water coming into the inside of the hull. Help needed

when i went to go fishing yesterday the water levels had dropped dramatically which resulted in my boat being left on the bank just a couple of feet from the water

after a half hour or so i ended up getting it back into the water, which resulted in a sore back and sore arms

firstly i'll tell you the kind of boat i have and then i'll explain my problem

i dont really know the official type of boat it is but i suppose the best way would be to describe it as a rowing boat, a fibre glass hull with 3 bench style seats that go across the boat and i just have an outboard at the back.

the boat has 2 plugholes (sorry i dont know the term for them ) one inside the boat centre left of the boat and another outside the boat at the rear under were the prop would be

when i put the boat back into the water i heard a shhh sound which i presumed was the air being pushed out and water entering the inside of the hull. now i cant remember if that was always plugged at the back because the boat is always in the water

i didnt think anything of it and left the shore, but as soon as i left i could fell in the boat that something didnt feel right, the boat felt heavier, the front of the boat seemed to lift higher than normal and the prop was deeper than normal

i had a good idea it was because of that plughole at the back but wasnt sure if it was going to sink so i decided to cancel my fishing trip untill i got some advice on what to do, and that was what led me here

could somebody please tell is the boat still safe to go out in?

do i just need to get a plug for the hole?

and could you please explain the reasons for both plugholes?

i tried to upload a pic of the boat, but i couldnt something to do with pixels or something. well anyway its a typical boat u wouldsee on a lake or inshore

thanks in advance

The boat definately is not safe to put to sea in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The reason for the two "bungs" is the one on the inside is to allow water into the hull to add extra weight if required (Ballast) on the other hand the one outside is to drain this ballast water out when towing the boat home! A shaved down to fit wine bottle cork is a handy emergencey bung to always have handy but not a permanent solution

Plug holes? Ya sure it not a bathtub ya bought?

As Mohawk said the outside bung hole is used to drain the water out of the boat when the boat it is out of the water. This should have a screw in bung with an o-ring at the back of it for a waterproof seal.

The second bung hole inside the hull is used to seal the 'false bottom'. this in fact is a bouyancy tank and should not be used as a ballast tank. water in this place would be dangerous as the water would be moving everwhere causing instability. manufactures say that this is a bouyancy tank and not a ballast tank. this should also be waterproof sealed like the one on the outside.

hope this helps

We would need to see a picture of the boat.

It could be a Ballast tank or specifically a Keel ballast tank. These are common enough on some lake bosts to add some weight to the keel for the fly fisherman. It helps the boat drift more square to the wind and also keeps the speed of the drift down.

Kevin

We would need to see a picture of the boat.

It could be a Ballast tank or specifically a Keel ballast tank. These are common enough on some lake bosts to add some weight to the keel for the fly fisherman. It helps the boat drift more square to the wind and also keeps the speed of the drift down.

Kevin

well i agree with you there Mac. but for sea fishing i think its not a good idea especially if the weather got rough

We would need to see a picture of the boat.

It could be a Ballast tank or specifically a Keel ballast tank. These are common enough on some lake bosts to add some weight to the keel for the fly fisherman. It helps the boat drift more square to the wind and also keeps the speed of the drift down.

Kevin

well i agree with you there Mac. but for sea fishing i think its not a good idea especially if the weather got rough

It would not have any serious effect on the stability of a boat at sea due to the shape and position of the ballast tank and it would be full of water therefore it has nowhere to move in a rough sea! I'd prefer a properly ballasted boat at sea in rough WX anyday over one which has no ballast for the reason you mention stability, where I would be more worried about water on the deck in a rough sea on an open boat sloshing from side to side

THIS IS FROM THE ORKNEY BOATS SITE :

Question: Should I flood the keel on an Orkney Longliner 16 to give it additional stability at sea?
Answer: We get asked this question at least once a week and the simple answer is NO. We are not sure how this myth began but the bilge of the boat is not designed to be flooded and could prove dangerous. As with the majority of our older designs of boats the have a drain bung on the bilge. This is not intended to allow water in but should the keel band leak, allow you to monitor it and drain any water away. All boats do and will leak so if your getting water in there don't worry. For more information see the following question with regards to finding water in your bilges.



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Question: I always monitor the bilges of my boat and there is always a little water in there, lately though I have noticed more water than usual. My questions are firstly should I be getting any water into my bilges, secondly should I be worried about the increased water getting in and thirdly where is it coming from?
Answer: Before everyone starts to panic, one statement that is true of every boat afloat is that all boats leak. No matter how big or small one way or another water will find its way inside a boat eventually. We spend most of our time trying to find where leaks occur from and this is just part of the course when it comes to boat ownership. With this in mind all of our boats allow prevision to monitor and remove any water from the bilges and small amounts should not be of concern. Regular inspection of the bilges is an essential part of routine checks and should not be forgotten about. With regards to this customers second and third questions, increased water getting into the bilges of his boat is cause for concern and does warrant further investigation. One of the first things to ascertain is whether the water is fresh of salty. If kept on the sea this would indicate whether the water is leaking in from the hull or is caused by rain water leaking in from the deck.
Saltwater is 99% of the time coming from the keel band. This can be determined by putting water into the bilges whilst on a trailer and seeing if water is coming out. If it does then that is where your leak is. Alternatively is can be either the transom drains or bow eye, both of which can be checked with a watering can and someone checking the bilges.

Freshwater leaks can be found using the same technique of a watering can and someone monitoring the situation, once found the best things is to remove the item and re-fit it with silicone sealant. This should hopefully solve the problem.

Interesting, I have similar in my boat and always thought and was told they were ballast tanks...
I had mine full (due to a mishap launching) all last season.

But I can see how it was originally designed as a safety feature and was not intended to be flooded.

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