Water in bilge on a 260DA

I have a question on how much water should be in the bilge on a 2007 260DA. The boat is wet slipped (freshwater) in a covered slip so it doesn't receive any deck run off. The boat was hauled out a few weeks ago to have some additional items installed and I ask them to check all the thru the hull fittings below the water line and all the raw water connections. MM told me everything was fine and it was normal to have water in the bilge. I can pump out about five gallons of water a week and that just does not seem normal. I would think retaining water in the bilge would cause more corrosion due to the humidity in the bilge. :huh:

Granted this is our first cruiser and still learning a lot, I have owned three other boats which were bow riders and all had dry bilges even after I have had them sitting in the water for a few days. Am I being overly picky and it is just the nature of the beast?

no that's not normal. you need to find where the water is coming in from.

do you find the water after it's sitting? or after you take it out for a ride? if it's the latter, then the water could be coming in from the tansom water outlets when you come off plane. the water comes up over the swim platform and enters the runoff channels. There was a long thread about this last year, you can try a search.

A little is normal...5 gallons is a bit much.

I would start with the seal on your raw water pump.

This sounds familiar... When I took delivery of my Dancer 240 last August, the delivery captain said... ah, the bilge looks like it has a little more water than I like to see. Service got involved and then decided it must have been from recent rain or something, but that it was fine... it was less than 5 gallons a week though. I dry stack the boat, but from coming and going it's sometimes in the water for a week at a time.

After launching and then washing down one day with a hose, I noticed the bilge didn't have a drop in it, so I doubted the rain story and continued to watch it. Then it got cold here, not below freezing, but upper 30s. The boat got launched and I was now taking on 5 gallons every 10 hours or so. Worse yet, it was collecting in the cabin.

Service first thought it might be the freshwater system, but that had pink RV anti-freeze in it. Then all the usual suspects were checked while the boat was hauled, side windows, anchor locker, bow rail penetrations, door, etc.

Ultimately, they stuck a tech in the engine bay and closed him in with a flashlight. The first drip he heard was the Y pipe connection in the exhaust... bad seal. Off came the drive, out came the engine... That slowed the leak down, but didn't solve it. Another trip into the bay and they found the trim tab assemblies were no longer 100% sealed. The got removed, everything cleaned up and resealed. It was actually funny as I'm an engineer at a large aerospace company and the service manager used to work at it as well... His call started asking if I had any wing tank sealant readily available (which I can't get, but is great stuff -- remember an airplane goes from hot days in deserts with high solar radiation to altitude, around -65F).

Somehow the water flowed forward and made its way into the carpet and onto the floor (maybe the port side?) until it got high enough to partially flood the shower sump area, then through the starboard limber hole that is right there, back to the engine bay, out that limber hole and then drain down into the bilge. I traced the water filling the floor and then flowing aft... but the part about it flowing forward is all from service. They claim the stringers in my 240 are actually pitched slightly bow-down, resulting in water on the side wanting to go forward until it collects on that cabin floor. It also suggests that people that find a lot of water in the bilge after powering to plane might be seeing water collecting behind the scenes in the stringers.

My guess is that the water in the bilge that I've had all along was from the Y pipe. The added water in the cabin came from sealant going slightly brittle and a bit of thermal contraction of dissimilar materials. It was perhaps marginal when delivered and the cold was the final straw. If it were me, the tab fittings would be fay surface sealed (both flat parts), fillet sealed (all around the edges), the bolts wet installed with sealant and then the internal nut assemblies bee-hived, there are even caps for doing this. Granted, if they have to come apart someday, it's not fun to take off all the sealant, but maybe they wouldn't leak to start with?

Someday I should see all the paperwork. They've had the boat since mid-January... we're waiting for the new carpet to be delivered. They've done a great job, it's just been slow during the off-season, which hasn't been too big of a problem as there haven't been many days I cold take her out without dealing with cold rain!

I know of several new 240 DA's, including my own, that have fresh water holding tank leaks and the water flows back into the bilge. Here's how you find out if this is your problem; empty the fresh water tank and dry up the water in the bilge. Then put 2-3 gallons of the pink antifreeze into the holding tank and wait overnight. If the water in the bilge is pink you have your answer.

