www.iFourWinns.com

I am new to boat ownership. I have always just been party to other owners and completely turned off any care once we hit shore. Now that I have my own boat I am finding myself not knowing a lot of things. I've been scouring the internet and have not been able to find answers to these probably very newbie questions. Help would be appreciated.

1. I'm tied to the pier with shore power connected. I know that I have power to my AC circuits but lights, radio, etc are all on my DC circuits. I have a 10A charger/inverter but is it normal to have to turn the battery switch to "both" for my DC circuit to energize? Will this still keep my batteries topped up?

2. Two questions in one: In the cockpit there is a switch for "pump". On the power panel there is a switch for "forward bilge". What is the difference? Follow-up: when I turn the "pump" switch some amount of water spits out. Obviously this is a bilge pump and pumping out that water is important. But is it necessary to leave this on at all times? I went back to my boat after being off for 2 hours and it pumped out maybe a few gallons of water. I switched it off when it was dry and back on after about an hour and got maybe another gallon out. When I closed up for the night I left it on. Was that the right choice?

Thanks in advance.

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Jim
Menominee, Michigan. In da U.P.
1993 245 Vista
"Good Vibes"

Welcome. It will really help if you include the year, model, and engine/drive of your boat.

I can't really answer your specific questions, but I get the feeling you have more water needing to be pumped out than is normal.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

It is 1993 245 Vista with 351 Windsor/OMC King Cobra outdrive

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Jim
Menominee, Michigan. In da U.P.
1993 245 Vista
"Good Vibes"

That does sound like a lot of water to be coming in over a short period. I should check to see whether the drive bellows are leaking and when they were last changed, because you don't want them splitting or you'll be sitting on the bottom.
As far as pumps go, my 268 has one in the engine compartment operated off a float switch (which can also be made to pump by a switch on the dash), and another under the floor in the cabin which is on an automatic cycle where it pumps for a few seconds every five minutes or so whether there's anything to pump or not. This is also switched manually if required from the panel where the interior light switches are. This is the forward bilge.

I would recommend looking at the Four Winns website, click on the "Customer Service" link near the top in faint gray letters, and look for your model's owner's manual, Fast Facts, and other general info. Also, look in the on line parts manual if available for your year and model.

You mention an inverter. I doubt that was original equipment, so you may have some after market wiring additions or changes that would not be shown in a wiring diagram or manual. With any "not-new" boat the condition of the wiring is very important for both the 12 v power and the ground circuits.

You will have a bilge pump in the engine compartment. This pump should have a float switch and be wired direct to the 12 volt power (battery or live bus bar) to enable the pump to remove water even when switches are off as long as there is battery power to do so. If the boat will be kept in the water you need working automatic bilge pumps.

You may also have a forward bilge pump. This should also have a float switch and be wired to power the same as the main bilge pump.
Both bilge pumps should be able to operate automatically any time there is enough water to activate their float switch. Verify that the float switches operate properly. If a float switch doesn't work, the boat could sink.

You may also have a shower sump pump for pumping water overboard when taking a shower in the head.

You indicated that you might be getting as much as a gallon of water per hour leaking into the boat. This is a serious leak, and I would recommend not leaving the boat in the water unattended.

Verify which pump is operated with each switch. When the boat is in the water open up the engine compartment and look leaks. A transom area leak may be difficult to pinpoint. Use a light and mirror or cell phone video recorder or??? to see where you can't normally go. Maybe even try your phone on a "selfie stick"? With the boat on the trailer, you might try adding water to the bilge with a hose. Just don't fill it up to where you are getting the starter wet. You might be able to see if the lower edge of the transom shield is leaking, or maybe the lower part of the Y pipe.

Likely places for leaks in the engine room are:
1. the driveshaft bellows
2. The gasket between the transom and the transom shield, ie, the outdrive bracket on the outside of the transom.
3. a corroded or missing bolt, leaking hose, shift cable hose, trim sensor wire, transducer wire, or other fitting on the transom shield.
4. a corroded exhaust system Y pipe.
5. Leaking engine cooling system hoses.

Good luck with yor search.

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Surface Interval: A scuba diving term for that time between dives to relax and prepare for life's next great adventure.

Current boat: '02 FW 268 Vista
Previous boat: '95 FW 190 Horizon

Thank you, SI. Great suggestions. I will certainly start looking.

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Jim
Menominee, Michigan. In da U.P.
1993 245 Vista
"Good Vibes"