Not sure what happened, but it did!

I am now the proud owner of 2022 BassTracker Pro Team 175TF! It is a beautiful boat, but I had some issues last night, my first time out with it. Those are as follows:

1) Unlike my previous BT, I will not release the front strap until the boat is in the water from here on out. Reason, as my buddy was backing me and another friend into the water, boat slid off the trailer and BAM! We were in the water, but the scag took some major scuffing/rubbing and I've now got a couple good scratches on the keel. My buddy jumped out of my vehicle and could not believe it, neither could I!!!

Did this happen because I had 2 of us in the boat and in the seats while trying to unload?

2) After we were done for the night, got loaded ( no issues, thank goodness ) pulled the plug and there was a lot of water draining. My first thought was that there was hole in the boat, but there is not! I've been under the boat and do not see any holes, just the scratches I mentioned earlier. By looking at the water line on the boat, it does sit very low in the back.

Would this be water from when slowing down from plane?


3) When locking everything down, putting up gear, I looked in the livewells and there was water in both front and rear! We never attempted to put water in those so how did that get in there.

Where and how did this get in there?


Any advice or answers would be greatly appreciated..

I would think new boat, slick bottom, not as grippyas one that has some water build up and dirt on it. I bounced one down the ramp and into the water years ago. I don't release the vow winch until the tires of the trailer start into the water.

My live well will partially fill by itself if I have the plug out since the drain is below the waterline.


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I have the heritage tracker and on occasion the pump for live well will leak some. It has the twist off top for changing filter and magically comes loose from time to time.


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Originally Posted by CrappieDreamer

My live well will partially fill by itself if I have the plug out since the drain is below the waterline.


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There is no so called plug! It has the tall stem/tube with the overflow head on it! Should I get a plug?


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Might examine your boat plug. I was using one that twists and it was letting water past. Switched to one I twist then flip and that fixed that.

Unsure about livewell.

Enjoy that boat. Share pictures please.

Remember you have a bilge pump too. I flip mine on occasionally while on the water to rid excess water. I also make sure my plug is tight and have been known to forget it in a hurry but caught my error at the ramp. I now have a “pre-flight” checklist.

Water could have gotten in the boat from rear with the quick unload.

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Originally Posted by crappie flash

Water could have gotten in the boat from rear with the quick unload.

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Depending on how steep the ramp is I will get some water over the back when I first back in

Quote:

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Originally Posted by icehouse

There is no so called plug! It has the tall stem/tube with the overflow head on it! Should I get a plug?


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My aluminum Triton had the same livewell setup and would still get water in both of them to varying degrees from the drain being below the waterline and the threads on the overflow stem not being 100% watertight from putting it on and taking it off to drain all the time. I kept a rubber boat plug in my front livewell because we used it for semi-dry storage.

Be willing to bet it has something to do with your livewell. Almost every time, I have heard of something like this, it was because of livewell issues. I thought I was sinking a boat one time because water kept coming in, couldn't figure out what was going on until my buddy said his butt was getting wet! Turns out we didn't have the plug in the livewell that he was sitting on top of.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by icehouse

I am now the proud owner of 2022 BassTracker Pro Team 175TF! It is a beautiful boat, but I had some issues last night, my first time out with it. Those are as follows:

1) Unlike my previous BT, I will not release the front strap until the boat is in the water from here on out. Reason, as my buddy was backing me and another friend into the water, boat slid off the trailer and BAM! We were in the water, but the scag took some major scuffing/rubbing and I've now got a couple good scratches on the keel. My buddy jumped out of my vehicle and could not believe it, neither could I!!!

Did this happen because I had 2 of us in the boat and in the seats while trying to unload?

2) After we were done for the night, got loaded ( no issues, thank goodness ) pulled the plug and there was a lot of water draining. My first thought was that there was hole in the boat, but there is not! I've been under the boat and do not see any holes, just the scratches I mentioned earlier. By looking at the water line on the boat, it does sit very low in the back.

Would this be water from when slowing down from plane?


3) When locking everything down, putting up gear, I looked in the livewells and there was water in both front and rear! We never attempted to put water in those so how did that get in there.

