Baller kirkbauer Posted March 4, 2023 Baller Share Posted March 4, 2023 I have a unique situation. I have a boat garage with a dolly and tracks going down into the lake. All I do is lower the boat into the lake, and then when I'm done, I use an electric motor to pull it back up out of the water. The boat sits at a slight angle, with the bow higher than the stern. I have never used the trailer since I originally launched the boat. Every boat I have had in the past has the drain plug at the stern of the boat. But the Prostar has it in the center of the hull. This means that I never get all of the water out of my boat, since the only time it is level, is when it is in the water. Once it is in the garage, the drain plug area is dry, but there is still plenty of water under and behind the engine. This was my first season with the boat. When I winterized it, I put some antifreeze in with the bilge water to make sure it didn't freeze and cause issues. But I'm wondering if I'm going to have some long-term negative effects of never being able to completely empty the bilge. Does anybody else have concerns about that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller 503Kento Posted March 4, 2023 Baller Share Posted March 4, 2023 A couple of options come to mind 1) suck the water out with a shop vac 2) put the boat on the trailer ever so often to fully drain. not sure of the amount of water we are talking about but it might also be possible to leave the engine box up and let evaporation do the trick. This might generally be a good thing anyway to minimize condensation. Get high, Get fast, and do some good work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller MDB1056 Posted March 4, 2023 Baller Share Posted March 4, 2023 Plan B- install a rear plug. Like any other mod, if don’t right shouldn’t be a problem. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ Rednucleus Posted March 4, 2023 Baller_ Share Posted March 4, 2023 +1 for stern drain - my Sanger and buddy's two Malibus had them from factory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller motoxr Posted March 4, 2023 Baller Share Posted March 4, 2023 I do the exact same thing as you, pulling the Prostar up on a marine railway. The water always pools at the back. For a while I would use a manual bilge pump to suck the water out, yet it takes a bit of time after heavy rains and some rain get through the Mastercraft cover. I have now started to simply throw in a pump (fat sac bag pump) and it clears it very quickly. I have debated putting in an actual drain plug, yet hate the idea of drilling into the hull.....please keep me posted if you do that. In the meantime, the pump does work great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller jpwhit Posted March 4, 2023 Baller Share Posted March 4, 2023 I would permanently install another bilge pump in the very back of the boat. I would use one of the automatic ones that runs for a couple of seconds every 2-3 minute and determine if there is water based on the amount of power the motor draws. They are much more reliable over the long run than pumps with a float switch, they also have the benefit of getting almost all the water out. If there's not enough room for a traditional bilge pump in the very back due to the fuel tank, then I'd use a ballast pump mounted in the engine compartment and just run the suction hose to the very back of the boat. If you don't have the MTS ballast tank / pump option, then you could use the power feed to run this new pump. Then you could clear the water right from the touch screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Jordan Posted March 4, 2023 Baller Share Posted March 4, 2023 Another possibility would be to to either adjust the track or the carriage so that the boat sits level when it's all of the way up. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ RichardDoane Posted March 5, 2023 Baller_ Share Posted March 5, 2023 @Jordan has the best solution if you can cut/weld/adjust your carriage bunks to tilt the boat up to level. Trailer bunk hardware is easy to get and install if you've got tools/ability 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Mastercrafter Posted March 6, 2023 Baller Share Posted March 6, 2023 I wouldn't hesitate to install another plug in the back of the boat. If installed correctly (plenty of silicone on the bore of the hole to prevent water intrusion into the laminates), it'd would be a nice modification that should get the boat even more dry than a bilge pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Sethro Posted March 6, 2023 Baller Share Posted March 6, 2023 (edited) I also keep my boat on a dolly in a boathouse with tracks down to the water. I raised my rear bunks to help the fins and prop clear the transition at the seawall. But it also happens to make the bilge drain plug the low point. This also helped with keeping the boat securely on the bunks while bringing it up the rails, as they are about a 12 degree incline. Not very pretty as I just used material on hand. Edited March 6, 2023 by Sethro 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller BraceMaker Posted March 6, 2023 Baller Share Posted March 6, 2023 We have this style of track at our lake since boat houses were banned years ago as were seawalls