I probably should be mad but I'm not

[Stingrayaxe]

I took my boat to Skipper Bud's in Volo, IL last week to fix a nagging problem. Skipper Bud's originally thought it was the exhaust flapper but found out it was the exhaust manifold gasket that was leaking and creating an ever increasing tapping noise. Since they had repaired that same gasket a year ago they fixed it under warranty. Good news I guess!

Picked up the boat on Friday and took the Admiral and my daughter to the lake on Saturday. About 3 hours in my daughter opened up a rear storage area and found water where it shouldn't have been. I opened the engine hatch and there was water about 1/3 of the way up the block. Remembering my boating basics class from about 30 years ago where they explained that it was better to have more water outside of the boat than in, I immediately headed for the launch. I flipped on the bilge pump wondering why it didn't come on by itself.

The amount of water in the boat wouldn't allow me to get on plane. The pump started to catchup an we made better progress. I just couldn't see where the water was coming from. All I knew was the water was hot and there was a lot of it.

We made it back to the ramp, pulled the boat and took out the plug to drain the rest of the water. I called Skipper Bud's from the parking lot and told them I was coming right over.

They were waiting for me. They had a service bay already opened up and the original mechanic and the Lead mechanic waiting. The lead mechanic found a hose clamp that was missed. That fixed the problem. They tested the bilge float and found it slightly stuck. Fixed that all while we waited. They were very apologetic.

So what I learned:

1. Inspect any recent work more quickly after we launch the boat.
2. Test the bilge float more than just once at the beginning of the season.
3. How clean 170' water can get a bilge.

I should be mad but I'm not. Kudo's go to Cory and his staff at Skipper Bud's. They made a mistake that could have been costly but all ended well. The boat still floats and nobody went for a swim. They responded swiftly to the problem and corrected it on the spot. We will go back to the lake this weekend. I'll continue to patronize Skipper Bud's in the future.

 

[Shaps]

Stingrayaxe
Dont mean to ask a silly question, but isn't a sea trial after the repair is made part of the service?

 

[Stingrayaxe]

This facility is not on the water so they only test with muffs. Either they didn't test or the missed it. Maybe they didn't wait long enough for the T Stat to open up. I just don't know. Either way I should have looked sooner.

 

[Sublimetime]

Not to many repair shops will seatrial after repairs because it adds quite a bit of "time" to the repair ticket, especially if there is no wake zones involved. Some repairs will require a sea trial , but most shops dont want to bill you for cruising in your boat, unless you request it.

 

[b_arrington]

Are they going to replace any equipment that was under water? The starter is usually mounted low and likely got a bath.

 

[Shaps]

well,
for good or bad, I had mine sea trialed after the work was done. Perhaps it was based on the magnitude of the repair and the associated cost.

Brad makes a good point too!

 

[Creekwood]

I had the same issue after a water pump impeller replacement. On v_drives they are on the transom side of the block and down low. Did not notice at first but the hose was probably holding most of the water. Then one day noticed the auto bilge pump switch light came on while running. Not the high water bilge pump alarm, just the lower base pump. So no audio, just that little blue strip on the switch lighting up. Opened up the bilge and saw the water running. Hose was still on the pump but clamp was loose and leaking more and more as time went on. Marina was REALLY apologetic and sent a mechanic over to fix it immediately (I have been at the Marina for over 15 yrs).

I also had it happen when one of the blue block plugs broke. Hot water from the manifold streamed out into the bilge while the engine is running. Noticed the issue the same way. But this time, the plus was that my bilge and bilge pumps were nicely clean from a steady spray of hot water.

 

[Stingrayaxe]

Are they going to replace any equipment that was under water? The starter is usually mounted low and likely got a bath.

Good point. Something else for me to worry about now. I did get it all dried out pretty fast once I got home. Left everything open while a couple of high powered fans went to work. Hope that helped. At least it was fresh water and not salt.

 

[scoflaw]

If the water level actually submerged the starter I would bring that to their attention now. Not next year when it does fail.

 

[b_arrington]

Good point. Something else for me to worry about now. I did get it all dried out pretty fast once I got home. Left everything open while a couple of high powered fans went to work. Hope that helped. At least it was fresh water and not salt.

I flooded the engine space of a boat by forgetting the drain plug.

It was salt, but the starter didn’t last long after that. I would suggest to get it changed out before the bolts get rusted in place.