Leak persists

[GoVols01]

Ever since I bought my '17 212X, I get around 5 gallons or so out hull when I pull the plug after a day on the lake. Over the winter, I removed the 12 screws and popped open the hatch over the clean out ports and mufflers to take a looksey. I tightened down all hose clamps, some of which needed several turns of the screwdriver to snug it back down. I sealed the surfaces between the hatch itself and then screwed the whole thing back down. I was pretty confident this would resolve my issue.

Yesterday, I took the boat to the lake for a cruise. Water is 59 degrees, so I certainly didn't get in the water, so no water was tracked onto the boat. When we pulled the boat out and pulled the plug on the ramp, AGAIN, I got the same amount of water coming out the plug as I did all last season. Seriously embarrassing as it takes a few minutes of gushing before it stops. MINUTES! I've owned 2 Regal runabouts before this boat: 2004 1800 and a new '14 1900. Those boats would sit in the water all weekend next to my houseboat and I'd get 1 cup of water from the hull when I'd pull them home each Sunday evening. I don't understand it.

With this issue and my stiff steering cables that popped up for the 1st time yesterday, the boat is going back to the dealer for its 1st warranty visit.

 

[haknslash]

Did you check your rub rail? Have you filled your bilge with water to see if any leaks come out?

 

[CAM212SS]

my issue was the drain plug. swapped it with an internal plug and my leak went away.

 

[GoVols01]

I ran the rub rail theory by the dealer's technician and we both think the rub rail wouldn't let that much water in, considering its height above the water level. There were only 2 of us in the boat yesterday, so it wasn't weighted down at all.

I'm thinking one of my through hulls isn't sealed correctly. It's difficult to listen for the bilge pump while running around the lake, so I admit, I don't know if it ever kicked on and spit anything out. I had it set to "auto", like I always do.

 

[robert843]

Did you already check for the anchor locker issue?

 

[GoVols01]

Yes. Anchor locker isn't an issue.

 

[Julian]

As others have pointed out, when you slow down water is force back into the drain for the clean out hatch area and fills that area with water. But you've said that you already sealed those points. So your next bet will be checking through hull fittings and the drain plug. Since you said you only had 2 people on board, I doubt it would be the anchor locker drain, but still a possibility if you plowed through any waves or your passenger sat in the bow.

Things that will help you find this faster is to:

• Fill the bilge with water while on land...look for external leaks.
• Take off the the rear hatch off while you have the boat in the water, look for leaks. Consider using talcum/baby powder to spot them easier. Do this with the engine running and not running.

 

[haknslash]

The rub rail is not high above the water line. When you come off plane water will certainly rush on the rub rail. Even if there are minimal waves and you're stationary the water will hit the rub rail. There are others on here who have had theirs leak and some had pretty significant amounts of water come in. There's no need to run any of this by some dealer tech if you have access to your boat. It kind of sucks you sealed your tray as that would have been the best time to find the leak(s). Open the tray back up and spray water hose towards the rub rail and see if you see it pouring outside the boat. That is how @Pullen724 found his https://jetboaters.net/threads/still-leaking.13046/#post-236085

As others mentioned it could be your drain plug or fixture. Easiest way to tell is fill the bilge with water and look for leaks. Sometimes it's just a bad/fault drain plug.

 

[Mainah]

A few members here have reported issues with their drain plug on the articulating keels. Mine certainly leaked when on the bilge was filled while on a hill. The issue really is not the drain plug itself but poor machining of the receiver for the keel which has the threads for the plug. The fix that worked for me was a thicker o-ring on a new plug. Good luck.

 

[Seadeals]

I feel for you. This is sad when I can go an entire season without a drop out of the drain plug in my 2006. I am not trying to jinx myself, but so many issues really make me question what the robots are doing differently in Vonore, TN these days.

 

[haknslash]

I feel for you. This is sad when I can go an entire season without a drop out of the drain plug in my 2006. I am not trying to jinx myself, but so many issues really make me question what the robots are doing differently in Vonore, TN these days.

It's also crazy when you think a new SX210 in 2006 was $28,899 and in a new 2018 SX210 will run you $40,199. That's a difference of $11,300 and honestly I'm not sure there is enough difference between the two to make that amount and the quality on the older boats seems better than some of the newer boats. Thankfully my 2016 is a dry boat (knocks on wood) but it sucks for these new boat owners to have to fix these leak issues. The FSH 190 was nearly a bathtub had it not been for the folks on this forum finding all the leaks. I feel even more sorry for the folks that don't know this forum exists and takes their boat to a dealer for the round we go trips.

