Bilge flooded

[Jimonthebeach]

Last rainstorm the breaker to my dock kicked. Bilge pump discharged the batteries (2) and when I checked the boat it was flooded. Resetting the breaker got the pump running and it drained the bilge. I opened the engine hatch and both rear compartments and let everything air dry for 4 days. Tried to start the engines today and got maybe a quarter crank out of each. Tomorrow I'm gonna pull the plugs and crank it to see if there is water in the cylinders but I don't see how that's possible. Batteries look fine after three days charging with a led stupid simple tester. Suggestions? Next steps? Jim

 

[Bruce]

Are you in fresh water or salt?

Did you look and see how high the water got up on the engines?

I would check the oil to see if water is in it.

The batteries may have failed due to discharging by the bilge pump.

The rain water should have run out through the scupper. It is more likely that a leak filled your bilge than the rain.

 

[Jimonthebeach]

Salt. Damn high, I think to a level that it was draining out somewhere. Good idea. I will do that. How to I test the batteries. Boat is on a lift; 2 ft clear of even the neap tides.

 

[Bruce]

So the water in the boat was all rain water?

Rain water would be better as it is fresh. But there is a scupper valve at the stern that should have drained all water that was in inside the boat. Very little water should make it into the bilge. It should take feet of rain to cause a problem.

If you take your batteries to an automotive store they can test them and tell you how much amperage they are capable of. Generally batteries are damaged if they are discharged more than 50%.

 

[Hannibal]

We had maybe 10 gallons of water in our bilge after a week of heavy rains with our 190fsh sitting on its trailer. Not sure where it got in from but will be monitoring it closely. Hope yours is resolved without expense.

 

[bronze_10]

Might should check the scupper hose.. it might be off at either end which would dump all the water into the bilge...

If it was high up on the engines I would not crank it u till u knew the oil was good!

 

[Julian]

Yeah, agree with @bronze_10 that perhaps your deck drain scupper hose is off at the deck side (if it was the other end it wouldn't have collected much water) and water collected up to the level of the scupper hose.

 

[Jimonthebeach]

Thanks, I'll check it tomorrow.

 

[haknslash]

Be sure to check your air filter. Last thing you want to do is hydro lock your motor if water got into the air box.

 

[Jimonthebeach]

Tnx, will do.

 

[2nazt]

Could also be a blockage in the scupper hose members have found spoons etc.

 

[Big Shasta]

Be sure to check your air filter. Last thing you want to do is hydro lock your motor if water got into the air box.

Probably too late....already cranked it.

If it was up to the bottom of the air box, then it surely ran down into the cylinders (at least the ones with open intake valves) right?

Hopefully your batteries were really weak and cranking it didn't hurt a rod.