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where is the water coming from?


rosscosa

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I have a 2004 Response LXI. I replaced the shaft, strut and prop after making friends with a tree stump submerged 4 inches below the surface of our lake and now dealing with a very confusing problem with water entering the bilge at a high rate while underway.

I have run boat with engine cover and floor board removed and there is no sign of water on any plumbing to and from engine, exhausts, shaft seal or rudder. I have even lifted boat off trailer to inspect hull and gelcoat underneath!

The boat takes no water while floating still its only when running at high speeds. as much as 4 inches fill the bilge from 2 minute 30mph run.

can anyone explain this or had similar problem. ..??

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First check the HDS as tvano mentioned.

Otherwise are the rear corners of the carpet wet way back next to the gas tank? We've seen some shoebox constructed boats (of various brands) leak at the seam under the rub rail. Totally dry when floating but the spray comes in and drenches the rear corners. Have someone shine a flashlight behind the side rails on the next run and look for water coming in.

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The boat takes no water while floating still its only when running at high speeds. as much as 4 inches fill the bilge from 2 minute 30mph run.

can anyone explain this or had similar problem. ..??

Now that's a fast leak. Be careful.

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Might want to check your fin screws too, especially if you had hit something that was submerged. My father in-law had a couple fall out and it allowed water to enter pretty quick. - although not sure why it wouldn't do it while just floating.

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I assume the faceplate to the impeller housing is still on? The little bolts came out in mine and allowed the faceplate to rotate down. Water flooded the bilge posthaste. Impeller never even came out when going 25mph.

Edited by DIE2SURF
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@rosscosa: Did you perform the shaft / engine alignment procedure upon reassembly of the new components? If not, there could be enough side load on the new shaft seal when underway to generate a gap and leak, although the amount seems more significant than I would guess from a misalignment. HDS leak is an excellent suggestion and any bonded joint could easily be jarred and broken due to the impact of hitting the submerged item. Good luck on your search.

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I had a similar issue last year. Soon as I was underway I could sea water belting in around the drain plug in engine well between the hull and liner Removed HDS box and inspected,pulled out bung fittings and resealed. Still water came in. After two days of searching eventually noticed by accident a water stain on one of the heater hoses under the dashboard. Problem was split heater core running water down side of hose and into the hull under the liner giving it the effect the hull was holed.

could not believe it was that simple. Just an idea if you have a heater fitted.

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I had a similar issue last year. Soon as I was underway I could sea water belting in around the drain plug in engine well between the hull and liner Removed HDS box and inspected,pulled out bung fittings and resealed. Still water came in. After two days of searching eventually noticed by accident a water stain on one of the heater hoses under the dashboard. Problem was split heater core running water down side of hose and into the hull under the liner giving it the effect the hull was holed.

could not believe it was that simple. Just an idea if you have a heater fitted.

Considering he hit something prior to this, it is most definitely the hds seal broken between the liner and the hull. It can not be repaired due to the design. Only proper fix is to eliminate the thing completely. That much water is from the pressure forcing the liner upward. If he filled the hull with water to the top of the box, water will gush out of the hole around the shaft.

Shaft Log fiberglassed to the hull is a guaranteed fix permanently. I had mine put in by Farmers Fiberglass in Alton Ill. I haven't had water in my hull since.

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Why can't it be repaired? That makes no sense to me. The opening is huge, and every inside surface is reachable with the lid off.

the original seal was made when the liner was placed in the hull originally. Once this is compromised it is impossible to reseal without removing the floor liner. You could re glass inside the HDS but you are only fixing a small portion of the damaged seal. pressure on this box underway is great and upward hyd force overtime will generally cause it to fail. My fiberglass repair shop recommended the shaft log and has installed many. It's inexpensive to do and it is what most other manufacturers have in their boats to begin with. The HDS doesn't make the boat quieter as originally advertised. I never understood why they just didn't glass a shaft log into the hull to begin with. Mine had been repaired three times, once by the factory under warranty, two other times by different shops. The last time I took it to the right place and it has been serveral years and over 100 hours later and the boat is finally fixed right.

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Think you will find the upward pressure is exactly the same as the upward pressure on your log. Glassing the liner inside of the HDS box will be exactly the same result as what you have done. This has been done many times and works perfect. Just another point of view.

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