Ive got a small leak in my all-weld boat. One small enough to seem like a plug (which its not). The back 1-2feet of the boat will have an inch or so by the end of the day. You guys got any tips/tricks to finding them? Being this small I wouldnt think just filling it up with water would work, seems like it would just seep out and slide down the bottom of the hull, making it hard to track. Some people have suggested putting a powder/chalk/flour on the bottom of the outside of the boat and filling it up with water, where the water comes out it will be easy to see the moisture hitting the powder. Just checking to see if theres any better ideas or what you guys do.

Let dry out on the trailer completely, Get you an ice chest of cold'uns and a lawn chair, Then fill boat with a few inches of water and sit back in the chair and watch it. No other way to find a leak like that that I know of....... You will be able to track it down if its that slow.

drill about a 1'' hole in the bottom of the boat. dat way the water will run out.


seriously, fill the boat with water. it should leak. keep drying off the wet spot till u find the leak.

are u sure the water isn't comming in from the thru transom bolts that hold the motor on? those will leak just enough to drive u crazy and are hard to find.

when in doubt put sum scilicone on anythink that might leak. or do it one at a time till it stops.

First go to the store and get 4 rolls of syran rap and a roll of duck tape. Fill the boat with 3 inches of H2o rap the whole top of the boat with syran rap making an air tight seal, tape around edges of syran rap to hull take a bicycle pump, poke a hole in the syran rap insert the pump hose and duct tape around it. Then start pumping! It might take a while to pressure up but when it does it will make finding the leak a lot easier!

Heck with the pump I was just gunna use lung power through the plug hole . But I hadnt thought about wiping it dry to pinpoint it, DA. Seems like I could pull it off with that in mind. And yeh Im sure its not the thru bolts cuz it does it when I just leave it in the water at the camp. Thats the main reason Im doin this so I can leave it not worryin if my auto bilge will get plugged overnight haha.

The first time with a new bilge at the camp that motherfuker plugged. So, for my autobilge I bought the materials to build a replacement window screen for the house. I made a small box with the aluminum frame and corner brackets. I screened all the sides, pop riveted it together with the bilge inside, and siliconed around the hose and wires. I used some small metal corner brackets to secure the box to the transom. No more worries when at the camp. I don't evern have to clean out the boat anymore