Help! Leaking problem

[larryscribe]

I'm having a problem with water somehow getting in the back of my 99 Epic 22, and I'm absolutely perplexed as to how it's getting in there.

Just bought the boat last week. The two times I've taken it out, two areas get absolutely drenched: the right corner of the ski locker in the rear, and a 1-foot space on the floor in the corner just in front of the back right seat.

For the life of me, I can't figure out what's causing this. My father-in-law knows a lot about this boat, and he has no idea either.

Anyone out there have any clue what could be going on here? The wetness is confined to the back right of the boat; it's nowhere else.

Thanks!

Larry

[lesman01]

Try calling the previous owner and see if he ever had that happen. If he knows the boat well he'd probably be able to figure out what's going on ..

I had a similar issue once and discovered that water was leaking in the rear light assembly because I had a ton of ballast in it and  the light was underwater...or the tow eyes could leak if they're underwater...

[cyclone]

Check the speedo lines in the trunk behind the panel on the starboard side. There is a brass tube there that can freeze and crack and cause a leak. There's one on the port side too. Check the swim platform mounts.

[larryscribe]

Thanks lesman and cyclone. I called the previous owner and he said he ran the bilge quite regularly, like every 10-15 minutes.

I'd prefer to avoid doing that and figure out how water is entering the boat. One of the speedometers works intermittently, so maybe that hints at a problem with one of the lines. I'll also check the swim platform mounts. I don't have any ballast, so I doubt it's coming in the rear light assembly. But I'll check anyway.

This might be a stupid question, but is there any danger of rot occurring when water is entering the boat and ending up in the same place repeatedly? I've tried my best to vacuum it up and let it air dry, but I'm wondering about the dangers associated with this continuing to occur.

[lesman01]

There's no wood in our boats, so rot should not be an issue. mildew maybe...

If there's enough water to get the rear carpet wet, i'd say you're right to find the cause...

I'm sure you've opened up everything while in the water and checked the throughhull points? speedo, shaft log, rear deckmounts, Rudder assembly(someone here recently had a leak there), water intake hoses, etc...  I'll bet it is the speedo. Seems like you will be able to see water coming in since there is a lot...

Now I really want to know what it is........

[larryscribe]

Speedo it is...

I removed the back panels in the locker, looked down to the right of the gas tank and saw even more wetness. Grabbed a flashlight and looked at the brass tube and -- voila! -- there was a large opening at the top of the tube. It almost looked like someone took a can opener to it.

Needless to say, I'm very relieved. At the very least, I can plug up the speedo pickup and deal with not having a speedo (not that big a deal to me).

But I'll probably just fix the brass tube. Any ideas on where to find a new one? Or should I just repair it?

Thanks again for the help.

[cyclone]

http://www.epicmarine.com/speedo.html

I bent my tube back together (it was split at the seam around one end) and glued it with JB Weld. No problema;) It worked until I sold the boat 5 yrs later.

[elgringo-inaz]

You might find where it is leaking if you trailer the boat and do not pull the plugs.  Look under to see where it comes out.  I hit a log once and it bent the brass plate that holds the rudder.  Could not really see it.  Mine would fill up and I was constantly bilging.  Then I saw it draining out of there on the boat ramp.

[elgringo-inaz]

The reason it is in the rear is because while you are on the water in gear, the water goes to the back. I had the exact same thing happen.  Also, it could be that plastic ring that goes around the direct drive prop shaft just after the gear box.  I am sure my parts terminology is probably incorrect but you might be able to make sense of it all !!! 

[ColdNorth]

I had a brass tube split in mine as well. I gave it to someone that thought they could fix it and they lost it. Panic. I phoned the marine place in Utah that was a dealer for our boats asking them where to get a new tube. He told me to just get rid of the brass tube... eliminate it... connect the rubber lines to each other that come in and out of the brass tube and eliminate that tube altogether. Speedo should work fine. Hope that helps.