Where and how did this get in there?


Any advice or answers would be greatly appreciated..

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Number 3 could be a cracked or poorly sealed thru-hull fitting, bad livewell or bilge pump hose, just about anything. I’d start with the boat on the trailer at home with the plug in and put several gallons of water via a hose into the bilge (don’t get too carried away and fill it up) to see if you can see any water coming out from around a fitting or the plug. Sometimes the marine silicone around a plumbing fitting won’t adhere due to poor surface prep at the factory or someone over torques a plastic thru-hull and it’ll crack.

If that all checks out, launch your boat and tie up to a dock. Shine a flashlight into the bilge where you can see your livewell and bilge pumps/hoses. Inspect for leaking both before running them and again while running them with water in the system. My recent leak was due to a barely visible crack in a livewell hose due to an over tightened hose clamp that turned into a gusher when the pump was on.

Good luck and congrats on the new rig!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by icehouse

There is no so called plug! It has the tall stem/tube with the overflow head on it! Should I get a plug?


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Sorry to mislead… mine has just the tall removable stem/tube. If I leave the tube out, the live well will partially fill. With the tube in it doesn’t.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by CrappieDreamer

Sorry to mislead… mine has just the tall removable stem/tube. If I leave the tube out, the live well will partially fill. With the tube in it doesn’t.


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The tubes were in!


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dutch552

Number 3 could be a cracked or poorly sealed thru-hull fitting, bad livewell or bilge pump hose, just about anything. I’d start with the boat on the trailer at home with the plug in and put several gallons of water via a hose into the bilge (don’t get too carried away and fill it up) to see if you can see any water coming out from around a fitting or the plug. Sometimes the marine silicone around a plumbing fitting won’t adhere due to poor surface prep at the factory or someone over torques a plastic thru-hull and it’ll crack.

If that all checks out, launch your boat and tie up to a dock. Shine a flashlight into the bilge where you can see your livewell and bilge pumps/hoses. Inspect for leaking both before running them and again while running them with water in the system. My recent leak was due to a barely visible crack in a livewell hose due to an over tightened hose clamp that turned into a gusher when the pump was on.

Good luck and congrats on the new rig!

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I’m hopefully going back out Friday just to look at the issues!


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The Stratos that I had, had a worn through livewll overflow hose. That was a little tough to find. You don't think of the overflow having water in the hose. It does down at the water level. Ended up plugging it at the back of the boat. It was only a small spot but it would fill the bilge with water pretty quickly

I had a new 2017 tracker v hull & that paint they use is real slick. Mine would slid right off at the ramp soon as I unhooked the winch. I could see one sliding off of a trailer if unhooked before in the water.
My boat leaked around the transducer at the back of the boat when it was new. Tracker back then did not have a bracket for the transducer & screwed straight thru the hull. Not sure if they have changed it or not. I took mine off & used marine silicone on it. I have a Lowe now & it has a bracket for the transducer to mount to.

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A bilge pump with a float switch is always a good idea my old '89 crappie master has one in it. It has a 2 way switch on it ON/OFF/AUTO, in AUTO mode the pump comes on by itself when there's water in the bilge.

New Trackers are powder coated now, pretty slick and more durable than paint, also pretty light, I think my whole package just weighs 1700 lbs. First time out it wanted to slide off the trailer so I leave the strap on until it's in the water.now. Hope you find your water leak mine stays bone dry.

Well, I got it back on the water yesterday just to look for leaks! When unloading, now waiting til the boat is in the water first ( LOL ), it appears that when putting in, there is water pushing in thru the ports into the live wells! The water in the back must have been from the “quick unload” earlier! Yes, someone mentioned that! LOL!! I’m gonna ask the dealer about the livewell issue, but no other water was in there after an hour on the water! When I got on plane, pulled the tube in livewell and all water was gone and no more appeared!


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Sounds like great news

When the boat is in reverse water can be forced into the livewells through the overflow

I was getting some water in my boat.I had a leak in my water pressure line.If your water pressure gauge is not working correctly that could be your problem 24 today


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