1978 V20 Steplift trying to find leak?

[BeachBum]

I would like to start out by saying I am so thankful to have found and became a member of this website.

I just purchased a 1978 Wellcraft V20 steplift with an outboard 200hp Mercury Mariner hanging off the back. Just trailered her from Hinesville GA to her permanent home in St Augustine FL last weekend. Needless to say that was a journey both fun and scary. This is my first big boat and she needed some TLC to get moving on the trailer ie... new tires, bearing and buddies ect......

My brother and me just took her out Sunday on the ICW and she roared. just a few stall outs in idle as many people with mariners have said thats routine for this motor.

Now to my problem: When we started the day out in the AM the bow was sitting up high, nice and pretty taking on no water at the transom not even at put in. As the day progressed the bow got lower and lower and preformance was hinderd from around 40mph to about 32mph. At pull out time once the boat was on the ramp and out of the water upon pulling the drain plug atleast 8-10 gallons of water drained out. My question is to anyone that has had a similar problem could throw some advice my way on how to start the leak search process. I also want to ask about some fuel tank issues as we had to run with an external fuel supply tank being that the onboard tank is unhooked. Do you think this is because of a leak in the tank? If yes then how would one safely go about confirming that?

Thanks In Advance
BeachBum

[Blue_Runner]

Welcome to the site. My first thoughts are that 8 - 10 gallons of gas would not cause that kind of drop in performance. Water weighs in at 8 lbs per gallon so even at 10 gallons that is only 80 lbs.

Trying to find the leak - If it were me I'd probably get down under the boat and do a good visual inspection looking for cracks or gouges. Not sure of your configuration on the 78 but you might let the exterior dry completely and fill the plugged bilge with 10 - 20 gallons of water and see if you notice any dripping out around the thru hull fittings or drain plug. It wouldn't hurt to put some marine sealant around all fittings that are below the water line while your at it. The next time you take it out you can see if it made a difference.

About the tank being unhooked - where is it unhooked? Can you ask the previous owner why it is unhooked?

[Wolf]

I have a 1978 V20 cuddy, Blue Runner is correct 8 to 10 gallons is insignificant. If you have a leak it can only becoming from a pretty major crack or from one or more thru hulls.As far as the fuel tank being unhooked it is about 99% chance the fuel tank is shot. The way to check for leaks is to pressurize the tank with compressed air it should hold 3 psi for 30 min. DO NOT exceed 3psi. I replaced my tank 2 years ago. Not to bad of a job of course the foam is a bit of a pain to dig out. If there is a lot of water in the bow it would cup up the cuddy drain. I live right down the road in Daytona Bch. If you would like we to email you a few pictures of my tank replacement private message me your email address.

[RWilson2526]

Welcome aboard....agree with the others that 10 gallons shouldnt do anything to performance....you might want to check though that you arent still carrying water in there....my boat doesnt start draining until i get it at least a 6x6 under the trailer jack stand and get it all the way up.....cant imagine that you are still carrying that much more water but its worth a look. If you noticed the boat sitting lower though I cant imagine what else it would be.

After checking the outside for the obvious get it nice and dry in there and next time you launch immediately open the hatch in the stern, lay on your bellly and get your head deep in there a with flashlight....you should either see it coming in somewhere back there or at least see it running from the bow into the back.

[i4110peter]

Welcome to the group. I have a '73 V20 Steplift. Mine is an I/O. I have always had water issues and not been able to locate source. I won't go out unless my bilge pump is functioning. I was out for the day Saturday and ran the pump 3 time to evacuate the water. I may try to find source of the leak this winter.

[lathehand]

Welcome to the site .Great choice on your first bigger boat. This is the best place to get all the info you'll need.
It may be possable possable water from storeage is trapped up under the cuddy.You may be able to look with a flash lite in the anchor rope locker and see if there is standing water.

