17' Valco Bayrunner leak problem

Introduce yourself here
silverstreak1
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2022 10:26 pm
2

17' Valco Bayrunner leak problem

#1

Post by silverstreak1 »

My first time posting on this forum and so far I really like what i'm seeing. Seems as if there's a wealth of knowledge with all seeming to be willing to share their knowledge. Thanks to all.
I have a 1990 vintage 17' Valco Bayrunner I purchased about 8 years ago. It is powered by a 2004 Mercury 60 hp 4 stroke engine. After I got it I removed the motor, raised the transom cut out to be level across the back, and installed an engineered engine bracket and reinstalled the motor. Since I occasionally use it out in the ocean, I just feel safer and not as worried about taking a wave over my transom and swamping me. Then I removed the step up at the rear, removed the fuel tank, had a custom tank made that's now mounted in the bow area, and holds about 25 gallons of gas. Me being an older person, I didn't want to be worried about tripping on the rear raised deck. I then removed the 18" center console and replaced it with a custom made 36" center console with a windshield. It's a great fishing boat and thoroughly enjoy it. The problem I'm having is there is a leak somewhere and I can't seem to find it. I was out fishing in San Francisco Bay, it was flat calm, I turned on the bilge pump and it must have pumped out 15-20 gallons of water before shutting off. We were anchor fishing, and fished for another hour without turning the bilge on again, then quit fishing and ran about 15 minutes to the launch ramp. I loaded the boat on the trailer, pulled it out of the water and pulled the drain plug. It must have had another 15-20 gallons of water. A couple of months ago I crawled under the boat and inspected it. Both my transducers are mounted on a bracket, the bracket is welded to the transom, so there's no holes in the transom. I saw a questionable gap on each side of the bottom rail, so I used a silicon primer and siliconed the gap on each side. A few days later I raised the bow of the boat up so when I put a garden hose in the boat, the water would gather at the rear, and if there was a leak, it would be noticable. I found a couple of small leaks, primed and siliconed them in. Then when I go out fishing today, I get all the water i've described. I'm going to raise the transom end of the boat tomorrow to see if I can find a leak at the front.
I really like this boat and want to fix this problem. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. Is it possible to replace the full length bottom keel? If so, who might do this? Or, is there someone out there that would troubleshoot something like this? I live in Morgan Hill, which is in Northern California. Thanks in advance.