Thank you for all the information. It does occur when it is setting in the slip. Even though it is covered under warranty I will take a closer look around in the bilge and drain the water tank and holding tank. The boat will be due for its 20 hour service soon and I will check the hull below the water line. It is one of those things that drives me crazy.

Yeah, 5 gallons/week sounds like a leak somewhere. Check all the freshwater joints... as reported by Dave S and others, these can leak. Mine leaks ocasionally where the hot and water hoses connect to the water heater.

Also check cooling hoses in the engine. Mine had a loose exhaust hose at the s/board riser from the factory.

I also had a leak in the drain on s/board side underneath aft seat. Not easy to access. Lift engine hatch and look in the s/board aft corner. I had to reseal mine.

And make sure you check the fwd bilge (under the cabin steps). Many have reported leaking sump pumps and/or water coming from side windows or rail stanchions. The problem here is then you have water in the carpet, so this is one I check often to make sure it's dry around the sump pump and that the pump is working OK.

Esteban

That sounds like a defect somewhere.

I keep my 260 in the water 365, and no cover. Water does get in at the bilge blower vents, but not enough water got in over this winter (where we get an average of 30" plus of rain and had 17 different dumps of wet snow this year) that the bilge pump can't suck anything.

I run totally dry in the summer, so it sound like a mfrg issue on the new 260 and the 240 in this thread.

I have SOLVED this issue, WATER IN BILGE, ONLY WHEN RUNNING!!!! for many years, my boat sits dry, then after taking the boat out, 3-4 gallons of water in the bilge.....WTF....., more people on the boat more water in the bilge, less people on the boat, less water. I've gone through every thread on this topic: no it's not the transducer, AC Seawater inlet, Engine coolant hose, Water pump, Fresh water flush kit, rain water in a compartment, fresh water holding tank, Hot Water Heater...NO NO NO, don't waste your time replacing those through transom fittings and hoses, sealing trim on the swim platform, or any other brain storm thought you may have....... So simple, yet so stupid.......Your bilge pump hose is the problem.....there is no check valve or discharge baffle on the rear engine bilge outlet discharge hose, the hose has a small loop about 2-3 inches above the discharge outlet. This loop was designed to stop backwash.....GUESS WHAT, the loop is too small... your method of fixing is your choice, however that's the problem.....the backwash pushes in through the bilge outlet, upward through the small 2in high loop, the into the bilge pump itself and fills the bilge itself........ how stupid / how simple could this be, and over thought so many times........PROBLEM SOLVED

Bobfro said:

I have SOLVED this issue, WATER IN BILGE, ONLY WHEN RUNNING!!!! for many years, my boat sits dry, then after taking the boat out, 3-4 gallons of water in the bilge.....WTF....., more people on the boat more water in the bilge, less people on the boat, less water. I've gone through every thread on this topic: no it's not the transducer, AC Seawater inlet, Engine coolant hose, Water pump, Fresh water flush kit, rain water in a compartment, fresh water holding tank, Hot Water Heater...NO NO NO, don't waste your time replacing those through transom fittings and hoses, sealing trim on the swim platform, or any other brain storm thought you may have....... So simple, yet so stupid.......Your bilge pump hose is the problem.....there is no check valve or discharge baffle on the rear engine bilge outlet discharge hose, the hose has a small loop about 2-3 inches above the discharge outlet. This loop was designed to stop backwash.....GUESS WHAT, the loop is too small... your method of fixing is your choice, however that's the problem.....the backwash pushes in through the bilge outlet, upward through the small 2in high loop, the into the bilge pump itself and fills the bilge itself........ how stupid / how simple could this be, and over thought so many times........PROBLEM SOLVED

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Bobfro,

I'm experiencing this same issue with my 2005 260 dancer and after reading your post, i recall seeing the loop at the top of the bilge area starboard side up near the gunnel
do you have a picture of yours?

