Is it normal to always have a little water in the bottom below engine?

Is it normal to get some water in the bottom of the boat (below the engine)? I had a 2000 inboard for a couple years which always had some water in there which I had assumed was from a leaky shaft seal, but now I got a '11 Supra 21v and had assumed it should be basically dry unless I take on water. Put her in the water yesterday for the first time, everything ran smoothly, but when I got home I noticed there's about an inch or two of water in the bottom below the engine (basically right up to the bottom of the bilge pump).

So is this normal? And how does the water get in there?

The raw water pump will drip some, and if you're getting in and out of the boat from the water all the water you bring into the boat will eventually end up there. An inch, depending on how long you were out, doesn't sound that abnormal to me. Did your auto bilge run when you were out?

Seems normal to me, but just pay attention in the future to make sure it is normal. Monitor how often your bilge is running and just keep an eye down there for a bit until you are comfortable, but I am sure it is totally normal.

I disagree. A boat that is totally 'dailed in' should not leak a drop.

My 07 DD boat never saw a drop of water until this year. Now the pump is coming on every 1 hour, and it is drying me nuts! My old I/O had periods of constant probelms and dry wells, depending on upgrades and other items. I had to replace the whole transom - the bilge was dry for a year or two after that.

Keep in mind we don't know the whole scoop here......
Did you use your cooler? Ice melts and drains to the bilge...
Did you wakeboard or surf that day? Everytime people get in and out of the boat water probably makes it to the bilge.

Most boats that are put in & taken out daily will stay pretty dry. If they don't, and your not bringing a lot of water in to the interior, then you have something leakin a bit. Could be the prop shaft seal, any of the ballast pump fittings/lines, raw water pump, cooler, etc. Even a leaky boat cover will allow some water in. Sometimes it takes a while to find it.

Now a boat that is kept on the lake is a different story. My bilge pump rarely runs. And yet I almost always have an inch or two of water in the bilge. I can run the bilge manually or even make the float switch turn it on/off. It just doesn't take on much water. And since it's kept on the lake, there isn't many ways to drain it completely.

BTW, if it's the prop shaft seal, I can't recommend the "virtually dripless" packing from http://www.skidim.com/. I'm goin on 3 yrs & never have problems with it.

There should be some water in there. There's a reason there's a bilge pump back there. Basically all liquid tries to flow back and bottom.

Diggs, I hadn't thought about the cooler. The cooler is plumbed in, but I hadn't thought about where it drains to. You could be on to something.

And no, we didn't board or surf yesterday, just cruised around a bit. Very little water was brought into the boat.

Originally Posted by OnlyButter

Diggs, I hadn't thought about the cooler. The cooler is plumbed in, but I hadn't thought about where it drains to. You could be on to something.

On my MC it drains into the bilge too.

Another factor is the amount of "V" in your hull. In a relatively flat hull 5 gallons of water won't look like much as it will spread out over the width of the hull. In a more V shaped hull 5 gallons will look like quite a bit.

Other sources of water could be your raw and water circulating pumps but it's not likely on a 2011. Have someone else drive and watch them for drips.

some water seems normal...2 inches is a lot of water

Water will find a way. It always does. There is no element more powerful or persistent upon this earth.

One must remember that the boat has lots of nooks and crannies that will hold water. Washing the boat, rain, maintenance whatever al puts water in the boat. On land or upon the lift it sits differently. Once in the water things move around.

Most boats can look powder dry below decks then once you start backing down the ramp you'll see the bilge pump trigger for a few seconds.

Normal



In short, yeah boats have some water in them. All things being normal it shouldn't be enough to set off the pumps on a day of cruising.

I have an '07 supra and I vacuum between 2 - 4 gallons of water out from under the vdrive after every trip to the lake. On mine the area under the vdrive is the lowest part of the boat and the bilge is in the back under the engine. I never have enough for the the bilge to pick up. The funny thing is even when we ha e the boat in the water for a week at a time, the water level never gets anymore than about 4 gallons at the most. I never notice the bilge running at all. I don't know where it is coming from either. I have caulked it up it the cooler and the water brought in from the boards and vest. It made me nervous at first. I would always keep an eye on it during the day. Now I don't even check until I get home and bust out the shop vac.

Originally Posted by OnlyButter

Is it normal to get some water in the bottom of the boat (below the engine)? I had a 2000 inboard for a couple years which always had some water in there which I had assumed was from a leaky shaft seal, but now I got a '11 Supra 21v and had assumed it should be basically dry unless I take on water. Put her in the water yesterday for the first time, everything ran smoothly, but when I got home I noticed there's about an inch or two of water in the bottom below the engine (basically right up to the bottom of the bilge pump).

So is this normal? And how does the water get in there?

Check your shaft seal, I have had two dripless seals fail on two different boats. You will see it dripping when the driveshaft is moving. If you don't have a dripless, your packing will leak a drop every 10-15 seconds. If your packing is leaking excessively you will see it. Also, if you have a shower make sure the head is shut off. Even though the shower is off if the head is on water will drain out the hose.

If your bilge is triggering on during the day I would say you have more than normal amount of water coming in. Both of my boats have always had some water in the bilge at the end of a full day on the water.

I dunno my Sanger leaks at the shaft ( v210) and the shoP told me its supposed to leak bout 6 drips Per minute acts as lubricant for the seal

Yea I was pretty sure that a lot of boats drip at the shaft for lubrication. Not sure if all but I know that some do.

unless you have a dripless seal all inboard/v-drive propshaft seal/packings leak some water by design and need to be adjusted/tightened from time to time to keep the dripping to a minimum. they will get to the point that they are shooting a stream into the boat from wear/out of adjustment. yes there should be some dripping from it. your raw water pump should not leak at all. so it is normal for some water to be down there in the bilge.

Mine has a good steady drip I tried to tighten lock nut but 18" crescents were to big I figured they have some special spanners that fit

You can pick up a couple of adjustable sink wrenches at any hardware store for $10 bucks each to adjust the prop shaft packing nut. These will fit the bilge area for you to be able to adjust. You need one to hold the prop shaft nut and one to tighten down the lock nut.

I'm tellin you, look into the the "virtually dripless" packing from http://www.skidim.com/. It's far better than the old waxy rope POS most of the manufacturers put in these boats. It's made by the same folks who make Goretex & was an oily texture to it...... which is apparently the lubricant that makes it possible to tighten them down so they don't leak as much as the conventional seals.

Are those free? LOl

$19 plus shipping..... and the install. Definitely more work than cost. But well worth it when I was fighting the leaky packing.

I have seen water get in at the bow eye when at low speeds............through a broken heater core...............a leaking fitting at the shower...........etc. Just a thought.