2014 Scarab 195 possible transom leak, need assistance

[Tommy Lee]

I think water is coming in around the transom seals. I noticed after taking the boat out on Wednesday that after opening the plugs it took an unusually long time for the water to drain. So I started thinking... we purposely lodged the boat on a soft shallow sand bar where we like to hang out. I'm thinking that the sand jarred the jet/reverse bucket, which then jarred the transom seals slightly loose. The other possibility is rain water getting in the boat, but I don't think that's the case, as the factory top is fabulous.

Someone tell me, is it dumb to lodge a jet boat against a shallow sand bar? If I did cause the transom seals to become loose because of that, then I would say I'm an idiot. My question then is, should I completely remove the jet assembly and transom and reseal it? Or would it be effective for me to just remove the jet assembly and put additional sealant around the existing transom seal?

Fyi, last year we got a tow rope sucked into the intake, destroying the impeller boot on the impeller shaft. I removed everything and repaired it with a new $12 impeller boot, so I'm fully aware of how to disassemble and assemble the entire jet apparatus back there. Looking for some input.

 

[tdonoughue]

Hi!

Obviously I don't have a Scarab, but I would be very surprised if a little sand bar beaching would cause that. Possible, sure. But not very likely.

I would recommend checking the reverse leak. Put the boat up on trailer, crank the bow up so the boat is leaning back, then break out a hose. Put in the bilge plug, and run the hose in the bilge. Don't overfill up to the engines. Then see where the water is coming out. That is your leak...

My money is that it is from your impeller boot repair or somewhere else. But that test will show you.

 

[Tommy Lee]

Good news, no leak. I put a hose in the middle of the boat where you lift the latch and dumped a bunch of water in there and watched it channel to the back under the engine. I made sure the plugs were sealed. No leaks under the boat or at the transom. I guess I'll find out if the top of the transom leaks where the water can't reach inside the boat but I doubt it will.

 

[Tommy Lee]

Hi!

Obviously I don't have a Scarab, but I would be very surprised if a little sand bar beaching would cause that. Possible, sure. But not very likely.

I would recommend checking the reverse leak. Put the boat up on trailer, crank the bow up so the boat is leaning back, then break out a hose. Put in the bilge plug, and run the hose in the bilge. Don't overfill up to the engines. Then see where the water is coming out. That is your leak...

My money is that it is from your impeller boot repair or somewhere else. But that test will show you.

Haha. I posted my response without realizing there was a reply. I did exactly what you said here and all is well, so great news. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Tommy Lee]

Haha. I posted my response without realizing there was a reply. I did exactly what you said here and all is well, so great news. Thanks for the reply.

The impeller boot repair was done on point and as professional as can be by me. I dealt with no seals so there was no worries about that. I wasn't and am not worried about my repairs concerning that. I believe it was rain water, because as a matter of fact, the water coming out of the boat last week was very, very warm, so it had to have accumulated while sitting in my driveway. We had some rain storms.

 

[Joe Vincent]

You should check the carbon seal. I had an issue with mine with less than 30 hours. I originally let my dealer know that I had an intrusion somewhere, as the bilge would kick on every 22 minutes while anchored in the water. I took it in, they had it for over a month. They claimed they removed both ride plates and resealed everything. I put the boat away for the winter (stored in a garage), but never checked to see if they had fixed the issue. In the spring, I put the boat back in the water and the problem continued. I did a little research online and found the carbon seal was an issue. I went out to my boat, grabbed the seal and boot and there was significant play in it. I again contacted the dealer, told him what I thought the problem was, and he informed me that there was no way it could be the seal because they don't have problems until around 300 hours. I took it into them again, after another month long wait, voila it was the carbon seal. I have a 2016 255 HO.

 

[Tommy Lee]

You should check the carbon seal. I had an issue with mine with less than 30 hours. I originally let my dealer know that I had an intrusion somewhere, as the bilge would kick on every 22 minutes while anchored in the water. I took it in, they had it for over a month. They claimed they removed both ride plates and resealed everything. I put the boat away for the winter (stored in a garage), but never checked to see if they had fixed the issue. In the spring, I put the boat back in the water and the problem continued. I did a little research online and found the carbon seal was an issue. I went out to my boat, grabbed the seal and boot and there was significant play in it. I again contacted the dealer, told him what I thought the problem was, and he informed me that there was no way it could be the seal because they don't have problems until around 300 hours. I took it into them again, after another month long wait, voila it was the carbon seal. I have a 2016 255 HO.

Boy I'm not looking forward to 300 hours lol. I'm at about 75 right now.