Leaking boat

[Terry Hensley]

My 2003 PT 175 is leaking. After about 3 hrs fishing she will have 2-3 gallons in her.After the second outing when i got home I filled the back up with water hoping it mite be a transducer or a leak or around the motor mounting holes but I did not see any water coming from them. Soooooooooo has any body got any advice where to look. It is still under warranty but I was hoping to find it before I took her in so it would speed up the repair time. I fish 1-3 times a week and as soon as the dealer picks up the phone its allways(that will take us atleast 2 weeks to get to. This is my 4th problem in the last 5 months.I have had 2 motor not wanting to start and 1 trolling motor total melt down. Im not crying yall Im just stating the facts. Thanks for any help!

 

[Bruce Freeman]

Were you using the built in cooler? It drains into the hull. Also where you using the live well/wells I had a hose leaking that drove me crazy for a while?

BF

 

[Greg Meyer]

By all means, make sure it is not a fitting/hose/pump for the livewell that is ";eaking". If you level the hull and put water in it it should leak out from any place where it would leak in... Inside the garage or over new cement where you can see drips... The trick is to get the keel level so water is distributed throughout the hull, just be cautious about weight... When I tested one hull I was advised to put the trailer up on jack stands to prevent the tires and tongue jack from being over loaded... that was/is good advice.

 

[David Munaretto]

going w/ the livewell theory...

 

[Bryan McDonough]

Check your livewell pumps with the boat in the water. also remeber any built in cooolers drain into the boat.



I had a aerator pump problem on the water one time. I knew Mad macc craw worms had more than one use.

 

[Carl S]

Check the post on 8/29 by Greg titled "Pt175 livewell leak" and you will find a possible good solution to your problem. I have a Pt185 and a friend has a Pt175 and we both have leaks. We siliconed underneath the top rail where it is riveted to the hull but neither of us has had our boats out yet to see if it worked. You definitely can see how the water can get in between the rail and the hull. At some points we had at least 1/8" gaps. We both believe this will stop the leak upon our findings and results from other postings on this site for the same reasons. The water only seemed to come in at higher speeds. Neither boat took on water when only trolling for the day.

 

[Bill Ackermann]

Definately try the fill the boat with water method. I took my Pro Deep V-16 back to the Springfield service center twice for water leaks. They did the smearing of silicon around the transom and corner caps and swore no leaks. I did the test myself in the driveway and sure enough the weld down the center of the keel leaked, it had to go back to the factory. Even when it returned from the factory the service center didn't want to water test it, they didn't even want to remove the shipping cover! I insisted they test it with me present or I would not sign for it.



Bill

 

[Terry Hensley]

Thinks yall for the good advice. I will let yall no what the results are .AGAIN THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Terry

 

[Mike L.]

Terry, An easy way to help narrow down where yourproblem is....Put plugs in your livewell/baitwell water intake holes and drains before you put your boat in the water..........If the boat comes in dry you know you have a watertight boat , and have a plumbing trouble!!.....Mike L.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

It is more than likely the topcap like suggested. You'd be surprised how much water gets under that lip when not on plane. That would be the first...then check your clamps on all you hoses to make sure they're tight. Also run your pump on your livewell and look to see if there is any leaks while it's running. It should stay bone dry....I still can't believe that Tracker still hasn't fixed that problem after THREE YEARS!

These are just a few issues that I would change if I was workin' for em'. I tell ya' if it wasn't for the guvment ...I'd apply. Got 20 years experience in the machine/tooling industry and some things are pretty simple when you look thru OTHERS eyes....

TEE

 

[Bryan Fary]

you might also want to check the O ring on the drain plug. they are known to dry rot over time. if the O ring is rotten or gone all together, that would let a lot of water in.



bryan

 

[greg hall]

check out gunnel leak in rear when on plane I sat in rear while on plane with a flash light & watched it roll in ALOT of water,silicone gun rail & dry as a bone now>>>

 

[Bill Balch]

Terry, I also have a 2003 PT 175 with at least one leak. I've identified a leak in the area of the lower part of the central aluminum strip that runs from the bow point down over the keel. I've returned my boat to the Tracker dealer in Austin. My boat has already been sent back to the factory once for a flexing rear deck that turned out to be the consequence of insufficient flotation foam.

 

[Bill Balch]

Forgot to mention that I located my problem by running a few gallons of water into the bilge area with a hose, then lowering the bow. The leak at the keel was then immediately apparent. Bill