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First time (34)boat owner(34)......sort of-gctid814450

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    First time (34)boat owner(34)......sort of-gctid814450

    Hello gentlemen!

    I am very excited to become a part of the water world. I don't actually own my own boat, but I have been granted unfettered access to my father-in-law's boat; the very one my wife grew up on, so she is very excited. It is a 2000 Capri 2150, which he purchased new. For the last few years it was largely untouched, except for routine maintenance, and was stored outside, but covered. Since all the daughters are now married the F-I-L decided it was time to start re-working some issues. Since I am the only capable (or interested) son-in-law, I was eager to get my hands dirty in order to have access to the water. First we ripped out the old flooring and replaced that along with some of the supports, which had rotted inside the fiberglass. Who knew that could happen? (Now I'm sure most of you knew that!) He had the motor gone over and the carburetors adjusted, so now she starts great and purrs like a kitten. He also had the upholstery completely redone, so it looks fantastic inside. So far we have been spending 2-3 evenings a week on the water and are loving it. I finally got up on a wakeboard and convinced my daughter to take a turn on the tube. I can't believe it has taken me 38 years to become a "boatman" !!

    All was going well, buuuutttt now the boat has started leaking from the rear end and had it not been for being in a slip with a lift under it, the boat would be at the bottom of the lake! It appears to be coming from above the drain plug, but I can't see exactly where it is coming from. I haven't watched it while on the move, but when we are out moving on the water it doesn't need to be pumped very often, so clearly it leaks more while sitting still. After searching the forums, it appears to either be a shaft seal, transom seal, or soft transom wood (highly likely given the state of the wood in the floor supports). I'm about 99% sure my F-I-L will not be spending the money to have a mechanic look at it and will instead try to dig into it blind. Does anyone have any suggestions for narrowing it down before he just starts cutting into the transom or ripping things apart? I would appreciate the help and look forward to sharing my boating experiences with you guys!

    Ben

    #2
    Welcome to the whacky world of boating. Bringing a boat back from long storage is adventure in "what's next?" Start simple. You need to locate where, exactly, the water is coming in. A classic, if that's a mercruiser power kit, is the lower shift cable boot. The water will show up, generally, on the starboard side of the inner transom plate. While you are looking around trying to see the drips, have a small plastic or ball peen hammer with you. Tap all over the transom, inside, and listen carefully to the sound. If you gat an area with a dull thud instead of a sharp crack, the thud will mean you need to take a serious look at the transom core. I like to use an ice pick to try to poke into an area that returns a thud sound to see if I can push the pick into the stringer or crossmember.

    L
    P/C Pete
    Edmonds Yacht Club (Commodore 1993)
    1988 3818 "GLAUBEN”
    Hino EH700 175 Onan MDKD Genset
    MMSI 367770440

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      #3
      If it has been stored for some time and a 2150 is an I/O drive then the drive bellows are the most likely culprit. They should be serviced every 3-5 years. While you're doing that there are several other maintenance items to do at the same time, depending on the drive manufacturer and model. Can you get any pictures or other info? Engine, Etc?
      -Boatless-

      Bryers Cottage Marina
      Harrison Twp, MI

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        #4
        I appreciate the suggestions! I took a video of the leak, but I can't upload because of the size, so I'll see if I find something to compress it or I will take a couple pics today. We are going to check out a couple things this afternoon.

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