Greetings all.
New kid here. I've been reading a lot of the topics here and must say it is one of the most helpful forums I have ever come across. There seems to be a minimum of mixed opinions on standard practices, but plenty of help from all angles. Very rare to find and it's a lot less confusing!!!
I have an '02 H16. I bought it last week and took it out for the first time yesterday. There wasn't a lot of wind around but we put it in the water anyway. It was a good opportunity to make sure I was able to rig it entirely.
We spent about 2 hours on the water, a lot of which was moving pretty slowly, if at all. We spent probably 1/2 hour actually moving at a credible rate.
All went well, and there were no mishaps, however once we pulled the cat out of the water, de-rigged it and drove off, I noticed a substantial amount of water coming from the port hull drain hole. As soon as I accelerated, it would pour out a solid stream. This continued to happen any time I started from a set of lights etc.
When I got home, I lifted the bar of the trailer to let out whatever remained and there was still a steady stream that ran for about 10-20 seconds. This appeared to be a LOT for the amount of time the boat was in the water.
I used to build and service ski boats (Flightcraft, Malibu etc.) and would not expect anything like this to be considered acceptable. Obviously.
Now, the hulls appear to be in great condition. Clean, no signs of repair and I bought the boat on recommendation from the dealer here in Queensland, Australia. It was actually his boat originally and has has 2 other owners since him. Both are reported to have taken excellent care of it. It has been raced, but it has also been very well looked after. I cannot see any obvious cracks or penetrations in the hull that would cause it to take so much water in such a relatively shot time. The drain plug was up tight.
My question is:Are there any places that these hulls leak or separate that should be my first port of call when searching for it?
I have my vacuum cleaner and soap at the ready, but just wanted to check if you guys would say "Oh, that'll be _______. They need to be resealed every 3 days!!! ", or something to that effect.
The owner said it took a "little" water from around the front pylon, but the decks hardly even got wet. I aim to reseal around them anyway. What do you recommend? I was thinking of a marine style SikaFlex product.
Any help appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Rob.
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