Topside Water Leak - where from?

External Since: Aug 30, 2003 Posts: 1

Hello and Help please!

My 1982 Four Winns I/O 20 foot fiberglass boat has been running
wonderfully this year (I've owned her for 5 years now)... please
excuse the lack of correct terminology in this post as I describe this
sea water leak problem

Just yesterday, I noticed a bunch of water leaking, with some of it
running eventually into the bilge - and the rest just soaking the
'carpeting' I have that is glued to the upper starboard sidewall...

The boat only leaks when it's moving... slow leak at slow speeds, and
fast leak at wide-open throttle... the leak comes from up top, and
'drips and pours' quite furiously downwards... when i inspect behind
and near to this sidewall, i can see the water leaking/pouring off the
shift cable... I said, "hmmm, that's weird, there ain't no seawater in
that shift cable"

I have a thruhull fitting about 2 feet in front of this leak area, on
the same side (starboard) - at the waterline - for my 'livewell' (just
a box with a thruhull - no pumps, etc)

I suspect, maybe, that this thruhull is leaking, and traveling upwards
and backwards (2 feet) thru the 'core' and then pouring out of a seam

Does this sound reasonable? Of can it be a deck-hull leak? Rubrail?
Seems like too much water to be leaking from someplace high above the
waterline...

Sad

Has anyone had this kind of leak problem before?

Could there be water 'trapped' in my fiberglass 'core' from this thru
hull?

Is there someplace else that could be leaking (some seam) rather than
the thru-hull fitting? Can a waterline thru-hull fitting cause a leak
3 feet higher than the waterline? It's quite unusual for me to see
water pouring in and dripping down? I mean, if the thru-hull was
leaking into the boat, there would be puddles on the floor of the boat
and working it's way to the bilge... I can't explain how water would
pour from the top of the sideboard downwards... unless water leaked
into the core and wicked upwards while at speed and found a seam to
escape and drip/pour down...

I hope this made some sense and somebody has a bit of advice

Regards,
Michael

External Since: Jun 22, 2003 Posts: 434

Why do you think the shift cable is not the source of the water?
Its corrugated boot can crack and leak in.
But it is quite replaceable.

Brian W

On 30 Aug 2003 08:54:54 -0700, mcreda2000.DeleteThis@cs.com (mcreda2000) wrote:

>Hello and Help please!
>
>My 1982 Four Winns I/O 20 foot fiberglass boat has been running
>wonderfully this year (I've owned her for 5 years now)... please
>excuse the lack of correct terminology in this post as I describe this
>sea water leak problem
>
>Just yesterday, I noticed a bunch of water leaking, with some of it
>running eventually into the bilge - and the rest just soaking the
>'carpeting' I have that is glued to the upper starboard sidewall...
>
>The boat only leaks when it's moving... slow leak at slow speeds, and
>fast leak at wide-open throttle... the leak comes from up top, and
>'drips and pours' quite furiously downwards... when i inspect behind
>and near to this sidewall, i can see the water leaking/pouring off the
>shift cable... I said, "hmmm, that's weird, there ain't no seawater in
>that shift cable"
>
>I have a thruhull fitting about 2 feet in front of this leak area, on
>the same side (starboard) - at the waterline - for my 'livewell' (just
>a box with a thruhull - no pumps, etc)
>
>I suspect, maybe, that this thruhull is leaking, and traveling upwards
>and backwards (2 feet) thru the 'core' and then pouring out of a seam
>
>Does this sound reasonable? Of can it be a deck-hull leak? Rubrail?
>Seems like too much water to be leaking from someplace high above the
>waterline...
>
> Sad

>
>Has anyone had this kind of leak problem before?
>
>Could there be water 'trapped' in my fiberglass 'core' from this thru
>hull?
>
>
>Is there someplace else that could be leaking (some seam) rather than
>the thru-hull fitting? Can a waterline thru-hull fitting cause a leak
>3 feet higher than the waterline? It's quite unusual for me to see
>water pouring in and dripping down? I mean, if the thru-hull was
>leaking into the boat, there would be puddles on the floor of the boat
>and working it's way to the bilge... I can't explain how water would
>pour from the top of the sideboard downwards... unless water leaked
>into the core and wicked upwards while at speed and found a seam to
>escape and drip/pour down...
>
>I hope this made some sense and somebody has a bit of advice
>
>Regards,
>Michael