anyone had a bilge or coooling line leak in sealed part of hull?

[alberta guy]

Has anyone ever had a bilge or cooling line leak in the part of the hull that everyone defoams and refoams? After doing the defoam and refoam this offseason I think one of those two lines is leaking. I installed drain plugs when I did my defoam. After taking it on the water for the first time this season I had it sitting in my truck box. There was no water leaking from anywhere. I opened one drain plug just to check and water came out like someone turned on a tap. Opened the other side and the same thing. Not a small drip. A good gallon or more came out of the area that is supposed to be sealed. Their was still water in the engine compartment so I parked my truck on enough of an incline that the whole bulkhead was covered. But after waiting ten minutes nothing came out of the drain plugs. So it is not leaking though the bulkhead. The ski was in the water for about an hour and a half. Being ridden and run on my scissor stand in the water. Their is water with good flow and pressure coming though the cooling lines.

 

[john zigler]

I have seen this, from skis not properly winterized. Water in the line, will freeze, and split the line(s).

You can cap one end, and adapt a pop off pressure tester to pump up, and check for leaks.

 

[modularjunk]

Sounds to me like you may have forgotten to glass over an area when you refoamed or the fiberglass work is leaking so when the ski is in the water and the tray has water in it, its leaking into the hull. or you didnt seal up around the lines/rideplate & pump inserts

 

[SterlingSilva]

Cap one end of the line going through the tray and blow air into it. Youll know right away if it has a leak.

I would venture to guess that your getting water in your tray from elsewhere though. At least you know its not leaking thru the bulkhead.

Any chance you didnt seal up your tray completely when you defoamed? also check the bondline and that your pump tunnel fittings and exhaust are all sealed up.

What kind of ski is it?

 

[SterlingSilva]

Without knowing ill bet its a squarenose and its leaking from the bondline somewhere

 

[SterlingSilva]

Heres a test for you... next time you ride let the tray fill with water on its own. dry off the ski and keep the plugs in. Then stand the ski up on its ass end and let sit for a minute or so. repeat with the ski on either side. wherever water comes out is your leak

 

[badvinny]

Or do what Watcon said, u could use low pressure at 10psi, remove your drain plugs.

 

[alberta guy]

I know for a fact it's not the tray. It was not reglassed. An aluminium plate was cut. Silicone was placed all the way around wher the tray will sit. Then it was riveted on. The the edges were siliconed again overlapping the tray and the plate. I have pics of the whole process for when it's time to sell the ski. Also when it was in the water the tray almost never got wet. The water was too cold to really play. And the tray was way out of the water when on the scissor stand. Gonna try watcons suggestion.

 

[alberta guy]

And yes it is a squarenose.

 

[SterlingSilva]

well if your line is leaking in the tray wouldnt it fill up just running on the hose?

post up some pics of how you sealed up the tray.

Still betting your bondline isnt sealed up

 

[XJCrawler]

Pressure test the cooling lines first, if its not them stand the ski on its nose and fill the tray through the drain hole to find the leaks

 

[alberta guy]

well if your line is leaking in the tray wouldnt it fill up just running on the hose?

post up some pics of how you sealed up the tray.

Still betting your bondline isnt sealed up

It was not on a garden hose. It was running and being riden in a quarry. When it was on the scissor stand it was in the water as deep as I could get and not have the ski float.

 

[alberta guy]

Here are the pics. I used clear but you can see the smear marks around the edges and from hitting the rivets. Now that im also on a computer and not my phone at work I can properly read messages. When I defoamed it never sealed up the bondline on the inside. I never thought of it. I used a wire wheel on a die grinder. The bondline was clear and could be fully felt. Did I screw up here by not sealing it?

 

[SterlingSilva]

It was not on a garden hose. It was running and being riden in a quarry. When it was on the scissor stand it was in the water as deep as I could get and not have the ski float.

Im saying for you to run it on the hose. Backflushing should put water in the tray if your cooling line is leaking.

Never seen a tray done like that so I cant comment on your method

Goodluck finding the leak

 

[yamanube]

Regardless of weather or not your cooling line is leaking I would almost guarantee that your hull is leaking elsewhere. Either around the exhaust outlet, the bond line, the bulkhead or the pump/rideplate fittings (or all of the above).