Hi guys can anyone tell me what happen to the boat
- Thread starter aussie
- Start date
RWilson2526
God
Most likely a leaking bellows on the outdriv and a dead battery or broken bilge pump.
step up here
Senior Member
maybe more like lack of knowledge of any maintenance . or just a cheap skate!
reelapeelin
God
Matter of fact, I'm sittin' here w/Franco on the phone...told him about this video and first thing he said was; "bellows"...
Gotta watch those things...specially on mooring...v1
Gotta watch those things...specially on mooring...v1
aussie
Senior Member
bellows wtf r they not a term i have herd of here i will google it now lol
Destroyer
God
bellows wtf r they not a term i have herd of here i will google it now lol
The bellows is the rubber seal where the outdrive goes through the hull on an inboard/outboard (I/O) equiped boat. Since the lower part of the outdrive hole is always underwater it provides a seal between the outdrive and the transom and keeps water out of the boat. What happens is the rubber, like all rubber, eventually rots due to time, weather, sun, etc. (Just like the tires on a car). When that happens they leak and let water into the boat through the hole in the transom. (It's also one of the reasons that a lot of us tend to like outboard engines instead of I/O's. Outboards do not have this problem). Additionally, like RW said, it could also be a dead battery or a defective bilge pump along with a leaking bellows. You'll notice in the video that as the rescue boat was pulling up alongside the sinking boat there was no evidence of any water being pumped overboard, which tells me the bilge pump was not working for whatever the reason. Hope this answers your question.
Destroyer
God
Yes and no. Depending on the type of outdrive, the year, etc, some bellows are bigger or smaller than others. Just do a common sense inspection...look at the rubber... is it old and dry rotted? Faded, flat black with a dirty look/feel to it instead of new and shiney? And visable holes? Any visable cracks?
A quick test (but by all means not 100% accurate) is have someone with a powerful flashlight stand inside the boat and shine the light all around on the inside of the bellows while you stand outside. If you can see any light peeking thru then it has a hole... just common sense stuff. Nothing special.