[bradford]

Welcome to the Cult. Like others have said, I would check all the thru hulls carefully, as well as the engine mounting bolts, bow eye, livewell plumbing and if you have an access hatch in the splash well. Leaks usually don't get better with time. Glad you joined the site.

[reelapeelin]

If water was rough while you were out and doing turns, you could be taking water between the cap and hull...my old '74 separated that seam about mid ship and would get very wet turning in rough water...walk around the boat and actually try LIFTING the rub rail...I'm not saying pull out...lift UP...

Also, that's around the time Wellcraft started putting belly tanks in these boats...bow-heavy sounds like you might be getting water up front as BR and RW suggest thru a fitting and it's not draining UNDER the tank...lots of water staying up front could keep the bow down...

As suggested, look CLOSELY all under the hull along the lifting strakes for splits thru the hull...

If you have plastic thru-hull fittings that don't look bad from outside, get inside and wiggle the hose at the stem and make sure they aren't cracked at the flange...let us know how this comes out...

[randlemanboater]

If I remember right, some of the early V's had a marine head in the cabin with a through hull...am I right or just dreaming?

I'd get a handle on any water comming in before you spend much time on the water, and install a bildge pump pronto!...or at least wear your PFD.

[jasoncooperpcola]

Did you use the in floor livewell? They leak like its going out of style.

I left two screws out of a thru hull "clamshell" under the hull and within an hour the boat was limping. There was a lot of water coming thru two screw holes. And then my bilge pump wasn't working either. Turned out being a bad switch in a $150 switch panel. :bat:

To find a leak you could fill the hull with water and look for water coming out.

[steplift20]

I also have a

1978 steplift and i also get water but i cant find it just make sure your bilge is working and i also carry a big sponge and a large cup to get the water out

[reh76]

To find a leak you could fill the hull with water and look for water coming out.

I did that once with a jon boat...the extra weight broke the trailer. I'm sure it was about to go anyway, but I sure was mad!!:cen:

[BeachBum]

Thanks for the welcome and all the very helpful replies, Visually I can't see anything noticeable as far as holes or cracks go. It is alittle questionable around the hook at the bow to crank her onto the trailer but the area that is rough around the bracket there does'nt look big enough to take on water and being above the water line probably not my leak. No luck with the previous owner as he is the 3rd owner and the fuel tank was disconnected when he purchased it. Tank is disconnected just before the transom all fuel lines are still there. Going to try and hose some water just below the cuddy cabin this weekend to see if I can spot a drip. The cuddy is bare with no cushions ect....
I think it once had a head many moons ago but it is since long gone. I will be putting one in eventually as time and funds become available.

I didn't get a chance to use the live wells on this being the maiden voyage but I aim to in the future. I'll look for the 2 screw holes aswell.

So it looks like my up and coming weekend is all mapped out.
1) Going to check external more closely and internally every nook and craney
2) 3 PSI fuel test
3) Buy a bilge pump (Any suggestions on what brand you guys use?)

My thoughts of the fuel tank being good is the same as mentioned by Wolf, it would make no sense that someone would have cut the fuel lines and ran an external hook-up if there were a perfectly good fuel tank on board. A question here though, I have been looking at fuel tank options with the thought that it is probably bad but there are so many diffrent options. What do you guys think? Aluminum or Plastic? Maybe some manufactuers are better than others? Internet stats say the boat has a 77 gallon. Any thoughts you guys can give will be greatly appreciated.

Thinking of doing something to protect the boat itself while these repairs are underway. Maybe wax or rubbing compound being that there is some cracking up top on the deck (just surface) but I would like to bring that and the hull back to life again externally if at all possible. Thanks everyone for all the info I am learning a ton about boating.

I don't think there is a better time to be had like that of being on the water with 200 ponnies galloping behind you :)

[reelapeelin]

BB...I ain't just sure about that 77 gal figure in yer post...'78 I THINK was the 1st yr they went to belly tanks in the V...and I BELIEVE it was a 40 gal, then went to 60 from 79 on thru the end of the V20/21 series in 96...

