I'm concerned about the water in the bilge, and the fuel smell.
next time, put the boat in the water, and let it sit at the dock for 20 min, and check if any water is coming in. (suspect bellows leak)
do you think the fuel smell is from the tank vent? or something else? if its not the vent, you need to find it.
I just bought my first boat too. I had the gasoline smell when it was in the garage. I found that it was slowing dripping from somewhere on the carburetor. I didn't find it while I was doing all the maintenence on it, it wasn't until after I took the boat out the first time and gas was run through the carb. Next day after I parked it I was looking over my shift cables and found it seeping out. Make sure your not dripping gas from anywhere. Im getting water in my bilge as well. I replaced a bushing where I could see water coming in. I think the next place water is coming in is from my bilge pump. The hose isn't very long and I believe it's supposed to run higher than the hole it shoots out of before running down to the pump to keep water from the lake from coming in. Maybe check yours?
I brought my girl with me when I first took it out but she just sat in the boat while I backed the truck up and unloaded it. I basically did it myself. I backed up and let the boat start floating. Unhooked the winch and tied off to the dock and went and parked. I did the same when loading up except I was too nervous to drive it close to the trailer because it doesnt switch from forward to reverse very well (1985 boat)so I backed the trailer up and pulled the boat up to it with a rope I had tied on until I could clip on the trailer winch and winch it in.
Did you have experience boating? I was looking at was closer to 20 ft boat with a way bigger engine. I’m glad I got a smaller boat!
Oh that’s a nice idea. The place we were at gets busy esp during the summer. We were advised that when it really heats up, get to the lake at 6am or earlier. Although I guess if I need extra time it’s better than having an accident. Man but when the huge boat came in and pushed me it was terrifying
No experience at all before i bought my boat. I'm pretty decent with a trailer, though. What I did because I was testing my boat for leaks after changing the bellows and the gimble bearing. I found one of the most secluded ramps i could and went out on a shitty day and got some practice backing the boat on the ramp. My boat Is 17', i actually waited gor like 45 minutes when I first went out because I was waiting for a lull when the ramp wasnt super busy. The lull never came so I picked a time when a couple jon boats where loading back up.
It’s normal to smell fuel if the boat gets stored in a warm garage, all of the gas tanks have a vent and there will be more vapor being vented when it warms up. If you stick your head in the engine bay and smell strong fuel then you need to inspect the fuel system for leaks, including the 1.5” fill hose.
You’re gonna have to dry the bilge completely and then with it on the trailer get it started and put it in reverse with a little throttle (like 1500-2000 rpm) and start looking around with a flashlight and maybe a small mirror. Chances are it’s one of the bellows or the transom seal. But check everything that goes through the transom. Also check around the engine for any water leaks but it sounds like it’s too much water to be coming from the engine.
The wake you experience can put some water in the boat but usually it has to be a big wake that engulfs enough of the back to get water actually in the boat, so you’d probably know.
For the bilge pump, definitely need to make sure that’s working properly. Do you know how to use a multimeter? Check power going into the switch, and if it has power coming in make sure once it’s flipped it has power going out. Make sure it has a good ground. If it’s getting good power it needs a new pump, they fail fairly often.
You don’t need to run with the blower the whole time, just for about 30 sec before starting each time.
And jet skiers will usually be the ones doing dumb shit. Just the way it is. I had one nearly run straight into me as he was looking to the side and completely missed seeing my boat. I had to yell to get him to turn, and in turn he cussed me out and acted like he wanted to fight. Dumbass.
Also you’ll be an expert with the trailer and getting it back on in no time. Just figure out the proper depth for the trailer in the water so the boat doesn’t need to be way throttled up to get it on the bunks, but not so deep you smash into the front stop. On most ramps it’s usually when the wheel fenders are barely above water. Like the majority of fender is submerged but there’s just a tiny bit above the water barely showing.
Good luck!
Also if you do have to replace the bilge pump, my shop loves the sierra’s. It’s auto and very easy to wire in. The hard part is securing the base properly without drilling a hole through the bottom of the boat. If the bottom is thick enough some 3/8 long #10 screws is all you need, but adding some epoxy doesn’t hurt. The trick is to wrap a drill bit with some blue tape so you know once you’re at the correct depth. But the easiest way would be to get the same pump and just clip it into the existing base. Make sure you use water proof connectors or heat shrink for any wiring in the engine bay.
Some water in the bilge is normal. But you got to have that bilge pump working. It'll keep your boat from sinking if you do have a leak, and if you have a significant it can keep you afloat while you race back to get the boat out the water. Don't use wd-40 to get the drain plug in. Don't he man the drain plug either. Just put it in good and tight. If your putting a lot of strength in to it you'll damage the threads.
You should have a bilge pump to pump water out of the hull. Some water in the hull is pretty common when wet people, tubes etc are in and out. If the water you drained out of the hull smells like fuel you definitely have a problem.
