05 Pro V taking on water

I have a 05 20′ pro v. This year my bilge pump kicks on intermittently and pumps out several gallons at a time. The hull is in good shape. I didn’t see any obvious holes/leaks. My suspicion is this water is coming in thru the live well/bait well and or bilge pumps systems(hose clamp?). While fishing yesterday I opened bins and hatches looking. Can’t find anything. Anyone have an idea on where to look next? What am I overlooking? This boat has a front and real bait well and front and rear live wells. As well as a front wash down system. I have not been in rough water that would have introduce the water to the boat. Any insite/help is greatly appreciated.

I had an issue on my ’03 where water was getting in where the livewell overflow tube mated with the bulkhead on the side of the hull. The tube was not fully engaged with the connector. If the issue only shows up when your livewells are full, you may want to check the overflow tubes.

I will check that out. Thanks for the info!

In addition to 87’s post above…

With the livewell dry, plug the livewell drain port with plumber’s putty at the transom before the next outing. This is the drain outlet, not the overflow outlet. If the leak stops, then you have a below waterline leak in the drain plumbing somewhere. If possible check the hose clamp that clamps the drain hose to the through transom fitting as these clamps can rust through or break if cheap automotive pot metal clamps were used instead of proper marine clamps.

If you can clearly see your livewell intake pump check for cracked fittings and broken hose clamps. I’ve seen more than one situation where a cheap automotive hose clamp rusted through and broke, allowing a leak at a fitting. In marine use, hose clamps need to be stainless steel and below waterline fittings should always be double clamped.

If you can’t see this pump well, remove the screen on the transom and plug the intake port with putty. Again, check for leaks and if the leak stops, you’ve isolated your problem.

Grouse

Similarly went through this exercise a couple weeks back on my rig. Different make but similar problem. I put the rig on a flat surface at the house, drain plug in and filled the bilge with water till it covered the intakes and drain. (After I checked the livewells and all pumps). Found the leak. Hose clamp loose on the livewell overflow and the silicone thru the hull failed. Easy but time consuming fix. Good luck.

D

A couple years ago I was taking on water as well and I had about 30 rivets that were leaking so that’s something to consider as well

Do you store the boat in heated storage or cold? I have seen multiple 04-05 pro-v’s with broken strainer caps and hoses on the wash down system. Easiest way to find is too hook a hose up on the inlets on the back of the boat. You can also check your livewells this way. Turn the water on and leave the rear plug out crank the jack down so there is some slope to the rear. You should also be able to hear it in the boat if it is leaking.

My Adventure had the same problem last season. Went to work on it tightening all of the clamps in the bilge. But I took it into the dealer for service in March.

When I bought it new last year they mounted the transducer to a piece of starboard which was mounted to the transom. It wasn’t sealed completely and was the cause of the leak.

They fixed it and now I am dry as it should be. Just a thought to check this out if you have this set up.

Thanks for all the tips everyone. I did find a loose hose. I tightened the clamp but have yet to do an on the water test. The saga continues! I appreciate all the feedback!!

I have a ’06 and have a water leak coming from front livewell drain and water pickup (prolong 2 livewell system). This is located under the bow of boat. You have to get thru the floor which i have not done yet, so have put a ‘plug’ in it for now.

supercat wrote:

Do you store the boat in heated storage or cold? I have seen multiple 04-05 pro-v’s with broken strainer caps and hoses on the wash down system. Easiest way to find is too hook a hose up on the inlets on the back of the boat. You can also check your livewells this way. Turn the water on and leave the rear plug out crank the jack down so there is some slope to the rear. You should also be able to hear it in the boat if it is leaking.

An update and a break thru…I’ve been using the boat and living with the bilge pump running while camping over the last few months. Finally got a weekend at home to take a closer look. I bought a simple double female hose to pipe fitting adapter and hooked it up to all the screened pump inlets at the back of the boat. Hooking it to the washdown pump inlet resulted in the drain hole hemorrhaging water. After looking and listening, I determined the leak to be under the fuel tank…the wash down pump hasn’t worked in a few years(lack of use) so a simple plug will solve this ongoing mystery. Thanks again everyone for your responses.