Still leaking

[Cgeetter]

Hi MrMoose,

I still have my leaking as we discussed a month or so ago. The dealer did the entire rub rail, anchor locker, and I found and fixed the starboard shifter cable through hull fitting, and the port hot water outlet fitting (which had a pinched washer). I have done the baby powder trick and while my wife is driving the boat I watch in the back with my head lamp on. I am sure the other boaters I pass think I am wacked! Anyway, I see dripping right below the port side drive shaft hose, but when I grab the underside of the hose it's dry! So I have no idea where this dripping is coming from. Also, looks like water is also coming from under the front wall (wall behind the engines), so can't see that either. Either way I will be doing the test again, but starting with the boat tied to ther dock and progressing slowly until I get the leaking.

1.) Is there a way to disable the access hatch buttons that kill the engines when the hatch is open? Right now I made a piece of wood that I use to hold the buttons down while I'm in the back leak hunting, but I need to use that hand to get further into that area.

2.) How did they fix your through bearing? Did they have to remove the engine to get the drive shaft out?

I removed both of my safety switches and used quality duct tape to keep them permanently compressed. I did that two years ago and they are still that way just hanging out underneath the hatch. Makes life so much easier.

 

[GoVols01]

The harder I run my boat the more water I accumulate. It does not seem to take on water when it’s just sitting, but I have gone over this literally for two years now with multiple dealerships and they just look at me and throw their arms up and say they are “wet boats”.

Same deal with my '17 212X. It's been to the dealer a bunch of times and all the usual stuff has been looked at. They worked on it extensively last Fall before the boat's big nap. First time out this year, TONS of water drained from the hull, which made for an embarrassing scene at the boat ramp. Yamaha tried to tell me last year that "it's normal to have a gallon or so come out," but I filled up a 5 gallon bucket last year - NOT normal. I told the dealer and Yamaha if they can't fix this, I'm lawyering-up and they're buying this damn thing back from me. So, it's in the shop again this week and Yamaha is even sending a factory technician to come take a look at it.

 

[anmut]

I get a couple gallons out of my boat at the ramp too. In my mind, this is par for the course, when you consider how many outside entry points there are for water on a vehicle that is subject to high pressures, hot/cold flexing, and g-forces. Think about all the points water can get in:

Pump area
Steering cables
Anchor locker drain
Scrupper
Depth finder
Low-to-the-water transom rub rail
Clean-out ports
Ballast fill port (if equipped)

Then consider all the in-and-out by you and guests at the sandbar and during water sports, each person dripping a pint or two each time they're in and out. If you think about it, it's actually amazing these boats don't sink as soon as they're dunked...

Even my previous boat, an I/O 18' Bayliner bow rider gave me a couple of gallons of water after a long Saturday and that boat had a lot less places for possible ingress. IMHO you can drive yourself insane looking for all the little leaks and trying to maintain a perfectly dry hull or you can just enjoy the boat. As long as the engine bay isn't flooding or you're wet slipping for extended periods of time, just drain it when your done and stop worrying about it.

 

[GoVols01]

I had an 18' and 19' Regal with V6 VP I/O and those boats might give me a cup of water, after being in the lake all weekend.

The Yamaha boats have a self-bailing deck, meaning water doesn't drain to the bilge, so I'm not buying that argument.

A bilge pump is there for insurance, in case the boat springs a leak. The boat shouldn't rely on the bilge pump to operate normally. If that were the intention, the boat should have multiple bilge pumps!

 

[Cgeetter]

Same deal with my '17 212X. It's been to the dealer a bunch of times and all the usual stuff has been looked at. They worked on it extensively last Fall before the boat's big nap. First time out this year, TONS of water drained from the hull, which made for an embarrassing scene at the boat ramp. Yamaha tried to tell me last year that "it's normal to have a gallon or so come out," but I filled up a 5 gallon bucket last year - NOT normal. I told the dealer and Yamaha if they can't fix this, I'm lawyering-up and they're buying this damn thing back from me. So, it's in the shop again this week and Yamaha is even sending a factory technician to come take a look at it.

Please keep us all posted!

 

[Pullen724]

@Cgeetter - Have you tried lubricating your o-ring on drain plug? Ive had only a couple of outings on my boat that returned dry in the bilge and those times I had lubricated a brand new o-ring and tightened it down a little more than normal. Several members have experienced the same issue with the drain plug and I like many others have learned to deal with it. It is certainly frustrating though.
One member talked about installing a slightly thicker o-ring with success but I haven't got around to trying that yet.

 

[Cgeetter]

@Cgeetter - Have you tried lubricating your o-ring on drain plug? Ive had only a couple of outings on my boat that returned dry in the bilge and those times I had lubricated a brand new o-ring and tightened it down a little more than normal. Several members have experienced the same issue with the drain plug and I like many others have learned to deal with it. It is certainly frustrating though.
One member talked about installing a slightly thicker o-ring with success but I haven't got around to trying that yet.

I have not but I guess it can’t hurt to try. Thanks !

 

[Inthrustwetrust]

For reference I have a new AR240, I’ve been shocked I get almost no water when I pull it out. I thought for sure I would have some the other weekend with 9 adults getting on/off constantly for beers/food/snacks/phone checks etc, 6 ish hours in knee to waste deep water. Bay was super rough on the way home, quite a bit of spray over the bow, still nothing, maybe a few drops. I know I’m getting some water, there is dried up salt when I pull the plug, I assume the water is evaporating from the engine heat. To have several gallons seems abnormal.

 

[GoVols01]

I thought for sure I would have some the other weekend with 9 adults getting on/off constantly for beers/food/snacks/phone checks etc, 6 ish hours in knee to waste deep water.

All Yamahas have a self-bailing deck, meaning the water is dumped overboard via a hose through the engine compartment from the deck. No water from the deck goes into the hull, so it doesn't matter if you have a dripping wet army march across your boat, that water isn't going into the bilge.

 

[Julian]

All Yamahas have a self-bailing deck, meaning the water is dumped overboard via a hose through the engine compartment from the deck. No water from the deck goes into the hull, so it doesn't matter if you have a dripping wet army march across your boat, that water isn't going into the bilge.

Well, not entirely true. Some water will get into the bilge from the deck if you have lots of water on the deck and the boat is moving. This happens because the ski locker edge drain doesn't take all the water. So in a down pour, water runs from the bow floor, into the ski locker edge, to the back of the ski locker edge, and over the edge into the bilge. I know this because I've washed the boat with the bow up and watched the water. Also, if your are in a deluge that little edge drain won't keep up and water will over flow into the ski locker, and over the other edge at the back into the bilge.

If I was getting 5 gallons when I pulled the plug I'd be hunting down that leak. One or two gallons....I'd be much less inclined to hunt that down.

I know that the clean out tray is one area that my boat lets water through. But I'd prefer not to seal it tight as I pull that tray on occasion and to keep sealing it would be a pain. I just live with it.