I may have screwed up - Listing to starboard

Justin Larsen

Member
Oct 9, 2019
50
Canada
Boat Info
220 Overnighter SS 1994
Engines
5.7 w/alpha
Hi all, i just bought my first boat. I have been around boats most of my life and have many FWB so I am not a complete newb. I recently purchased a 94' searay ov 220. Everything checked out, it looked clean, dry, and the engine was super clean and ran well. Seemingly no red flags from the vessel or it's previous owner so after several hours of examination and a test ride I forked over the cash we hooked up and headed home. It wasn't until a week later when we put the boat in the water to switch trailers around that I noticed a 2-3 inch list to starboard. It is listing to the side that has both batteries on it and the port side has the empty fresh water tank but the water tank is only 8Gal (70 ish pounds full) and it takes my 250lbs on the port side to level her out. I have read some forums about water being trapped but I don't hear any and of saturation but could the core hold that much water? Also regarding the core we did thorough checking of the hull, bilge/engine compartment, and deck and found no evidence of softness, staining or any other indicators of water ingress. I have not been able to pinpoint anything obvious and I am hoping to get some guidance on next steps. Picture attached. The vessel sits level on plane but lists at rest and off plane. I am really hoping I didn't just make a very expensive mistake. We did not ever see the boat at rest because the previous owner was aboard when we launched it for the test drive. Kicking myself for not examining the boat empty but in the water. I really thought we had been very thorough. Help
 

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You need to hire a marine surveyor. It’s a little late but you still need to do this and then report back and see if you have any recourse
 
I think most boats list a little one way or the other. Our 1986 250DA listed a little to port and we had our 2006 Crownline surveyed and it came back good and it lists slightly to starboard. Both batteries are starboard as well as the black water tank. Fresh water is on port. I only keep maybe 8-10 gallons in the fresh water tank but the black water tank is usually close to empty.
 
Doesn’t look that unusual to me. Small beam boats can sit like that with small imbalances in the weight. What else is stored on the starboard side? More gear?

you could of course hire a surveyor now for your own peace of mind, probably a couple hundred bucks on a boat that size.
 
Tap it out while on the trailer. If all sounds good, remove all gear onboard, then fill your water tank. Years and years ago I had a 25' Donzi similarly set-up with batts on one side, water tank on the other. With no water, it would list a little sitting in the water. Removed everything, put water in - and voila - no list. Good luck.
 
It happens and is usually caused by 3 factors; Poor weight distribution (more apparent on small beam boats), Water Absorption in cored hulls, or bad design with equipment placement. I have a 2004 420 and it lists a little to the Stb too. I was wondering about that and had it checked. It has no water absorption and the hull is solid. The galley is on that side and I'm thinking they didn't think through equipment placement and it's heavier on that side. Regardless, I'd have it pulled and surveyed if you're concerned. Welcome to boating. :)
 
My new 270 sdx lists to the starboard side about an inch or so. Agree with others narrow beam boats can list for many reasons. Try to get it checked out by a qualified surveyor if one exists near you.
 
My 44 lists as well to Starboard and I've spent a lot of time pondering the reason. I've even had people call me concerned the boat was taking on water! With the galley on Starboard as well as the forward head Vacu Flush, Isolator, Salon Air conditioner and Thruster batteries its no wonder it lists. I just keep 25 gallons more fuel in the port tank and then when the holding tank is near full it lists to port. Just another part of living in an imperfect world.
The 89 180BR I just bought listed to port because the PO had an extra battery for standby nested next to the only one wired in. I moved it to the other side and problem fixed. We just use it for scooting around the local marina area so I don't feel the need for having dual batteries so it will remain as ballast with a dual emergency purpose.
Carpe Diem
 
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Mine lists to port slightly. I know it's because of the 2 group 29 batteries I have port side. Your photo seems normal to me.
 
IMG_4230.JPG
Small deep v hulls are tender and lay one way or the other. As others have mentioned, a knowledgeable surveyor could provide an answer.
 
You could try and remove the batteries and empty the tanks and see if it levels out. I assume you have one fuel tank and it is located in a central location on boat..
 
are the batteries about original size or did the previous owner installed bigger batteries ? does the boat have 2 batteries by manufacturer design ?
 
Thanks to all for your replies. I appreciate all the information shared. I do think it looks like more than just a small or normal list. The Batteries do look quite large and the water tank is empty so that is exaggerating things but I have started to search for someone to do a hull survey. The bilge is dry and I am not sure if there are Limber holes through the stringers to drain the outside cavities in the bottom of the hull. Does anyone have any structural knowledge of this hull, cored or not? Foam inserts for flotation?
 
No. I don't think a hull of that size would be cored. You will probably have core in the cockpit deck structure as well as compartments under neath which could be filled with foam. IF the foam is compromised, it can soak up a lot of water. Check the deck and stringers with a hammer. Search for friscoboater on youtube. He did a 220 bow rider restoration. Took the entire structure out, so you'll get a good look at what is under there.
 
Double check, but I don't think there are any limber holes? Just solid stringers. But, it's easy enough to drill some exploratory holes and check the condition of the wood and whether water drains out, or not.

The hull bottom and sides are not cored. The only wood that would be in the hull bottom would be small squares glassed in place as reinforcement for various items. Yes, there would be flotation foam outboard of the stringers.

Water will not get in the cavity that is outboard of the stringers unless there is physical damage somewhere. Or a previous owner drilling holes to install something and not sealing it properly... a battery hold down installed on the bilge "shelf", for example.
 

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