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Velocity72...when your boat sits in the water with that 250...where was the water level in reference to the drain holes in the engine well.....when at rest, with a full tank, my drain holes are about 1/16 of an inch above the waterline. Your boat seems to sit much higher.
Sounds like u need more prop
It may be waterlogged. Was it always trailered or left in the water for the season? I left mine in one season and it got waterlogged. Moisture meter or scale or dig into it. I was going to get the bottom done on my 1990. When he go into it the water came out of the wood for a week. Sold it to a guy in Nevada. Told him it was waterlogged. He said thats ok nothing stays wet here. Never heard from him again.Quote:
Originally Posted by jk xlr8
The boat sits in the water and has sat in the water for over a year.....never any water in the bilge....the boat was totally rebuilt just a few years back so its hard to imagine that water just seeped into the boat. I keep my 30ft Pursuit right next to it....its sat in the water for over 5 years without waterlogging. I know of boats that sit in the water for 20 years without waterlogging. There are no through hulls that would leak and I doubt it leaks through the fiberglass. I will get a moisture meter and weigh it anyway. I think I should be at 2200-2300 lbs full of fuel (50 gallons).
I was told it does manage to get thru gel coat and the fiberglass just sitting in the water. It did on mine. It didn't leak either.Quote:
Originally Posted by jk xlr8
Thats insane....I hear you, but having over 15 boats in the last 25 years I have never heard of hulls just absorbing water......theres 1000s of boats down here that just sit in the water for years and years and I never heard anyone talk about this!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigJohnson
Yup...happens even on the big sport fishermans and as years go by eventually they have to be put up on land for awhile to dry out. Then have the 'west system' applied to help protect against it. Performance boats were never meant to stay long in the water and if when they start adding some weight it more easily noticed.
Now I have read everything..... Let's put this confusion to rest. 90% of the time a boat will rot from the inside out. Water laying in the boat from being under an old cover, or the boat not properly angled for all the water to drain out will cause water to lay inside the boat and penetrate through area where there is exposed wood, thin glass (hydrostreams are a prime example), or drainage holes that are hot coated with resin. Water intrusion from the outside of the hull is a common issue when lack of maintenance is an issue. Loose hardware, sealant that is not rated for underwater use, air voids, cracks, etc... are a common cause for this type of water intrusion. On a velocity (atleast my step) the only part of the hull below the water line that had wood was the pad (balsa) and the transom (ply). the rest of the boat is built with coremat. If you believe for one second that water will penetrate the layer of gelcoat, and 3+ layers of glass(matting plus bi-axle/tri-axle) you have to be kidding me. If this could happen (yes it is possible, but highly unlikely) there is no way enough water could seep through the small porous holes in the lay up to cause a boat to rot out in a week, month, or even a year. Leaving a bare gelcoat bottom in the water will result in blisters in the gelcoat after time, which are small pockets of moisture between the gelcoat and glass, but this also takes weeks/months to occur, and only happens when the gelcoat is very thin/porous. Larger boats use barrier systems prior to bottom paint to avoid this issue. This is not my opinion... but what do I know, I have only been working on boats since I was old enough to walk, and spent over 5 years working in one of the most reputable fiberglass shops on the eastcoast..
Yup again.....I was just referring to the bottom blistering needing a barrier system such as 'west system'. Thought that was what was being mentioned. Mikey's correct about how mainly water will saturate into the boat really making it heavy.
Glad to see people are awake reviewing here once and awhile.
I know boats that sit in the water all the time on lakes neer us,with no issue at least that I know of.It looks like your boat when it was redone was done very nicely.Thats why I suggest doing a compression check and throwing a new set of plugs in while your there.Even if there not fouled plugs can be far less then 100%.Running a lower pitch prop surely will make it easier to turn the rpms and that does not rule out there could be a prob.Its a very cheap thing to do and that way you have ruled any motor issue out.Now if the boat is sitting out uncovered in the rain while in the water id think the water would have to go some where.One place that literly can take on hundres of pounds is the interior cushionsMight want to take a look there as well.
Mike your Velocity may have been constructed different than the norm. I have worked on a few and all had balsa throughout the bottom not just at the pad. I probably have some pictures of a friends that needed some balsa replaced, we did it in my garage. The place that did Bobs was a glass repair shop in Piermont NY called Glassworks, owner Mike Hall long since retired. He replaced a lot of Bobs core and the gel was blistered in all the areas that were re cored. I can tell you Bob is not the kind of guy to let his boat get full of water. He always keeps his stuff nice. His was a 1989 Regal Velocity, slightly higher deck but not the new style, and the hooked bottom. Mike Hall called me down to his shop when he was doing Bobs boat and showed me some horrific things about the Regal build. I wont mention everything but this one deserves mention. When he pulled the floor out it was nailed in to the stringers, funny not even galvies. Moisture does penetrate gel and if whats underneath is not wet out properly it will get to the core. Bob bought his boat new and it happened pretty fast. I remember how bad I felt cause I don't think he ever would have bought a Velocity if it weren't for me and his sucked compared to mine. His was the first year when they made some major hull changes. Does Regal even still build boats cause I can't understand how they even float??
I agree with mikeylarge that 90% of the problems normally start from the inside out. That said, you would be amazed at how quickly any interior moisture can be absorbed in a humid climate like we are talking about. JamesGang - floor nailed to the stringers......that must have been an unpleasant surprise, wow!
I was shocked. Bobs moisture came through the gel. A lot of the core was dryer on top and black on the bottom. Still bonded to the glass on top and totally delaminated below. Stringers and transom totally dry. A couple years after the repair there were other areas away from that repair that you could see the bottom of the boat was sagging. Probably totally delaminating again in different spots. Oh and by the way the Blue one that I had a picture of on here with twins. It says regal on the side but it was build in Stepps shop before the molds were moved and it also a kevlar boat. I ordered it new. Thats a good one.
jk - the motor well drain holes were around 3/4" - 1" above the water when tied to the dock.
Thanks for stepping in Jim. You knew way more about it than I did since it was being done around you.