Look in the Links section of this Forum...there's a LOT of helpful stuff there including fuel tank manufacturers...but of course, before you order one, you need to find out what you got...

IF IT WAS ME, and you have an existing 40, I'd take a hard look at upgrading to a 60 ESPECIALLY w/those 200 ponies you mentioned...they're THIRSTY boys...I'm just getting into a 200 OMC myself and anticipate buyin' a lotta pushwater...

Are there plastic thru-hull fittings under the waterline in the front of the hull...you mentioned an earlier head...if so, check those fittings CLOSELY...

[awthacker]

Sorry I'm late but congrats on the V! I live in Jacksonville and restored my V last winter.

My 60 gal tank has a major leak under the barbed nipple that the fill hose connects to. It's got a band-aid fix, but still leaks and I plan to pull the floors and replace the tank this winter. I'm planning on an aluminum, but haven't started looking for the replacement yet. I'd like to find a way to go bigger... I put 51 gallons in it after an offshore lobster trip. With no fuel gauge, I was sweating it the whole way in but never mentioned it to my buddy's.

I bet the water was holding up front. A few leaves or some algae may have been blocking the PVC pipe that runs along the bottom of the hull, under the gas tank. Mine also refuses to drain completely without being jacked all the way up.

I go offshore alot, so I carry two bilge pumps. One is installed in the bilge and is double switched with a float in the bilge and a manual switch on the dash. The other is a spare with 10 ft of hose and alligator clips on the wires, so I can drop it in and run it directly off the battery in an emergency. Most offshore boaters would actually recommend a more eleborate system than mine, I think. Mine is a Rule... I don't remember GPM, but it was the middle size available at West Marine. My backup is an 8 gpm.

[BeachBum]

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Hey guys. Just had to much going on this week to work on my baby. I did manage to take a few pics though. I'm posting 2 but I have taken some of the underbelly and cuddy which I will resize and post tommorrow. Hope to get some time to get back you all later in the week. Praying for open seas soon.

[randlemanboater]

Nice looking boat. Looks pretty tropical wherever you are.

[BeachBum]

Hey all,
Found some time this past weekend to do some testing.
First I filled the under cuddy up with about 8-10 gallons of fresh water. And no leak. Next step was floating the boat and the leak emerged. Turns out that the to factory through holes to the right and left of the transom have lost there seal/life and is letting water in it took on exactly 12 gallons of water floating for 2 hrs. Somehow the water is making its way to the bow through some channel in the bottom of the boat.

Next I used a hand operated fuel pressure tester and put it to use, needless to say I was not suprised when it did'nt even hold pressure. Looks like a tank replacement is in my near future.

I don't have the funds right now for a decent bilge pump but that and a new tank and all the fix'ins to install are on my wish list.

Question: Has anyone ever altered the cuddy or floor on one of these boats to increase the size of the cuddy, this expansion is a later hope/dream/envision that we might turn it into some sort of small kitchen (very small lol) later in its life. Just throwing it out there?

On a side note would anybody happen to have the dimensions/specs for the 1978 V20, my wife and I are discussing a Bimini and potty later on after the major repairs are complete and I would like to get some dreaming oh I mean pricing done on a few items and those specs would come in mighty handy. I have taken some of the measurements myself but they are ruff at best.

Thanks in advance for all the help guys.

[BeachBum]

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[Blue_Runner]

Cool, glad you found the main source of the leak. Sounds pretty substantial.

Instead of enlarging the cuddy, get a full enclosure. For cooking there are all sorts of propane (or elecric if dockside power) grills to choose from. Leave the cuddy for stowing and snoozin. Just an idea.

[BeachBum]

Blue Runner, what is a full enclosure?
Thanks

[Cam]

A full enclosure is where you have a top and curtains on the front and the sides. Then the last is a zippered curtain on the rear (at the end of the bimini top). When you are zippered in, you are completely out of the elements. You see them mostly up north.