TAKING ON WATER

[DWJOHNS1]

Still lpumping

Pumped for two hours, once the platform was only 4" down - both portside ballast ports started pumping where only one had been pumping on the port side previously. I left the bilge switch on as the auto bilge doesn't seem to be working.

Your guys are a wealth of info - much appreciated. I obviously have a lot to learn.

[NICKYPOO]

What do you mean you left it on?

[Ewok]

Did you leave your bilge pump on and walk away from the boat? If so when you go back to the boat the battery will probably be dead, unless you have an onboard charger or a shore power hookup. If you have shore power the bilge pump itself might not like being run dry overnight. They are designed to be able to run dry but I've seen a few pics lately of burned up bilge pumps.

If the auto switch is not working you can replace it, unless it's built into the pump, as most are today. Either way you should replace the switch or the pump, and if you are collecting that much water you should upgrade the pump to a 1,000 gph pump, the 500 gph doesn't seem to cut it for you.

[NICKYPOO]

Ya, bad idea. Don't leave your boat with something on. Like Ewok said, you're either going to have a dead battery or a burned up bilge pump. Hopefully the latter didn't catch on fire or something. I would seriously consider pulling the boat out and giving it some tlc. For one, you definitely need a proper bilge pump. Two, charge the batteries. Three, a better cover set up. Four, a thorough dry out and clean of the interior. Five, run it out and make sure she is seaworthy.

If you run it out of the water, you need a fake a lake or similar device to get water to the engine. Do not run it dry. It will burn up the impeller.

[travis5550]

This may just reinforce what has already been said, but I have noticed a similar situation with my boat having a good amount of water in it after a heavy rain. The factory cover from Tige seems to be porous - which sucks. I tried really hard to get a covered slip, but the waiting list is too long and spots on the top apparently cannot be bought. Fortunately I got a lift, so at least she is not sitting in the water. I need to invest in a new cover that is completely waterproof, but that will cost 1k+ and mean leaving my boat with someone for over a week (does not want).

As far as the bilge pump situation - make sure your bilge has a wire going directly to the battery and definitely test that float switch. On more than 1 occasion - it has rained so much and caused my bilge to run to the point where it kills my battery. If you are keeping your boat in the water - you should invest in a batter charger that you connect to shore power while in the slip. This will keep your batteries topped off and ensure that your boat remains above water even if the bilge runs nonstop.

Good luck!

[OldeBoy]

I noticed that my float switch wasn't functioning. I ran though the wiring and found that a previous owner had mislabeled the positive wire from the float to the battery as negative. I also added a second bilge pump near the V-drive to pump from the low part of the hull at rest.

As ChpThril and Travis5500 indicated, you may want to check the wiring.

[Gwyn]

Had a similar problem with my bilge auto switch, float was OK, it was the fuse (which took ages to find on my RZ4, was tucked away behind the battery box)
Unclip the pump if its a built in float turn it upside down it should turn on if its working.

Not sure fulling it up with water works unless ou have a really bad leak as you dont get enough water pressure to force it out, but worth a try.

My swim platform bracket was loose (found out while fitting FAE, but am still taking on a bit of water, you just have to systematically check everything, real pain in the butt.