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Ahoy! Been reading this forum and tons of useful information so decided to hop aboard. I recently bought a 95 V238 and just had my first overnight adventure this past weekend. All went great surprisingly being the maiden voyage... until I loaded up and removed the drain plug. It drained what seemed to be about 20 gallons of water! In retrospect, I don't think the bilge pump was working obviously. I turned it on a few times while we were out and nothing was discharged so just figured it was dry, no biggie. So I need to have a look still when I get back to the boat (in storage), hopefully just a fuse to get the bilge working. Aside from that, I am baffled as to where this water is coming from. My only guess is that the sink is draining into the bilge?? We used it quite a bit over the weekend so the amount of water used/drained adds up. I am fairly certain mine doesn't have the grey water holding tank. TIA for the help!

First of all, welcome to the board!

Initial questions:
Where are you located?
Were you boating in any big-water (water over the bow, etc)
Dripping kids/people from swimming?
Was your plug out prior to taking it to the lake i.e. was the bilge dry before your trip?

No doubt some folks who know your boat better than me will chime in.

In the mean time, post some pics!

Erik

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

I am in Austin, TX boating on Lake Travis. Last weekend was nice but water was still very chilly so no swimming yet. Water was pretty calm, no water over bow. Plug was out until I launched so was for sure dry before. Can't imagine where that much water would have come from if not the sink drain, kinda scary.

Don't know for certain on a 238, but most sinks drain either overboard or into a 'sump box' along with the shower drain. I suppose an older boat might just drain them into the bilge, but I wouldn't have it. The sump box has a pump inside of it, and those can clog or just die. Fortunately they're cheap and easy to replace. If your boat has one make sure it's working, otherwise the sump box will typically overflow and leak into the bilge.

Are there scum-line marks in the bilges that would indicate that the water was in there for a while?

Otherwise I'd start looking in the engine compartment for leaks. 20 gallons is not a trivial amount. Things like sterndrive bellows leaks can VERY QUICKLY turn from a slow leak to a big problem. That and slow leaks tend to get into the surrounding fiberglass and ruin it. Water intrusion can be a VERY expensive problem to repair if it's not caught quickly. You REALLY want to find out where that water was coming from, ASAP.

Also, you should inspect the bilge every time, both before you leave and when you return. You want to know if anything's leaking.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Check the things Bill mentioned. He is correct about the possibility of bellows leaking. Especially since you don't think your bilge pump is working.

Two other ideas. The boat is new to you and I'm assuming you don't know how well in was winterized. I think Texas gets cold enough to freeze. Hook the outdrive up on muffs and start it on the hard. Look at the engine for leaks. Possible a engine petcock wasn't tightened or missing. Possible cracked block. Second, you said you used alot of water because you mentioned the sink usage. Did you have hot water? Maybe the water heater line was disconnected when it was winterized and not re-connected. Turning on the water faucet would have given you cold water while blowing water from the hot water line into the bilge.

By the way, welcome!

Oh yeah, that too!

Don't be too alarmed, some of us have dealt with a wide range of issues over the course of many years, and different boats. We've had a lot of 'experiences' learned the hard way. Sometimes we'll assume the worst just so we'll be pleased when it turns out to be something trivial. There are indeed a LOT of things that can go wrong with a boat. But with paying close attention and performing some regular maintenance most things can be kept from turning into nightmares. Most things...

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

If its anything like my V278 the water is coming the the anchor chamber...if your boat has one. Ive had to reseal mine as rain water and water being brought up with the rope was draining straight into the cabin on the carpet and then down into the front bildge. Also if you leave you windows open in the rain or when spraying the boat down - it fills up!

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Oliver
'06 V278
Singapore

Thanks for the tips guys. I'm gonna try and get to the boat this weekend and do some investigating. The bellows sound like a good bet as I have not checked them since I bought the boat, doh!