boat taking on water

It's always some new problem every time I take the boat out. The bait and live wells quit working. Can't get much water into them. Then if I DO get water in them, they won't drain. At the end of the day, stopped the boat and had to run the bilge pump for about 25 minutes. So I thought I had a bait and live well problem. I had to hit the pump every few hours to empty all the water. That pump works well, but the other pump makes a sound like a hornet's nest. Really loud!

The boat sat on the water overnight (we were camping) and the next morning I had to pump it out again. So...it is NOT the bait and live wells since we hadn't even driven it. Used it for one hour the next day and an hour after beaching it, I found 4" of water inside the boat from the driver's seat to the rear of the boat. It had not rained. There is a drain hole on the carpet in the back of the boat. I can see down the hole and it looks like it is inside the boat hull. Pumped it out again.

About midnight, I took a spotlight to check out the bilge again. I saw a bubbling up...like a fountain under water...on top of the two pumps. I reached in and turned the red top of the pump and the bubbling stopped. I did the same to the other one and drained it out again.

Today, I had to drain it again this morning, but it wasn't 4" deep at least!

So my questions...
1. Pumps...both say Aerator. Is one of them the bilge pump? Or is the
bilge pump in a different place?
2. What is causing the hornet sound and how do I fix it?
3. We have one of those drain plugs that has a metal part that you bend
over to close (instead of the one you screw in). Could it be the plug we
are using? It is easier to put in, but is the other kind better?
4. If the pumps were letting in water (bubbling), could that have caused
the 4" of water in the carpeted area of the boat?
5. When we bought the boat (used), the plug was a screw-in type and it
was screwed in from the outside of the boat to the inside. We put it inside
the bilge area and screw it in from inside to outside. Could this cause problems?
6. The water in the bilge went over the top of the batteries. Is it dangerous to put my hand in the
water beside the submerged batteries? Does the water damage the batteries? Do I need to take
the batteries out of the pans and dry the batteries and the pans?

It's always something! Hope you have some answers! Thanks,

Peke

So my questions...
1. Pumps...both say Aerator. Is one of them the bilge pump? Or is the
bilge pump in a different place?
2. What is causing the hornet sound and how do I fix it?
3. We have one of those drain plugs that has a metal part that you bend
over to close (instead of the one you screw in). Could it be the plug we
are using? It is easier to put in, but is the other kind better?
4. If the pumps were letting in water (bubbling), could that have caused
the 4" of water in the carpeted area of the boat?
5. When we bought the boat (used), the plug was a screw-in type and it
was screwed in from the outside of the boat to the inside. We put it inside
the bilge area and screw it in from inside to outside. Could this cause problems?
6. The water in the bilge went over the top of the batteries. Is it dangerous to put my hand in the
water beside the submerged batteries? Does the water damage the batteries? Do I need to take
the batteries out of the pans and dry the batteries and the pans?

It's always something! Hope you have some answers! Thanks,


1. It's likely that one of the two is for bilge. At midnight when you saw bubbling were either of the pumps running?
I wonder if a water hose or fitting from the aerator pump to the live well(s) has broken or come loose so that when turned on it's filling the boat instead of the wells. Are both (or all) of your live/bait wells on one switch? If yes that would indicate that one pump serves all wells and the other is for bilge.

2. Probably going or has gone bad. Maybe the motor is running but the impellar is clogged or otherwise stuck. Some of these have twist off tops so you can see the condition of the impellar.

3. Should not matter.

4. Yes.

5. No.

6. No. No. Someday when you have nothing better to do.

very confusing, Peke, you need to call me. I can help you at no charge. The one that's humming has most likely sucked in some debris that just needs cleared. The areators bring in water from the Lake. Most likely into your live wells. If you've beached to boat on rocks or gravel, you could have knocked a rivet or two loose or cracked a weld. The areators themselves must have a good seal around the intake on them. Your bilge pump is somewhere in there and it will not say areator on it unless someone has rigged an areator to act as a bilge.

Ahhhh the thrilling , everydays an adventure, of boat ownership!! Although frustrating at times, I look at each one as a learning experience!!

ya i didnt think that owning a boat would be such an expense lol but so far ive had to replace my transducer on the rear of the boat and then had to fix my prop and a few other small things and hopefully im dun fixing and replacing things for a while :)

Scott, Thanks for the info. No, the aerators were not on at the time, but water was bubbling in. When I turned the aerator's cover, it stopped.

I can only see two aerators. I have four switches that work the live wells/bait wells. Front aerator, front recirculating, rear aerator, & rear recirculating.

Since the aerator pumps work on separate switches, there must be a bilge pump elsewhere. Am I right?

CR- I will send you a pm. :) We have only beached the boat on sand, but we will check the rivets this weekend. Don't know how we'll check the welds though.

Josh- it seems to be never ending!

So no fishing for a while until we figure this out! Have fun fishing!
Peke

Yes, I think there is a separate bilge somewhere. If you want to meet up at Eufaula some weekend I'll be glad to take a look at it. Debra and I stay near Lake Eufaula State Park and keep a boat at the marina there. It's not unusual for us to cover water from there to Hwy 9 Longtown and Dam Site South in the same day so we could meet you just about anywhere.
We are probably staying away for the holiday but will be back after that.
Scott

Scott,
We won't be around Eufaula for a while. My husband had major surgery a month ago and he doesn't get far from the house. I do appreciate the offer though. Besides it's just too hot right now! Thank you though.

We not only stay away on holidays; we stay away from "Poker Run" and "Hawg" days too. Those big boats drive crazy!
Thanks again for your offer.
Peke

I switched from the screw in type to the kind that folds over and had the same problem u have to really get that thing tight then fold it over but if u get it too tight u cant fold it because the darn handle will bend so i think the screw type are better .

Peke- You might simply tighten the bend over plug a little bit with a crecent wrench and re install. The arm that bends over should be firm when you push it over. The black rubber must swell to seal. You will know when you have over tightened the arm. Just work with it or contact Reaper.:D

It's easier to put the plugs in from the outside of the boat. Stick the plug in, twist till it's pretty snug, then flip over the handle.

FYI...I would re-think using one of the "flip-over" style drain plugs installed on the outside of the boat. Seen 2 disastrous results with them getting pulled out while on the water. Use the "t-handle" style that tightens by turning if installing from the outside.


Gman

Each time I read of all the "fun" that comes with boat ownership, I'm just a little more convinced that being without a boat is a blessing.

If it's not one, it's another.:mad:

Yea, but Sink, look at all the fun your missing out on!!!

Hi all! We are going back to the T-type screw in plug. Haven't had a chance to take the boat out since the last leaking incident. Maybe when it gets cooler. We've been busy getting our house ready to sell so we can move to Eufaula area. Then school started so no more time for fishing anyway. Hope everyone is keeping the sun off their brains!
Peke

Good to see you on here Peke, been awhile, was wondering about you!!!