boat taking in water?

I got my targa out for the first time on sunday. We went down river and when we decided to head back toward the dam I could not get it up on plane. I turned on the bilge and it was full of water, the entire hull must of been full. So we loaded it up on the trailor to drain it back into the river. The plug was in, I noticed my livewells were not pumping in any water. Once I got it drained I put a plug in the livewell inlet just to the left of the drain plug. It seemed to keep most water out of the hull. Some did come in but not as much. Does this mean my pump and lines possibly froze up during winter and broke and is now allowing to let water in?

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Does this mean my pump and lines possibly froze up during winter and broke and is now allowing to let water in?

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That would be my guess, yes. If you have access to the lines and pump at the break it is an easy fix.

I had the same problem last year. An yes that was what the deal was.lol

Had this happen at the dam last year while fishing with a buddy. I looked back and his feet were in water, it was freezing cold and the boat was taking on so much H20 we couldn’t plane out. To top it all off we were just about out of fuel. When we got loaded up and drained down we found the hose diconnected. When he was trying to fill the livewell in the morning it took a long time so the line must have been partially frozen. This is an easy fix if you can access the connection, on his Yar-Craft it was difficult to say the least.

I’m not familiar with your particular boat but most rigs allow access to the bilge area through a plastic hatch that is often directly below the motor in the splashwell. I’d start there first and see if you have the needed room to locate and make the repair.

If that doesn’t work… you make have to remove the back deck to get at the plumbing. But hopefully you don’t have to go that route.

My first thought when I read your post title was:

BALE FASTER!!!!!!!!!

Yep…check the water line connections at the transom. Had the same thing happen to me down on P4 about this time of year.

One of the easiest ways to check for leaks on hull plugs is to start out with a perfectly dry hull and dry trailer and leave the hull plug out. I would start with the livewells and fill them all up with water and let them sit, if water starts dripping out of the hull plug, you need to focus on the livewells/plumbing. If the bilge is dry still, then I would put the hull plug in and purposely(this will sound really counterproductive) put water into the bilge(disconnect the batteries so your bilge doesn’t come on and you wont have to worry about shorts anywhere else). There will be less pressure than the buoyant pressure, but it can still point out leaks. Than simply let is sit and check for water coming out of any of the holes. Make sure when you let it sit that you don’t have to worry about anything freezing. It’s old school, but it works!!