Water in bilge pump area when docking?

[Nick Nguyen]

I received my 2018 165 ID 3 months ago, but have't got a chance to start the engine yet. A couple of days ago, I put it in the water for the first time in my boat house. It was more like a float test. Today, I noticed that the bilge pump ran for a short time to pump out the water that somehow leaked into the hull with the boat just sitting there. Is my boat defective? If it's normal for small amount of water to get in, how often should the bilge pump run during docking?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

No water should come in. Check your plugs, make sure they are clean (no sticks, debris, bolts, etc .) and tight.

Otherwise, no other thing should leak. You'd have to clean and dry your bilge, then put it back in the water and watch visually if any port or connection etc gets wet.

My 2015 165 does not take any water on at all except via rain with no tarp on. Your boat house has no leak right? Lol just in case.

 

[Solraider]

As long as your in there check all hose clamps and make sure they are tight. Although not likely to leak without water pressure check the lower water intake hoses from the jet pump to the tee fitting which splits to the intercooler and exhaust intake fitting. I checked mine at 18 hours and the intake exhaust hose clamp was finger loose.

The boat sits for 6 to 8 hours docked a few days a week and remains dry under engine area.

 

[Nick Nguyen]

I removed, inspected, and re-tightened the two drain plugs, then used a wet/dry VAC to remove all remaining water in the bilge. The boat was put back in water. I waited 1/2 hour looking at all possible water entry points that I could see (could not see the drain plug on the port side from the inside the engine compartment). There was no water coming in, except some water dripping from the bilge pump exhaust hose as shown in the picture. I came back after a couple of hours and saw some water in the bilge (about 1 gallon). The water must be leaking in slowly from a place the I could not see. I appreciate any help here because I rather fix it myself than having to take the boat back to the dealership.

 

[Pirana]

Carbon seal?

 

[Nick Nguyen]

Thanks for all the responses. Where would I find this carbon seal on the 165 to check for water leak? Could it be the one shown in the attached pictures?

 

[Pirana]

It's where the drive shaft exits the hull... some misalingment issues can wear out the ring and cause water to leak.

 

[Nick Nguyen]

Thank Pirana. I believe I cannot see where the drive shaft exits the hull. I'm buying an inspection camera to check out all areas that is blocked from view. The problem is minor enough that I plan to leave it in water and enjoy it for the rest of the boating season. I'll pull the boat out of water in late fall for winterization, and will have the dealer checking out/repairing the leak at the same time.

 

[Nick Nguyen]

Using an endoscope inspection camera checking the entire boat bottom in the engine compartment, I found the only one place that was leaking water was the carbon seal area. As Pirana has pointed out, it's where the engine shaft exits the hull. I'll contact Scarab to see if there's an easy fix that I can do it myself. The boat is as new as it gets because I special ordered this boat and the engine has never even been started since the dealer delivered it to my driveway. Here are some pictures:

 

[Solraider]

This thread is more then replacing the seal and gives you an idea of what may be involved
https://jetboaters.net/threads/engine-alignment.15010/#post-258756

 

[Nick Nguyen]

The boat is going back to the dealer in November for repair after I spend some time using it to see if there are any other problems. I'll tell them to check engine alignment, and not just replacing rubber/carbon rings. I fired up the engine yesterday for the first time ever, and took it out for a ride. After the outing with tight turns and spins, the bilge actually had much less water in it than before it left the dock thanks to the working bilge pump. I still have to learn to bring this thing into a narrow boat house under windy condition with splashing waves. I had to shut down the engine and used a boat hook to push/pull it in.

I cannot believe Scarab shipped a leaky boat. They apparently don't do float test on every boat to check for leaks. The dealer did put the boat in the water to check it out, but did not notice the slow leak. Still, I am happy with the purchase because like they said, there are no other boats in its class.