# 17t Pathfinder taking in water????



## abraham3 (Jun 3, 2013)

I live and fish in south Texas and have four friends with this same boat. ALL of our Pathfinders take in water and we cant seem to find where the water comes in from? We have caulked the rub rail with marine5200 and filled the bottom of the hulls with water to look for reverse leaks but no luck! One friend says "that's what the bilge pumps are for " but i believe a boat should not take in excessive water? One buddy even deleted the side drain vents by fiberglassing it that didn't work. Can anyone point me in the right the direction? THANKS...


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## Snookdaddy (Jan 5, 2008)

Go the the Hewes, Maverick, Pathfinder forum and ask the same question.. They should be able to answer quickly..


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## abraham3 (Jun 3, 2013)

how do i get there?


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## KeepingItSimple (Mar 20, 2011)

Man, when you figure it out pls let me know. I've done the same thing without success. It's not a bunch of water but not being able to find the spot is tremendously aggravating. I've sealed the rub rails, plugged the bilge exit ports (thought the water was being sprayed back in from the motor), filled the boat, etc... No luck. I suppose I'll redo the bottom at some point when the oyster scratches catch up with me and then see if that is the ticket.

Alex V


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## tailchaser16 (Sep 23, 2008)

Those boats are notorious for taking on water.  I know of at least 2 others.  One was sold and another totally redone and still floating.  

Oh and here is the Hewes, Maverick, Pathfinder forum.

http://www.mbcforum.com/


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## swaddict (Dec 19, 2009)

with the tunnel and the design of the partial sponsons, water can be forced up the transom from under the rub rail when running with tabs down. If the rub rail has been sealed recently, the other culprit is water coming in the bilge hoses through the transom. There are no factory installed check valves, so when stopping suddenly or fishing with a heavy wind at your back, water enters the thru hull fittings for the bilge hoses. The other culprits are the drain fittings and thru hull fittings, remove and reseal with 5200.


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## cvilt (May 31, 2010)

My 15t had a thick factory plastic keel guard. I heard the screws would work loose and cause some leaks. I bought it from a friend that had a neighbor who worked for Pathfinder and he sealed them with 5200 prior to my ownership and never had a drop in the hull.


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## BugDopeforENP (May 29, 2013)

Could this be water coming over the transom when coming off plain? I don't own a pathfinder, not all boats have a transom well for the water to escape when water comes over the transom. The water just may be flowing over and going straight to the bilge.


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## abraham3 (Jun 3, 2013)

Thanks for the advice guys! Going to caulk the fittings, haven't done that yet. Did buy plugs for the bilge pump holes and caulked the plates to the trim tabs. taking it out tomorrow to fish and check if its still taking in water. Ill let you all know.. Oh! only other thing I can think off is water coming in through the rivets that bond the rub rail to the hull? Wish me luck!!


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## abraham3 (Jun 3, 2013)

Finished caulking the rub rail with 5200 and replaced the brass plugs with rubber ones and placed rubber plugs on the bilge pump drain holes and not a drop off water yesterday!!! Caught three reds and lost a 26 inch trout at the boat!! Catch and Release and only took what i was going to eat that day!


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## tailnreds (Jun 16, 2007)

Can you post pics of what you did? I have a 15T and would like to do the same thing but I'm not 100% clear on how/what you did. Thanks!


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## Sheremeta (Nov 29, 2010)

How much water are we talking about? 

Try this as a first test. Launch the boat and tie it to the dock for 30 min. Load it back on the trailer and pull the drain plug. If you don't have water then it's getting in while you are underway. You could have a gap between the top cap and the hull.


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## texasislandboy (Jul 25, 2011)

I just sold my pathfinder 17T down in the valley.. I really liked the boat but I guess I was lucky I never had any water in the boat ever. I did wish it was a self bail boat I hated those side plugs.


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## Palmetto3584 (Jun 21, 2012)

Another place you may want to look is the livewell. I don't know if your 17T is like my buddy's 19 who has a livewell on the port side aft, but water was getting between the livewell liner and the transom. He adjusted the overflow seacock so the water isn't as high and recaulked the seal with 5200 and I believe he hasn't had any problems. If you only notice the water in the hull when you are running your livewell, then that may be your problem.


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## Capnredfish (Feb 1, 2012)

I had a leak in the past and did many of the things you did. I even added food coloring to the water I dumped in. I found a leak in a dark garage , a really bright flash light and telescopic mirror looking around seams and areas you can not see directly. Turned out to be we're the cap, hull and rub rail meet at the transom.


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## wrighttaylor (Apr 4, 2010)

I had one of these skiffs, a '99 or '00, cant remember, and the culprit was the thru hull fittings for the cockpit drains, the brass fittings. I filled my boat up with water on the trailer and thats where the water came out. There could have been some coming up through between the cap and the hull but didn't know to look there at the time.


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## CapFear (Aug 9, 2010)

I had one of these, and it is almost certainly the through hull fittings. They start separating a little, and then once they separate good water just pours in. The boat would draw about 6 inches when I started, and 8 after about 4 hours on the water. 

Also, where the fuel tank bolts to the boat caused a leak on mine. The glass is really thin on the boat, and the point of the screw that held the tank in place rattled against the glass enough to cause a small crack. 

I am not sure how these boats got such good praise for their design. I liked how light the boat was but that was about it. When under way, it pounded my teeth straight out of my head to the point where I dreaded moving fishing spots, and the tunnel was so aggressive that it caused the boat to draw about 2 inches more water than you'd think it would need.


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## La_Formula (Nov 26, 2014)

Having the same issue on my 2002 Pathfinder 1700-T, I also live in south Tx :-/ please post some pics of what you did.

Thanks


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