Boat leaks...found the leak, I think

[tacklejunkie]

I noticed water coming in my boat today. Not bad, but noticeable. I came home and filled it with water. No leaks in the boat itself. However, I saw a nice, fast drip in the back in that opening were water is pumped into the live wells. Is that normal and is it fixable?

[Neighbor_guy]

Just about anything is possible. What are you working with, aluminum or fiberglass?

[tacklejunkie]

Aluminum.

I filled the boat with water with the drain plug in. The livewell intake is the only place I saw a leak. I have two live wells. One in front and one in back if that matters.

[delcecchi]

My first guess would be a cracked hose. The water is coming out the opening, right?

When on the lake, does the leak get worse when you run the livewell pump?

[tacklejunkie]

My first guess would be a cracked hose. The water is coming out the opening, right?

When on the lake, does the leak get worse when you run the livewell pump?

Yes to both.

I have a trip coming up and don't have time to fix it. Anyway to block the livewell intake until I have time to fix it?

[delmuts]

Depending on the size of the opening; you may be able to plug it. If it has a screen over it; those usually either screw or pop off. Find one of the rubber plugs that fit and you can tighten to block it. I did this with my last two Rangers cause I needed the storage more than I did the live/bait wells.

[tacklejunkie]

Depending on the size of the opening; you may be able to plug it. If it has a screen over it; those usually either screw or pop off. Find one of the rubber plugs that fit and you can tighten to block it. I did this with my last two Rangers cause I needed the storage more than I did the live/bait wells.

Has a screen over it and it does screw off. By rubber plugs, do you mean the normal boat plugs like the kind that have that handle that you bend and it tightens in the drain hole?

[leechlake]

yep that's what he means, I've done that also.

[tacklejunkie]

yep that's what he means, I've done that also.

Do you just unscrew the outside screen intake or do you disconnect from the inside and put the plug inside?

BTW... Thanks all for the replies. I have two live wells in my boat and am thinking of disconnecting one for storage space, anyways

[PropsterII]

Just screw off the screen from the outside. If a standard drain plug does not fit just go to a hdwre store (Ace has them) and buy a rubber plug. Looks like a wine cork only black rubber. You can measure the opening and get one that is smaller than the opening on one end and bigger on the other. These work on my livewell holes.

[tacklejunkie]

Depending on the size of the opening; you may be able to plug it. If it has a screen over it; those usually either screw or pop off. Find one of the rubber plugs that fit and you can tighten to block it. I did this with my last two Rangers cause I needed the storage more than I did the live/bait wells.

So you don't have any live wells? I have two on my boat and am thinking of using them for storage, also, at least one. Might use one for a cooler. I did that with my old boat. Just put any fish on ice since I do that with Superior trout and salmon, anyways

Also, did you plug the hole that the live well water drains out of

[PropsterII]

I know you were asking Del, but I do the same thing. My Ranger has two livewells, I've converted both to dry storage. I put the black rubber stoppers in 4 places on each. Inside the well - one in the lower drain and one in the upper intake. On the outside of the boat I put one in the livewell overflow and one in the transom drain hole next to the main drain plug. For the few weeks we walleye fish before real fishing opens, we get a few looks when we have a minnow bucket and a stringer hanging off a Ranger. My buddy is worse with a wire basket hanging off his