Boat taking on water

pmracing

 I'm a first time owner of a 2006 Hurricane GS 202 fundeck I/O 5.0.  While on the water after 3 or 4 hours I'll hear the bilge cut on and dump out water for about a minute or so I guess. Is this something normal? I have a swim deck also on my boat and when I let of the throttle I see water rush up onto the boat but it doesn't seem to be enough to cause that.  Its usually after I've been sitting a while that it does it. I checked the plug and I have checked all around the boat to see if I have any leaks and cant see anything.  I just don't want to depend on a bilge to keep me afloat.  When I got back from the lake last week  ran a coat of silicone around the back of the transom around the motor just in case.  I just wanted to hear if this is a normal thing and no worries or if I park it at the dock over night will it still be above water in the morning .... Ive just always taken the bilge as an emergency water dump if you have a problem so you can get to shore not a constant fix.

Any help would be great guys....  

nquirk

I'd start by making sure it's empty when you first launch the boat.  Check the bilge area.  Do you see any water starting to fill in?  This could be from any inlet/outlet of your boat.  Drain plug, bilge pump hose.  Do you have a livewell pump?  Is it leaking in from that inlet?

The way I get water into my boat is from rain sitting in dock.  I get water via the anchor storage up on the front deck and via the battery hatch compartment in the back.  Neither is water proof so a small amount is normal.

But if under normal usage you're taking on several gallons of water, then you have a leak of some sort that should be further investigated.

cjjjdeck

Since you have an I/O, open up the engine cover and, if applicable, remove any seat cover that gives you access to the engine compartment.  Then give a good look around.  Chances are you'll see the deck drain outlets in the rear and other hose type connections.  Use a bright flashlight and make sure they look dry (I had one leaking when I bought the boat new).  With regards to a live well, If the inlet line has an inline ball valve (which it should); make sure that is in the closed position when the boat is not in use.

When I power down off of plane quickly, I get a rush of backwash that does come up to/on/over the engine cover and I definitely get water in the bilge.  My experience is similar to what "nquirk" mentioned, the battery access compartment also is a water access point (in fact the liner has a drain hose in it that drains into the bilge).  Neither the engine cover , anchor storage access door or the battery access compartment is sealed.  Exposed cup holders also drain into the bilge.