Water Infiltration when surfing. . . .

[0627Devildog]

So, after buying the wake wedge and using about 2500lbs of ballast to make a killer wave. . . . . I've noticed when we are all filled up that my bilge pump is cycling and pumping out a few gallons or so.

My boat is wet slipped and never has a drop in it either at rest or during normal operation (with out the above mentioned ballast)

So this lead me to examine points of possible entry. The bottom swim platform is partially submerged with the weight mentioned above. . . . Though the 2nd tier nor the cup holders are never under water. The only other point of entry I can think of is the rear cleat which it basically under water when we are not actively under way.

Is anyone else having this issue?

 

[RiverRat]

Occasionally I'll get some water getting pumped while surfing, but I also sometimes take a wave or three over the bow when circling back to pick up the downed surfer.

 

[0627Devildog]

Occasionally I'll get some water getting pumped while surfing, but I also sometimes take a wave or three over the bow when circling back to pick up the downed surfer.

I would expect it taking a wave over the bow. . . .but that is not the case here.

 

[Scottintexas]

my bilge works pretty good when we're surfing and stop to change riders, my rub rail is in the water,

 

[KXCam22]

On the AR230 the water gets in thru the flat plate over the cleanout hatches. The sealing is not good and the water gets in. I took mine off and resealed it, which is a whole other story since the hold in screws are mostly stripped from the factory. The lower the boat is in the water, the more water flows over the hatch when you cut the throttles. Mine is well sealed but after a big surf day I may drain out 5 gal at the end of the day. Cam.

 

[0627Devildog]

On the AR230 the water gets in thru the flat plate over the cleanout hatches. The sealing is not good and the water gets in. I took mine off and resealed it, which is a whole other story since the hold in screws are mostly stripped from the factory. The lower the boat is in the water, the more water flows over the hatch when you cut the throttles.

On the 14' AR240 I don't think the water washes up that high even when stopping. . . .at least not the way my ballast is set up. Will need to keep an eye on that.

 

[swatski]

So, after buying the wake wedge and using about 2500lbs of ballast to make a killer wave. . . . . I've noticed when we are all filled up that my bilge pump is cycling and pumping out a few gallons or so.

My boat is wet slipped and never has a drop in it either at rest or during normal operation (with out the above mentioned ballast)

So this lead me to examine points of possible entry. The bottom swim platform is partially submerged with the weight mentioned above. . . . Though the 2nd tier nor the cup holders are never under water. The only other point of entry I can think of is the rear cleat which it basically under water when we are not actively under way.

Is anyone else having this issue?

Water gets through the rub rail. That's been know. If you look at it from the inside - you can see the light in some spots.

 

[0627Devildog]

Water gets through the rub rail. That's been know. If you look at it from the inside - you can see the light in some spots.

I can't tell. . . .are you being serious?

 

[swatski]

Totally serious. In fact, almost used a phrase "use the search function" -- before reminding myself we do not do this on JB.net.

But seriously - it is an issue. In my 2012 SX190 I ended up sealing it, but it is difficult to do it the right way(I didn't), need to dismantle the rub rail.

 

[0627Devildog]

Totally serious. In fact, almost used a phrase "use the search function" -- before reminding myself we do not do this on JB.net.

But seriously - it is an issue. In my 2012 SX190 I ended up sealing it, but it is difficult to do it the right way(I didn't), need to dismantle the rub rail.

Here's what happens when I searched it. . . . https://jetboaters.net/search/6026777/?q=Water+infiltration&o=relevance&c[node]=20

So by all means feel free to enlighten us with the relevant thread. ; )

I think I may gorilla tape over the cleat to see if I can reduce the intrusion at all. . . . . I'm not planning on removing the rub rail.

 

[swatski]

I agree, hard to find here! I only found few posts with reference to rub rail leaking, like this:

I don't actually think you need a jump pack @Belteddeep . ( ... ) Chances are, you don't have any kind of hull leak that would require it to pump. Most leaks guys find are annoying and not problematic. Those leaks being thru hull holes drilled to accommodate accessories at the factory, that were not sealed good. Other leaks are the anchor locker. Both of these won't leak while static, but will when underway or when on the swim deck and it is pushed deeper into the water. Also some leaks are found at the rub rail where the seam between the lower hull half is joined to the upper hull half. That seam has been found to leak in areas...but again, it has to be pushed underwater to leak and it won't be when static. (...)

I must have been thinking of the old site, plenty of posts like this:
http://yamahajetboaters.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=68960&p=550656&hilit=rub+rail+water#p550656
"My pump never comes on unless Im running ballast and rub rail is below water Line. then it comes on every 15 min or so. Rub rails leak like crazy on these boats. If I am not surfing never comes on or does water come out of drain plug at end of day either. If your taken on waves or alot of swimming then it might come on."

 

[Scuba_ref]

Why are you trying to remove the free ballast?

 

[jcsmith77]

When we are surfing with a lot less ballast than you have, the wave washes over the back deck when we stop. I get water in the bilge because the door that is in between the clean out plugs rubber seal has shrunk and doesn't go all the way around anymore and I haven't fixed it yet. I am pretty sure that's where I get most of my water as the top of the clean out plugs are filled to the top as well.

 

[0627Devildog]

When we are surfing with a lot less ballast than you have, the wave washes over the back deck when we stop. I get water in the bilge because the door that is in between the clean out plugs rubber seal has shrunk and doesn't go all the way around anymore and I haven't fixed it yet. I am pretty sure that's where I get most of my water as the top of the clean out plugs are filled to the top as well.

Next time I am surfing back there I am going to have to check that out. . . . . I feel like that is something I would have (or maybe should have noticed). Maybe the fact that I am in a 240 v.s a 210 (or 230 mentioned above) makes a difference? Time will tell, as I will be surfing next weekend.

 

[MrMoose]

@0627Devildog, I'm speaking from 2015 AR240 experience, and I know that we have different hulls, BUT, I've dealt with lots of water intrusion with my boat. Get some baby powder and puff it into the area to the rear of your clean-out tray access. Once you're done surfing, stick a flashlight down there and look for drip trails in the powder. If you have a good cell phone camera and flashlight, stick your hand down there and video spots that are out of your direct view. I needed to do this in order to prove to Yamaha that my boat was leaking so that the dealer could get authorization to fix it. Otherwise, if the dealer investigated and didn't find anything, it would have been on my dime.
You probably have multiple sources of water intrusion: Clean-out tray seal, clean-out tray access hatch (between the tubes), scupper hull fitting, cup holder, cleat, rub rail.
I listed them in order of which are easiest to fix relative to the amount of water that they're probably letting in.
With respect to the clean-out tray, the back edge of mine leaked because there was no sealant. It's a simple bead of silicone to fix. My clean-out tray has an access hatch between the clean-out port tubes; the flange of the hatch was not sealed. It's a simple bead of silicone to fix.
The hull fitting for the scupper leaked. The dealer "fixed it" a few times. I got tired of having to show them video of the water dripping in between the fixture and the hull, so I applied a bead of 3M 5200 to the fixture-hull interface on the stern to fix it.
The drain hose on one of my cup holders was pushed off by the dealer poking a screw driver into it to "unplug" it; so, you might want to poor water into your cup holders on the swim platform and make sure that the water drips out of the appropriate drain located below each cup holder.
Once you have the easy fixes done, you'll be in a better position to decide whether you want to live with the harder fixes, like the rub-rail.

 

[0627Devildog]

@0627Devildog, I'm speaking from 2015 AR240 experience, and I know that we have different hulls, BUT, I've dealt with lots of water intrusion with my boat. Get some baby powder and puff it into the area to the rear of your clean-out tray access. Once you're done surfing, stick a flashlight down there and look for drip trails in the powder. If you have a good cell phone camera and flashlight, stick your hand down there and video spots that are out of your direct view. I needed to do this in order to prove to Yamaha that my boat was leaking so that the dealer could get authorization to fix it. Otherwise, if the dealer investigated and didn't find anything, it would have been on my dime.
You probably have multiple sources of water intrusion: Clean-out tray seal, clean-out tray access hatch (between the tubes), scupper hull fitting, cup holder, cleat, rub rail.
I listed them in order of which are easiest to fix relative to the amount of water that they're probably letting in.
With respect to the clean-out tray, the back edge of mine leaked because there was no sealant. It's a simple bead of silicone to fix. My clean-out tray has an access hatch between the clean-out port tubes; the flange of the hatch was not sealed. It's a simple bead of silicone to fix.
The hull fitting for the scupper leaked. The dealer "fixed it" a few times. I got tired of having to show them video of the water dripping in between the fixture and the hull, so I applied a bead of 3M 5200 to the fixture-hull interface on the stern to fix it.
The drain hose on one of my cup holders was pushed off by the dealer poking a screw driver into it to "unplug" it; so, you might want to poor water into your cup holders on the swim platform and make sure that the water drips out of the appropriate drain located below each cup holder.
Once you have the easy fixes done, you'll be in a better position to decide whether you want to live with the harder fixes, like the rub-rail.

1st, thanks for that thorough post. . . .

Very informative and I will look into each one.

That said, I am not getting what I would consider to be significant water intrusion. . . It's a gallon or so every 15 to 20 mins when fully loaded.

My first step will be to wire up my dual battery setup, and add a secondary bilge pump/float switch.

 

[MrMoose]

1st, thanks for that thorough post. . . .

Very informative and I will look into each one.

That said, I am not getting what I would consider to be significant water intrusion. . . It's a gallon or so every 15 to 20 mins when fully loaded.

My first step will be to wire up my dual battery setup, and add a secondary bilge pump/float switch.

@0627Devildog, good idea to install the extra bilge pump. My bilge holds a couple of gallons before the pump picks it up. Before I fixed my leaks, I'd drain at least 2 gallons out of the drain plug when I'd pull the boat out of the water.

 

[jcyamaharider]

LOL, I know exactly where it is coming in at.........It is the cleat!!! It is under water and there is no gasket to keep the water out. Something that moves in and out has to have an opening around it. I seen it on @rocknracing boat when we first tested the wake wedge.

 

[jcyamaharider]

@0627Devildog I have even thought of maybe using a thick balloon and cutting it so it would seal the cleat when pushed in, but I like your tape idea for a quick fix.

 

[rocknracing]

It's the cleat on my boat that's leaking when we have all the ballast filled up. I am planning on just adding another pump with its own outlet to help out. Not really sure if there is any way to seal up the cleat and I'm not going to quit wake surfing!! As long as the pumps are working I'm not worried.