Late night low tide transom leak

echandler1971

At 2am last night, my SirenMarine alerted me that the bilge pump had run more than once in a 15 minute period (it runs maybe once a month on average). I get to the boat and the tide is super duper low due to full moon. My slip runs perpendicular in a tidal creek and I back in, so essentially my outdrives (VP DP-SM) were in the mud, even trimmed all the way up, so bad that they acted like wheelbarrow handles on the aft of my 360. I could see the water coming in from the bottom of the stbd transom shield. I waited it out and sure enough when the tide began to rise, the leak stopped. I thought I was gonna have to put her on the hard early, so alls well that ends well. 

J3ff

I had a transom gasket leak...and I believe this is where it started...with the drive hitting the bottom at a beach and the wave action knocked it too hard. I would keep an eye on it if I were you. And possibly be ready to have the transom assemblies off this winter!!

echandler1971

I found out that my starboard trim wasn’t working. The outdrive is down and currently holding the boat out of the water about 6”. The leak is back. Waiting out the tide and will pull the boat way forward in the slip. 

echandler1971

Freed and moved out. Stbd trim is dead. Not worth doing anything as I’ll be pulling her in 15 days. 

echandler1971

Moving her out did the trick. Another -6” tide and she didn’t bottom out. Stbd trim motor is dead though so it’s staying down till hard date Oct 21. 

rasbury

Yea, I don't see any circumstance where this would be acceptable. Sounds like the damage was done, things really don't stop leaking?

Ian

Why when resting on the drives it leaks and not when floating? Is something being tweaked enough such that the seal is separating?

maxwell

bellows?

echandler1971

I’m not sure what’s up but since I moved the boat forward enough that the stuck-down outdrive isn’t hitting bottom, the bilge pump hasn’t run. It only ran literally during the lowest part of the tide and then the leak from the bottom of the transom seal stopped on its own. Bilge hasn’t seen any visible change in water level since. She gets put on the hard in 10 days and the outdrives will be pulled. I’ll get a better look then. 

YYZRC

My Volvo DP had a tube that the shift cable ran through from inside the transom to the drive. The end of the tube was mounted on the transom high enough that water wasn’t supposed to come in. Might want to check that first.