier this Summer. Though the dealer I bought through (sold on commission) replaced a few parts (impeller and some other minor issues) before we picked it up. We've been on it about 5 times since we picked it up in mid-July. This forum has thankfully been a wealth of info for me as a brand new boater.

I've been using the pre-launch checklist on the forum pretty diligently but yesterday we were late getting onto the water (spent the morning surfing Larry) and I didn't go through all the checks leaving our driveway and neglected to put in the drain plugs (obvious rookie mistake). We spent about 3hrs on the water 2.5 of those double-anchored at a beach nearby. When we packed up to go I noticed the engine didn't sound good and cut out shortly after starting it. Looked at the engine bay and it was about 40% filled with salt water. Immediately dropped two anchors (the current in the inlet was so strong one wouldn't hold), plugged in the two loose drain plugs and and then let the bilge remove the water in the bay while BoatUS came to tow us back to the ramp. We only realized while we were being towed that we needed to clamp our engine intakes while being towed and that didn't happen since we didn't have clamps (will have to pick some up).

When we got back home I was able to get the engine started and flushed it with water and hosed off the entire engine bay with Salt-Away. After letting it dry out overnight, I checked the oil dipstick this morning and it looks like there isn't any water mixed in. I started up the engine, running salt-away through the engine flush and had it going for about 4 minutes on idle and ran it at 3-5 RPM for a few minutes and it sounded ok the whole time. It seems I might be in the clear but wanted to see if anyone had any recommendations. Should I go ahead and change the oil and spark plugs to be safe? Last thing I want is to have to go through that experience again and will definitely plan to put in a bilge alarm in there over the off-season. Thanks for any info you can share.

 

[Beachbummer]

You are fine. The problem is when water goes in the air intake and then all hell breaks loose, or water backs in from towing at great speed. If the engine ran, you are fine.

Consider spraying Silicone or CRC 656 anywhere it got wet to keep rust away.

 

[Julian]

@DaleP I agree with Beachbummer - sounds like you dodged a bullet. I do wonder why the engine died....so I would pay very close attention to the oil. Makes me wonder if the airfilter got water on it and starved the boat of air....but I'd be wanting to know what killed the engine.

Changing the oil is cheap insurance.....when was it changed last? If it wasn't recent, I'd probably just do that for peace of mind.

Then as Beachbummer says, I'd remove the rear clean out hatch and spray salt away in there followed by CRC 656 or like stuff to coat the metal hose clamps etc.

 

[GTBRMC]

@DalePChanging the oil is cheap insurance.....when was it changed last? If it wasn't recent, I'd probably just do that for peace of mind.

100% agreed. (Even if it was recent)

 

[Beachbummer]

It can't hurt to change the oil, but spraying the engine all around (and if it was that high, under the clean out hatch) certainly needs to also be done, and the sooner the better. Water is just normally not supposed to be there.

 

[DaleP]

Thanks so much for your advice Julian, Beachbummer & GTBRMC! Thankfully I had some CRC 656 (based on advice from members in the forum) and I've gone ahead and and sprayed the entire engine bay and clean out hatch with it and plan to change the oil this week as a precaution, though it has only run about 10hrs on the latest oil. Glad to hear I dodged a bullet on this and it was a lesson learnt more than anything.

 

[Beachbummer]

This is a topic I'm passionate about, so I'll share it loudly as I do every time it comes up...

If you want to take a lesson, the lesson is... You need a bilge alarm so you are not surprised if it ever happens again. The bilge alarm buys you time to fix. a bilge float alone with no alarm may help, but if it's overwhelmed you are in the same unhappy spot. More water than desired and the water keeps coming up. With no alarm you are counting on noticing the bilge pump running, or noticing when the engine dies a horrible death from water ingestion while running.

So, If you don't have one, add a Bilge Alarm, the Cheap Fix that saves your boat when things go bad!