Bilge pumped fail or battery died = Moomba at bottem of the lake. Help us!!

[darren.alexander]

Hey all,

New too the forum. Looking for some much needed advice.

Last June my buddy and i were in Vegas got a call that are boat was sinking.

http://i48.tinypic.com/1zn1ykn.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/2m7vh9c.jpg

Here is the 27 min video of the recovery of the boat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OrmgjJMHtI


So we believe it was a bilge pump failure and combination of the battery dying.

We just put a new transmission in it and we have it running. But now we want to be able to prevent it from ever having this problem again.


So this is where we need help!!

What is the best battery and bilge pump solution? We would like to leave the boat in the water up too two weeks at a time. Without the battery's dieing on us and the pumps stop working.

Thanks in advance

[bergermaister]

Wow - welcome to the forum and bum deal...

Did you determine why the boat was taking on water in the first place?

Boat looks like an older Boomerang but hard to tell for sure?

[darren.alexander]

So on flat land tonight we filled up the boat with water and it was dripping from the drive shaft. So not enough filler around it... We're assuming that's the reason why it sank.

Good news all the speakers and bazookas still work!!!

[ian ashton]

Was it moored without a cover during very heavy rain?

It seems like it would take a lifetime for the prop shaft to left enough water in to sink the boat. When you tested it was it a steady stream of water? That doesn't seem right ether.

[BensonWdby]

get a lift.
a bad shaft seal can sink a boat pretty fast. always check the seal before leaving the boat moored. It doesn't start leaking suddenly by itself just sitting there.

[sandm]

doesn't take much water in those boomerangs to push a back corner under the water, and depending where it's moored, one wake/surf boat wave would do it in..

agree with the lift option as that's almost failproof, but if it was mine, I'd ensure it has 2 batteries, one for starting and one for stereo isolated so they don't drain off each other and use 2 bilge pumps, one hard-wired to each battery. redundancy is the key..

[kaneboats]

That was the word I thought of: redundancy. A second bilge pump, maybe on it's own battery, and that sits a little higher up so it comes on only when the other one is gone. A good cover would help a lot too. Won't keep all the water out but it sure helps if you can push 80-90% of the rain water over the sides.

[darren.alexander]

Was it moored without a cover during very heavy rain?

It seems like it would take a lifetime for the prop shaft to left enough water in to sink the boat. When you tested it was it a steady stream of water? That doesn't seem right ether.

I'm not to for sure if it was raining. but we did have a cover on it. Apparently not good enough. it was over the engine when we pulled it up. We filled it up and it was pretty wet and starting to drip.


doesn't take much water in those boomerangs to push a back corner under the water, and depending where it's moored, one wake/surf boat wave would do it in..

agree with the lift option as that's almost failproof, but if it was mine, I'd ensure it has 2 batteries, one for starting and one for stereo isolated so they don't drain off each other and use 2 bilge pumps, one hard-wired to each battery. redundancy is the key..

Yeah im assuming it filled up and then the back corner had a wakeboard wave go over it and then the water just starts filling up fast after that. That was what we were thinking. Also getting a switch for battery 1. 2 and both.


That was the word I thought of: redundancy. A second bilge pump, maybe on it's own battery, and that sits a little higher up so it comes on only when the other one is gone. A good cover would help a lot too. Won't keep all the water out but it sure helps if you can push 80-90% of the rain water over the sides.

So in the boomerangs there is only 1 bilge hole. were going to drill a 2nd one and put a second bilge in there.
It's hard finding a cover that fits because there is an after market tower on the boat.



im at work so im typing this quickly. Thanks guys for the suggestions keep them coming. i'll post some more photos that I took last night when we were working on it.

[kaneboats]

So in the boomerangs there is only 1 bilge hole. were going to drill a 2nd one and put a second bilge in there.

If you mean a thru-hull on the discharge end, you don't need another hole for the second pump. You could get two check valves and a "Y" fitting. Only one pump should run at a time anyway so as long as you prevent the bilge water from going back down the other hose it will pump out.

[KSmith]

Lift would be best.