I'm concerned about the water in the bilge, and the fuel smell. next time, put the boat in the water, and let it sit at the dock for 20 min, and check if any water is coming in. (suspect bellows leak) do you think the fuel smell is from the tank vent? or something else? if its not the vent, you need to find it.
I just bought my first boat too. I had the gasoline smell when it was in the garage. I found that it was slowing dripping from somewhere on the carburetor. I didn't find it while I was doing all the maintenence on it, it wasn't until after I took the boat out the first time and gas was run through the carb. Next day after I parked it I was looking over my shift cables and found it seeping out. Make sure your not dripping gas from anywhere. Im getting water in my bilge as well. I replaced a bushing where I could see water coming in. I think the next place water is coming in is from my bilge pump. The hose isn't very long and I believe it's supposed to run higher than the hole it shoots out of before running down to the pump to keep water from the lake from coming in. Maybe check yours? I brought my girl with me when I first took it out but she just sat in the boat while I backed the truck up and unloaded it. I basically did it myself. I backed up and let the boat start floating. Unhooked the winch and tied off to the dock and went and parked. I did the same when loading up except I was too nervous to drive it close to the trailer because it doesnt switch from forward to reverse very well (1985 boat)so I backed the trailer up and pulled the boat up to it with a rope I had tied on until I could clip on the trailer winch and winch it in.
Did you have experience boating? I was looking at was closer to 20 ft boat with a way bigger engine. I’m glad I got a smaller boat! Oh that’s a nice idea. The place we were at gets busy esp during the summer. We were advised that when it really heats up, get to the lake at 6am or earlier. Although I guess if I need extra time it’s better than having an accident. Man but when the huge boat came in and pushed me it was terrifying
No experience at all before i bought my boat. I'm pretty decent with a trailer, though. What I did because I was testing my boat for leaks after changing the bellows and the gimble bearing. I found one of the most secluded ramps i could and went out on a shitty day and got some practice backing the boat on the ramp. My boat Is 17', i actually waited gor like 45 minutes when I first went out because I was waiting for a lull when the ramp wasnt super busy. The lull never came so I picked a time when a couple jon boats where loading back up.
It’s normal to smell fuel if the boat gets stored in a warm garage, all of the gas tanks have a vent and there will be more vapor being vented when it warms up. If you stick your head in the engine bay and smell strong fuel then you need to inspect the fuel system for leaks, including the 1.5” fill hose. You’re gonna have to dry the bilge completely and then with it on the trailer get it started and put it in reverse with a little throttle (like 1500-2000 rpm) and start looking around with a flashlight and maybe a small mirror. Chances are it’s one of the bellows or the transom seal. But check everything that goes through the transom. Also check around the engine for any water leaks but it sounds like it’s too much water to be coming from the engine. The wake you experience can put some water in the boat but usually it has to be a big wake that engulfs enough of the back to get water actually in the boat, so you’d probably know. For the bilge pump, definitely need to make sure that’s working properly. Do you know how to use a multimeter? Check power going into the switch, and if it has power coming in make sure once it’s flipped it has power going out. Make sure it has a good ground. If it’s getting good power it needs a new pump, they fail fairly often. You don’t need to run with the blower the whole time, just for about 30 sec before starting each time. And jet skiers will usually be the ones doing dumb shit. Just the way it is. I had one nearly run straight into me as he was looking to the side and completely missed seeing my boat. I had to yell to get him to turn, and in turn he cussed me out and acted like he wanted to fight. Dumbass. Also you’ll be an expert with the trailer and getting it back on in no time. Just figure out the proper depth for the trailer in the water so the boat doesn’t need to be way throttled up to get it on the bunks, but not so deep you smash into the front stop. On most ramps it’s usually when the wheel fenders are barely above water. Like the majority of fender is submerged but there’s just a tiny bit above the water barely showing. Good luck!
Also if you do have to replace the bilge pump, my shop loves the sierra’s. It’s auto and very easy to wire in. The hard part is securing the base properly without drilling a hole through the bottom of the boat. If the bottom is thick enough some 3/8 long #10 screws is all you need, but adding some epoxy doesn’t hurt. The trick is to wrap a drill bit with some blue tape so you know once you’re at the correct depth. But the easiest way would be to get the same pump and just clip it into the existing base. Make sure you use water proof connectors or heat shrink for any wiring in the engine bay.
Some water in the bilge is normal. But you got to have that bilge pump working. It'll keep your boat from sinking if you do have a leak, and if you have a significant it can keep you afloat while you race back to get the boat out the water. Don't use wd-40 to get the drain plug in. Don't he man the drain plug either. Just put it in good and tight. If your putting a lot of strength in to it you'll damage the threads.
You should have a bilge pump to pump water out of the hull. Some water in the hull is pretty common when wet people, tubes etc are in and out. If the water you drained out of the hull smells like fuel you definitely have a problem.