www.iFourWinns.com

i came home in the rain to find my new to me 238 w/ the bilge running and the drain plug out of the hull. what the heck is going on? water had pooled in the cover, leaked through to the bilge, filled up to the point the bilge came on. i found the drain plug removed but clogged w/ gunk. any suggestion how to clean that area. i thought possible a low pressure washer w/ degreaser bottle attached. good idea or not?

wdyt?

I have used "Gunk Engine Brite Degreaser". Loosens the grease, then washes away with water.

Glad to see you are not in the water. I would not pump this stuff (or the grease) overboard into the lake.

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"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

On my old 2 stroke Sea Doo's, I'd put the bung in, fill the hull with a few litres of fresh water, along with some laundry powder.
Take your ski/ boat for a drive on the trailer somewhere & the movement loosens almost everything up!

p.s. It smells all pretty once you're done, too!

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2011 Four Winns H180 SS.
Aussie built Mustang 2800.
SOLD - 1997 Four Winns Horizon RS

Use something to poke a hole through the gunk at the bilge plug.

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2007 358 T-5.7GXi IB
Previous Boats
'08 H240, '08 V318, '04 268, '04 225

+1
When I got my boat the bilge smelled like wet dog covered in poo.
My surveyor recommended this method while on the trailer. Put the plug in, add 1 cup dawn dish soap for the gunk and 1 cup bleach for the smell. Fill with water until the pump comes on. Then take a drive letting it slosh around. In my case I drove 200 miles then pulled the plug and drained the nastiness away. Bilge has been clean ever since.

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2004 248 Vista "Amante"
MC 5.0MPI/B3

To clean out the plug use weed eater string. It is soft so it won't damage anything but stiff enough to move any of the gunk away to let it drain. Then like everyone else has said use a good detergent to clean said bilge and drive around to fully swish. Rinse and repeat as nessesary.

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1990 Four Winns Horizon 200
2005 GMC Sierra

I third the laundry detergent idea.
That being said, why did the water leak into your bilge? Don't the Vistas have a self-bailing cockpit? Sounds like you have some more drains that are very stopped up.

How about a shop vac on the outside of the drain hole to suck through any crud?

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe