2000 Sportster, water coming up from drain hole

[lldmalibu]

I bought a 2000 Sportste this year and the boat is in very good condition, about 285 hours of use.

After using it for about 20 hours, I lifted the front passenger seat and noticed the carpeting in the compartment was soaking wet. The carpeting fore and aft of the seat comparment is totally dry. I noticed a hole in the center and I assumed this was a drain hole so that if you got water in the seat compartment it would drain to the bilge and get pumped out. The hole seemed to be blocked so I took a 3-4" piece of wire and cleaned the passage and the water drained. I dryed the carpeting and thought the issue was solved.

I went for a ride today, checked under the seat, carpeting is soaking wet again, other areas of the carpet are dry and the drain hole seemed to be dry. I checked the bilge, the water level was vey low but I turned on the bilge pump and half a glass of water came out. I removed the carpeting, dryed the fibergalss, and took it for a ride (slow tunrs, fast turns, rapid acceleration, etc). Fiber glass remained dry. Brought the boat back to the dock, shut off the engine, and about a minute later, I head a strange noise and looked and a small amount of water (less than a thimble full) came up out of the drain hole. Checked the bilge, looked dry, ran the bilge pump, and a very small amount of water came out.

I can't figure out why the water would be coming up out of the drain hole if the bilge is just about empty. First of all, is this just a simple drain from the compartment to the bilge? Any ideas why the water would be coming up if the bilge is just about empty?

Edited August 29, 2012 by lldmalibu

[malibuparadise]

Wanna hear more on this one ;-)

Could the water be coming up from the inner hull area? i.e., the hull space to the right and left of the engine bilge under the main deck? I'm having water issues too. I'm not sure how our boats compare though....

[lldmalibu]

I haven't heard from anyone so the next time I am up at the lake I am going to take my compressed air tank and try blowing compressed air into the drain hole to see if I can clean out anything else in the line and also hear where the air exits.