But it not possible then to be redundant again ;-), at least 2 pumps, each has it's own battery. Is there power to the dock? Could you install some onboard chargers and hook up to 120? If not I'd throw on a couple solar chargers too just to get as much unattended time out of the batteries as possible. Could you hire a neighbor kid to check on the boat at least weekly or more often? Can you secure a small generator nearby to power some onboard chargers and have someone run it once a week? All depends on what is available at the dock and how much $$$ you want to spend.

[wolfeman131]

Hey, the Kapt'n is back!! Welcome, friend.

[kaneboats]

Hey Kraig, glad you're back! As for the neighbor kid. If you do that, make him send you a pic of the boat each time from his phone (to make sure he actually goes over and checks on it).

[sandm]

if what you are saying is correct about a possible wakeboard wake, park the boat at the dock with the bow toward the boat path. knowing those boomerangs are real low in the water, you might have some additional protection from the bow taking the brunt of wakes vs the back end?
other than the redundancy, not much else you can do other than having a good boat insurance policy :)

[wolfeman131]

I keep getting this vision in my head of a couple douche bags in their Dad 's sacked out boat purposely sending rollers over the back of your boat and watching it fill with water.

The Boomerang has such little freeboard and sits so low in the water that I don't think I'd leave it in the water unattended.

[jmvotto]

Lift or trailer option , but extra battery and pump might help the leaks but not the waves. Won't pump fast enough. A good cover will deflect some.

My .02

[AlbertaBoy]

So this thread makes me nervous as all hell.
I moor my 2008 Outback while on vacation for 3 weeks. Of course I see it and use it daily but of course not through the night. I can't imagine waking up and just seeing the top of the tower. But the talk of the shaft seal begs me to ask some questions.
How do you check it ?
Also when I hook my boat up to the Fake A Lake and start it up I get water that appears to run out through the shaft area. Is that normal ?
Last year was my first with an inboard so sorry if these are dumb questions.

[BensonWdby]

Best advice -
1. Get the seal replaced at least every 100 hours - probably every 50 is better.
2. Learn where the seal is, how to access it, and how to tighten the jam nut. There are several threads on this board regarding that.
3. On your long trips - Carry the necessary tools with you to tighten the jam nut. You can overtighten it - it is supposed to leak a little. You must be out of the water to replace the seal and you don't find the packing material at just any hardware or auto store.
4. Learn where the bilge pump is and inspect the area around it for debris. Use your hands, not just vision.
5. Consider going to a dripless seal - I have not yet - but am considering it.

I used to leave mine in the water for the weekend and we would notice that the bilge would always be kicking out water - frequently and on a predicatable schedule. So moor where you can see the bilge exit from shore. If it runs after it has been moored for more than 10 minutes - you are probably taking on water. It does nto mean you are going to sink but deserves some attention. I don't think a bad seal is something that just suddenly starts gushing water while unattended. In otherwords - the leak through the seal should be about the same when you shut it off as it is after sitting for 20 minutes or a day. I have noticed that a leaky seal may increase leak while operating and decrease while sitting - but that is random.

Unfortunately in my 99 Mobius DD you can't see the seal coupling directly without pulling the clamshell and a small part of the floor. You might be able to see it with a flashlight and a mirror if you open the clamshell and peer back toward the shaft. Never tried that. A severe leak in the seal is very obvious if you can see the jam nut. Should only be leaking about one drop per thirty seconds - not a steady stream.

Sometimes the float switch will stick and and the bilge will never come on as the water enters the boat.

Sometimes the bilge intake may get debris around it, leaves, sludge, plastic bag, etc.. In this case the float switch may activate and continue to call for bilge but nothing gets pupmed out. So the pump runs continuously and kills the battery while the water continues to get deeper.

If you are near the boat, check ever so often to see if you are taking on water. Run the bilge manually, you should hear the pump. But remember - no water coming out can mean there is no water, or the intake is blocked. Inspect the motor well for increasing water. Listen - you may hear it. Watch the bilge water for movement.

You will never have a dry bilge unless you pull the drain plug so don't freak - but pay attention to rising water.

HTH
Dave

[DOCDRS]

I have to ask what the heck is your motor bolted to......looks pretty sketchy.....

[wolfeman131]

Appears to be 2x4's