My 23.5 leaks about 1/2 gallon of water into the bilge every time I take it out. The water has salt in it so it is not rain. On the trailer it stays dry. When I take it out of the water I find the same amount of water on the inside no matter how many days I stay out. I cannot see water coming in anywhere. Do anyone have an idea where I should look?
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BART FORD
Leaks source
I have a 240 and have just experienced a leak, only I had about 40 gallons. When I talked to Hunter, they said 2 sources of where the water could be coming from. #1 was a leak around the rudder post, or #2 more likely from the motor mount. My boat was moored stern out to a lot of wave action. Once I turned it around and put it bow out, all the leaks stopped. The bilge back where the battery sits had a nice brown stain that showed exactly where the waterwas coming in. Good Luck on finding yours. I am also going to move tthe bilge pump and make it automatic instead of manual.
I have a 240 and have just experienced a leak, only I had about 40 gallons. When I talked to Hunter, they said 2 sources of where the water could be coming from. #1 was a leak around the rudder post, or #2 more likely from the motor mount. My boat was moored stern out to a lot of wave action. Once I turned it around and put it bow out, all the leaks stopped. The bilge back where the battery sits had a nice brown stain that showed exactly where the waterwas coming in. Good Luck on finding yours. I am also going to move tthe bilge pump and make it automatic instead of manual.
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Allen Forehand
Water, water, everywhere...
There are a couple of areas you might check. First look below the fitting for the mast support at the stern to make sure it's sealed off. When I got my 1994 23.5 there was a screw up through the bottom of the boat, and no sealant to keep the water out. My dealer applied sealant, and covered the head of the screw...no more leaks there. Another place you make take on water is through the bilge thru-hull if you don't have a big loop above the fitting. Without the loop, water can run into the bilge when you heel hard to the port side. Also check out the archives on this site. They are ususally helpful. Hope this helps. Allen S/V Couldn't Wait
There are a couple of areas you might check. First look below the fitting for the mast support at the stern to make sure it's sealed off. When I got my 1994 23.5 there was a screw up through the bottom of the boat, and no sealant to keep the water out. My dealer applied sealant, and covered the head of the screw...no more leaks there. Another place you make take on water is through the bilge thru-hull if you don't have a big loop above the fitting. Without the loop, water can run into the bilge when you heel hard to the port side. Also check out the archives on this site. They are ususally helpful. Hope this helps. Allen S/V Couldn't Wait
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Alan Long
Check this out
Hi I too have a 1994 23.5 and experienced leakage similar to what you have. Try filling the ballast tank with the boat on trailer (be careful, block it up, because it will gain 800-1000 lbs when you add the water). Color the water with food coloring then see if you get colored water leakage into the bilge, if so the ballast tank is leaking. I found that when the porta potti in mine was installed at the factory, the screws were too long and penetrated the ballast tank. I went for several years with about the amount of water in the bilge that you have until I installed a new porta potti. That meant removing the original screws which had formerly been plugging the holes in the ballast tank. The trickle became a flood and coupled with a bilge pump failure we narrowly avoided a sinking. Hope this helps. Alan Long S/V Random Access (94 23.5)
Hi I too have a 1994 23.5 and experienced leakage similar to what you have. Try filling the ballast tank with the boat on trailer (be careful, block it up, because it will gain 800-1000 lbs when you add the water). Color the water with food coloring then see if you get colored water leakage into the bilge, if so the ballast tank is leaking. I found that when the porta potti in mine was installed at the factory, the screws were too long and penetrated the ballast tank. I went for several years with about the amount of water in the bilge that you have until I installed a new porta potti. That meant removing the original screws which had formerly been plugging the holes in the ballast tank. The trickle became a flood and coupled with a bilge pump failure we narrowly avoided a sinking. Hope this helps. Alan Long S/V Random Access (94 23.5)
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Jeff Davis
2 bilge pumps
My year 2000 model 240 came with 2 bilge pumps. One automatic and one manual. This seems like a great way to go to me. If the automatic one fails for any reason, you have a backup. And if it doesn't fail, you can pump twice as much water! Thankfully, haven't had to use either of them.
My year 2000 model 240 came with 2 bilge pumps. One automatic and one manual. This seems like a great way to go to me. If the automatic one fails for any reason, you have a backup. And if it doesn't fail, you can pump twice as much water! Thankfully, haven't had to use either of them.
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Frank
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Alan Long
Frank...it was easy and cheap
Hi Frank Good news is it only cost me about 50 bucks to have a boatyard find the problem and fix it. I'll put in a plug here for Steve Price Marine in Deltaville VA. The stuck a wire down through the old mounting holes for the porta-potti and sure enough...on two of them the wire just kept going down where the old screws penetrated the ballast tank. They simply drilled out the hole in the sole big enough to stick the nozzle of a tube of 3M 5200 adhesive through and squirted the stuff down into the ballast tank hole. Then the slathered two oversized stainless steel screws with more 5200 (plus a finish washer to make it look good) and screwed it into the ballast tank hole. I haven't had a leak since. This was not an isolated problem..I understand there were a number of 23.5s with the same leak. Hope this helps.
Hi Frank Good news is it only cost me about 50 bucks to have a boatyard find the problem and fix it. I'll put in a plug here for Steve Price Marine in Deltaville VA. The stuck a wire down through the old mounting holes for the porta-potti and sure enough...on two of them the wire just kept going down where the old screws penetrated the ballast tank. They simply drilled out the hole in the sole big enough to stick the nozzle of a tube of 3M 5200 adhesive through and squirted the stuff down into the ballast tank hole. Then the slathered two oversized stainless steel screws with more 5200 (plus a finish washer to make it look good) and screwed it into the ballast tank hole. I haven't had a leak since. This was not an isolated problem..I understand there were a number of 23.5s with the same leak. Hope this helps.
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Frank
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Gene Alphonse
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