 

[Seadeals]

Yeah, but back in the old days, a dollar in today’s money was worth like a buck forty. Kidding aside, no joke; that’s why I still have it. Aside from the status symbol of a 2018, it still gives me everything I want.

 

[Bluewater272]

It's also crazy when you think a new SX210 in 2006 was $28,899 and in a new 2018 SX210 will run you $40,199. That's a difference of $11,300 and honestly I'm not sure there is enough difference between the two to make that amount and the quality on the older boats seems better than some of the newer boats. Thankfully my 2016 is a dry boat (knocks on wood) but it sucks for these new boat owners to have to fix these leak issues. The FSH 190 was nearly a bathtub had it not been for the folks on this forum finding all the leaks. I feel even more sorry for the folks that don't know this forum exists and takes their boat to a dealer for the round we go trips.

Adjusted for inflation, the 2018 boat is only $4K more than the 2006 boat. *shrug*

 

[haknslash]

Obviously the dollar today isn't what it was back then but I still don't see quite 4k more boat. The engines are still debatable which is better in the long haul. YMMV

Regardless of cost, there is no denying Yamaha leak quality control in today's sage isn't at it's best. They say they lake test each boat. If that's true then why are there so many leakers? Is it the boat design, parts or is it the QC? Not all boats are affected yet some indeed make it out to the masses. Obviously no boat is perfect no matter who the manufacturer is but there's enough threads on here that show some poor areas we have to look out for and possibly deal with.

 

[Papa Erp]

I had the same issue with my 2017 AR210. Lots of water in the bilge. Finally took it to the dealer. It was fixed under warranty. Turns out there were big voids in the sealant between the hull and top deck. Water was getting in around the swim deck along the rub rail. The dealer lack tested and it's dry now.

 

[Bluewater272]

Obviously the dollar today isn't what it was back then but I still don't see quite 4k more boat. The engines are still debatable which is better in the long haul. YMMV

Regardless of cost, there is no denying Yamaha leak quality control in today's sage isn't at it's best. They say they lake test each boat. If that's true then why are there so many leakers? Is it the boat design, parts or is it the QC? Not all boats are affected yet some indeed make it out to the masses. Obviously no boat is perfect no matter who the manufacturer is but there's enough threads on here that show some poor areas we have to look out for and possibly deal with.

Yeah, not saying it's not an issue, just that its not like today's boat is massively more expensive. If Yamaha offered both models today available newly manufactured, pretty sure you'd agree that the current model is worth $4k more.

Curious if all this leaking starts for new owners on day 1, or it it takes time to manifest. Maybe the quick jaunt around the lake at the factory isn't long enough to determine if there's an issue.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

My issue was the anchor locker. Now the boat stays dray.

 

[Scottintexas]

I'd take the cleanout hatch off and gently launch it and tie it up to the dock for a few hours to try to identify if the water is just seeping in through the drain or other below water fitting, if it looks dry after a few hours then begin to idle around being mindful of the water against the hull and if still dry then start some faster runs to try to identify the problem. A hose and spraying the up under the rub rail may be an idea also,

 

[GoVols01]

**Issue Update**
Dropped the boat off at my dealer for 1.5 weeks to get this leak issue resolved. To diagnose it, the mechanic filled the hull with water while it was sitting on the trailer and looked for leaks.

1. The rub rail along the swim platform in the rear of the boat had only 1 of the screws sealed from the factory and all were leaking! The rub rail sits inches above the water line, but goes under or gets splashed when coming down off plane or when people are lounging on the back of the boat. It's also held under water for a minute or two when loading/unloading from the trailer.
2. Per the mechanic: "Both exhaust ports were gushing water from around the through-hull seals." Both seals were replaced.

Once both of these issues were remedied, he put the boat back in the water at a wet slip for 3 days and watched it. When he pulled the boat back out, he said he only got 1/4 gallon of water out of it, so we're probably good now.

Not sure why those exhaust port gaskets would be bad already. I only have close to 40 hours on the boat. Must have been bad from the factory.

 

[haknslash]

Keep us posted how it goes next time you're on the water. Glad to hear they hopefully have it sorted now.