I think 5-gallons a week is way too much. I just left my 280 in the water for a week and had no water in the bilge, well maybe a half a coffee cup, but it did rain for several days.

You mentioned they pulled the motor and resealed the Y-Pipe after hearing a drip. At the age of your drive, I would suspect the upper Steering Pin would be leaking. Has your Transom Assembly been changed? Do you have a borescope or some flexible camera? Can you inspect the Steering Arm on the upper transom plate?

bw76273 said:

I have a question on how much water should be in the bilge on a 2007 260DA. The boat is wet slipped (freshwater) in a covered slip so it doesn't receive any deck run off. The boat was hauled out a few weeks ago to have some additional items installed and I ask them to check all the thru the hull fittings below the water line and all the raw water connections. MM told me everything was fine and it was normal to have water in the bilge. I can pump out about five gallons of water a week and that just does not seem normal. I would think retaining water in the bilge would cause more corrosion due to the humidity in the bilge. :huh:

Granted this is our first cruiser and still learning a lot, I have owned three other boats which were bow riders and all had dry bilges even after I have had them sitting in the water for a few days. Am I being overly picky and it is just the nature of the beast?

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DWABoat said:

I think 5-gallons a week is way too much. I just left my 280 in the water for a week and had no water in the bilge, well maybe a half a coffee cup, but it did rain for several days.

You mentioned they pulled the motor and resealed the Y-Pipe after hearing a drip. At the age of your drive, I would suspect the upper Steering Pin would be leaking. Has your Transom Assembly been changed? Do you have a borescope or some flexible camera? Can you inspect the Steering Arm on the upper transom plate?

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I see you didn't catch it's a 12 year old post. I know Monaco Mike usually is the first to point that stuff out. But he's too busy posting everywhere he can that you can't protect yourself from COVID and that Jim should let him and his buddies talk politics anywhere they want in this site. So I thought I'd fill in for his normal duties.

Wow! I did not catch that!
I have been prepping for Delta all day and am very distracted right now. I’m in Baton Rouge)

Thanks.

ZZ13 said:

I see you didn't catch it's a 12 year old post. I know Monaco Mike usually is the first to point that stuff out. But he's too busy posting everywhere he can that you can't protect yourself from COVID and that Jim should let him and his buddies talk politics anywhere they want in this site. So I thought I'd fill in for his normal duties.

Click to expand...

DWABoat said:

Wow! I did not catch that!
I have been prepping for Delta all day and am very distracted right now. I’m in Baton Rouge)

Thanks.

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No worries. Good luck with what you are doing and hopefully you'll finish it up pretty soon.

My 420 is completely dry all summer. When I wash out the cockpit in the spring I get a bit of water that makes it thru the engine hatch and I just vacuum it out
Same went for my 2005 260 Sundancer.

Water in bildge isn’t normal

ZZ13 said:

I see you didn't catch it's a 12 year old post. I know Monaco Mike usually is the first to point that stuff out. But he's too busy posting everywhere he can that you can't protect yourself from COVID and that Jim should let him and his buddies talk politics anywhere they want in this site. So I thought I'd fill in for his normal duties.

Click to expand...

Damn it.... I hate when you guys do this to me
And that remark @MonacoMike was a bit mean @ZZ13

Blueone said:

My 420 is completely dry all summer. When I wash out the cockpit in the spring I get a bit of water that makes it thru the engine hatch and I just vacuum it out
Same went for my 2005 260 Sundancer.

Water in bildge isn’t normal

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That's what I thought ! i need to figure this out. Thanks for confirming your dancer was dry

Water in bilge isn’t normal
Agreed however, (ya old boats maybe they are better these days but i doubt it), my 87 268 had water in the bilge from the very day i bought it new. so did my 89 268. and now my 250 does. so i guess water in the bilge is normal for me. I cant find any reason or pattern for it. will have a very little bit, not enuff to pump, then one day it suddenly will pump out 1 - 2 gallons. No rain, no wet hoses, no dripping manifolds, no fresh water plumbing leaks, heck sometimes i am not even moving the boat. then it will go 2 weeks without any new water accumulating. I long ago gave up trying to figure it out.