I have a 2005 G3 1860SC allwelded aluminum boat. I have a 50hp yamaha 4 stroke and recently I started taking on water. not a noticeable amount when traveling, but when i park the boat and hunt for 5 hours, ther eis 3 inches or so of water resting underneath the floor. Now, its nothing that my bilge can't seem to take care of in 20 or 30 seconds, and with the season running full bore, i have trouble getting it in. I replaced the plug first just to make sur ethat wasn't it. Any recommendations to see where I'm taking the water, or what it might be? The boat is still under warranty, but wont be going anywhere until after january if its more than a day or two's worth of work.

put the plug in on the trailer and fill it with water. Look to see where it's coming out of the boat. Just reverse the process if you will.

Yeah, the above suggestion is what I would do. I'd pay particular attention to anywhere there is a bend in the sheet aluminum and I would also check the welds. The leak is going to be somewhere that there is a bend. When you fill the boat, make sure that it is dead level. If you have a semi-V hull, look in the area where the bottom meets the bow. You might have hit something and sprung a leak at that joint.

You're not putting a dog in and out during the hunt, right? They can bring in half a gallon every time they come back into the boat.

nope, the last 3 times when i started noticing it, the boat was parked like a 1/4 mile from where i was set up and covered up. I am hoping that it is a penetration on the backside, but that could be just wishful thinking. Seeing as how this boat is under warranty, what kind of cost/timeframe/recurring problems do you guys think i might be looking at?

I wouldn't be terribly worried about it. I had a 15' SeaArk all-weld that popped a leak along the weld/fold where the bottom met the side. I got it re-welded for like $60 and as far as I know, it never caused another problem. JJ can confirm or deny that - he owns the boat now. If it's held, then it has held for a decade now.

COuld it be from waves of other boats when it is parked.

liberator,
i thought about that, however, the last two times, I had it parked in a cove way up the channel and didn't see another boat all morning, so i don't think so. I have pretty deep sides as well. sadly, I think its a genuine leak.

I would look at the Keel and see if you have an issue there, if your running it on the bank theres a small chance a rock or ??? may have damaged the keel area. Happened on a fiberglass boat I have, also have the same boat your talking about but a 2004 and no problems so far. Good Luck!

Did you take LSU with you? If so, he could have peed in it.

I had a similar leak problem with my Alumicraft but not as severe as yours sounds. I replaced the plugs (has 2 since it is a tunnel). And it helped a bit. I tightened down the plugs (with the nut on the plug itself)to were they would barely lock down and fit as tight as they could. Remember also that the aluminum reacts to temperature and flexes a bit. I can hear mine at night about 9-10 at night making a ping sound or two as it sits in the drive way.
Also, check the the drain holes for any distortions that can come about from scraping or hitting something.
Still the best thing to do is to fill it with water, check for any leaks, and go from there.

I'll do you a solid and take it off your hands for $4000. I'm just that nice of a guy

road,
G3's had some serious problems with hull cracks here while back. They replaced a lot of boats. Check for cracks / leaks as stated by putting water in from the top while on the trailer, then take it to your dealer before the warranty runs out. They will take care of it, usually replace the hull, depends on the leak.

I wouldn't fill my boat up all the way while on the trailer, just enough to barely cover the bottom. All that weight is a good way to bend the flimsy axles that they put on most boat trailers.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm gonna put it through the tests tomorrow evening. Its not going to the dealer until the end of the month regardless. It still has to act as my trusty ride for another 9-10 hunts this season.

What is the latest on your boat?

We are talking about a boat not his waders..

Hey Road,
I had a similar problem with my 03 G3 - turned out to be a crack on the plastic bilge fitting. I've seen your boat - didn't appear to be many changes in the 2 year diff but on mine the angle of the connecting hose puts a bind on that fitting. You might check that and the aerator fitting as well.
Good luck