Boat leak question

[Leftover Salmon]

I have an older 19.5 foot aluminum boat (Bluefin Spectrum) with an OMC I/O. When I took it out the other day I noticed a small leak somewhere behind the motor. I can’t see exactly where it's coming in, but it looks to be where the outdrive and hull meet. I'm guessing the gasket is dried out and needs replacing.

Does that sound like a reasonable assumption, or could this be something else. It looks like its pretty simple to pull off the outdrive, but I haven't done it before so I'm looking for any advice or things to watch out for. Also is there other maintenance that I should do when I have it off.

Thanks

[broken_line]

you could try and use marine grade silicone around the area you believe thats leaking.. make sure you sand clean the area really well before applying.. just a thought on a easyer way to fix leaks

[boatfixer]

I would be very surprised if the transom seal was leaking. You need to get back there and find out a little more. Does it doing just sitting in the water or only when its running, etc. Could be anything from the u-joint bellows to 1 of the elbows or water intake line.

[Leftover Salmon]

Thanks for the feedback, I'm going to drop it in the water tonight and see if I can get a better idea of where it's leaking.

I was looking at what it would take to remove the outdrive, and I'm changing my mind about it looking simple.

[marine_man]

I was looking at what it would take to remove the outdrive, and I'm changing my mind about it looking simple.

The issue would be that you'd have to remove more than the outdrive - that's pretty straight forward. Removing the rest of the parts that bolt between the transom would be a major undertaking.

marine_man

[chris bohl]

Sam, the last three times that I've had excess water in the bilge area, it was due to a loose or broken hose to the livewell. real easy fix. hope your leak doesn't keep you off the water!