so when your seawall needs work they make you take it out. Remove the bunks and add blocking to raise the rear of the hull up, you want to keep a slope so that when you let out cable the cradle lowers back into the water wiht out having to push. But you want the hull to sit so it drains out the middle hole when on the lift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller kirkbauer Posted March 6, 2023 Author Baller Share Posted March 6, 2023 Thanks, everybody. I guess my situation wasn't as unique as I thought! It's just the first time I have seen a "marine railway". There are some good ideas, but I'm trying to decide on the best way forward. Should I try to get the water out after every session, or should I just try to get it out for long-term storage? I use the boat almost every day "in season" and then I don't use it for 4-6 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Sethro Posted March 6, 2023 Baller Share Posted March 6, 2023 I would want the vast majority of the water out each time. I even have an industrial fan mounted on my ceiling blowing down into the boat to help dry things out. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller LeonL Posted March 7, 2023 Baller Share Posted March 7, 2023 Just how much water do you get in there each usage? Unless you have a bit too much seepage around the shaft, there shouldn't be much. Just soak it up with a towel before you get on rail. Just how much water do you get in there each usage? Unless you've got a Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Mastercrafter Posted March 7, 2023 Baller Share Posted March 7, 2023 Yeah, I guess that's the other thing. My 2015 stays super dry. I'm a stickler for clean, dry bilges and I rarely pull the plug to drain and excess water, as there's usually not much in there. If you are getting 1-2" of water in there, I'd fix the source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller 2Valve Posted March 7, 2023 Baller Share Posted March 7, 2023 On 3/4/2023 at 1:56 PM, kirkbauer said: I have a unique situation. I have a boat garage with a dolly and tracks going down into the lake. All I do is lower the boat into the lake, and then when I'm done, I use an electric motor to pull it back up out of the water. The boat sits at a slight angle, with the bow higher than the stern. I have never used the trailer since I originally launched the boat. Every boat I have had in the past has the drain plug at the stern of the boat. But the Prostar has it in the center of the hull. This means that I never get all of the water out of my boat, since the only time it is level, is when it is in the water. Once it is in the garage, the drain plug area is dry, but there is still plenty of water under and behind the engine. This was my first season with the boat. When I winterized it, I put some antifreeze in with the bilge water to make sure it didn't freeze and cause issues. But I'm wondering if I'm going to have some long-term negative effects of never being able to completely empty the bilge. Does anybody else have concerns about that? How much water are you seeing? My 2002 MB Sports never has any water in the bilge. But over the years, the heater and shower systems developed leaks that flowed into the bilge, disguising themselves as shaft seal leaks. Maybe next time you take it out, check the temp of the water in the bilge. If it's warm, its sourcing from the motor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Sethro Posted March 7, 2023 Baller Share Posted March 7, 2023 My bilge stays relatively dry, as the carpet soaks up water brought in from skis, jackets, ropes, etc….even though we drip dry before getting in the boat. Well, must of us do. The newer boats without carpet drain all that water into the bilge. At least that’s how it works on the 2019 TXi we use frequently that has seadek flooring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller kirkbauer Posted March 7, 2023 Author Baller Share Posted March 7, 2023 2 hours ago, 2Valve said: How much water are you seeing? Well, that's the thing, it has never been dry so I don't know how much water gets in with each usage. I'll find out if/when I even get it emptied. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller LeonL Posted March 10, 2023 Baller Share Posted March 10, 2023 Well, how much is in it at any given time, when it's level? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller GaryJanzig Posted March 10, 2023 Baller Share Posted March 10, 2023 (edited) You should be able to remove the rear floor panel. you could always install a second bilge pump, The cheapest way would be to get a transfer pump sold in the Wal-Mart automotive section. You may need a longer piece of plastic tubing to reach the back of the bilge from the engine compartment. If you have an inspection hatch behind the engine compartment you could access it from there. I keep a sponge in my boat. If I get water in the bilge(usually not enough to start the bilge pump) I use an old car sponge to dry it out after pulling the plug while on the lift. Try to keep the bilge as dry as possible. It will extend the life of the steering cable. Edited March 10, 2023 by GaryJanzig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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