376 water under engine

[Michel16055]

Hi, I've narrowed my search for a new boat to the Hunter 376
The boat I'm looking at is in excellent condition but had water just under the engine.
The owner didn't seem to know where it came from.
Any ideas?
this has me worried.
Thanks
Michel

 

[redunculous]

It might be this as I had similar in my 40 and this was the culprit

The raw water intake to the engine should have a vented loop at the engine - at the top of that vented loop (in mine you have to either feel above the engine in the compartment for it or stick your head in and look up) is a siphon break.

The siphon break is spring loaded and works by pressure - unfortunately the salt water had done a number on mine and instead of closing when water was pumping it stayed partially open and showered my engine and filled up the sump. I unscrewed and replaced with a new one.

If there are salt crystals present on the engine (have a good look in the nooks and crannies as the seller may have cleaned them up) then this is my best bet. Worth looking at anyway as the hose that leads to the vented loop (the top of the vented loop is metal) may have perished slightly and could be leaking (easy enough to slightly cut back and place a fresh hose clamp on or replace completely) - this will be again be obvious by the presence of salt water crystals.

The siphon break on my boat is still manufactured by a company in ft lauderdale and easy to come by.

Good luck and let us know

 

[Don Lucas]

could just be water that came down the combionway

 

[Capt jgw]

Boats almost always have a little bilge water from rain and spray. A lot of water would be a problem.

 

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi]

My H356 had some water under the engine and it was due to a leaking seal from the raw water pump. Only leaked when the engine was running and was a slow drip. Didn't have the engine cover open when running, so took me forever to figure out where it came from. New pump is about $250, can be rebuilt for a lot less. Run the engine with the cover open and see if it has some water at the shaft. Doesn't take much water to look like a lot. Also, condensation could be the source.

 

[rfrye1]

On the port side of the engine is the raw water impeller and cover. It's a real pain to get to if the previous owner hasn't cut an access hatch in the head side wall. Check that. Might be your issue. There is a little o-ring that seals the impeller cover.
BTW. The 376 is a great boat. I've had mine for 14 yrs. Only issues are the ridiculous impeller location and anchor rode hawsepipe. Both pretty easy fixes.