N River Seahawk off-shore motor bracket question

fishn2gthr4ever · 07-01-2006, 08:49 PM

After returning from our maiden voyage today, we were surprised to see that alot of water drained out of the motor bracket after removing the drain plug. Does anyone know if it is normal for water to accumulate in the off-shore motor bracket? We are hoping that someone may be able to shed some light on our situation.

Thanks in advance for your time!

Magnum · 07-01-2006, 09:04 PM

I guess it would make a difference on which length of boat you have, the brackets are different on some models. I have the 20' Seahawk & the only time I get any amount of water in mine is during rough water conditions and even then it is only about 2 cups of water. Other then that, I never have any drainage.

No Bail · 07-02-2006, 10:49 AM

On my 2005 22' Seahawk, it is normal for me to get some water. I have the plastic hatch on my bracket. I also have a large engine that makes it float a little aft heavy, so I'm thinking it comes in from the hatch or through an incompletely sealed motor bolt.

I think it is important to note which year of Seahawk you have.

fishn2gthr4ever · 07-02-2006, 11:48 AM

Thanks for the replies!

Our Seahawk boat is a 2006 18 ft with a metal screw-down plate on top of the off-shore motor bracket.

When we picked up the boat last week, we were told that there would be "condensation." But the amount of water that drained out was so much that it appeared that the bracket was full. During the time that we were in the water, our 2006 Suzuki 90 hp & our 2006 Yamaha T8 did seem to be running low in the water and we noticed that it was difficult to get up on a plane.

backlash442 · 07-02-2006, 11:58 AM

Any way you can take the cover off and while it's still on the trailer put it in the water and see where the water comes in?

Two Fister · 07-02-2006, 12:19 PM

Take the cover off of the top of your bracket and fill the interior with water to the very top. Water will leak out of any of the leaks. Even a seeping pinhole in the welds will fill up the bracket over the course of a day. If there are any leaks in the welds take it back to NR to have them fix it.

If it's leaking under the hatch cover (which is very common on many of the brands) seal the underside of the hatch cover with 3M 5200. I'll bet that's where your problem is.
TF

Tacklebuster · 07-02-2006, 03:56 PM

If you have water in your bracket, I bet you anything it's coming from the hatch. I just got a retro done on my bracket and I got the screw in type hatch. I had three gallons of water in my bilge after a short trip. Everytime your boat comes off of plane the hatch is under the water for a few seconds and water would pour into my bracket. I picked up some rubber garage door bottom and some goop and made my own seal. Now it's water tight.

Make sure it's coming from your bracket. If your bracket and bilge share the water, it may be coming from somewhere else. Don't you just love a maiden voyage

If your bracket drains into your bilge and you actually have enough weight back there to make your boat heavy and take longer to plane, check the motor bolt holes to make sure they are not leaking. They will leak just about all the time where you hatch will only leak when it's under water.

If your bracket is self contained and can not drain into your bilge or vica versa, your bracket isn't big enough to get enough water in it to make your boat butt heavy. I have had three types of brackets on my boat and have been through all of this at least twice. PM me if you need some ideas.

DanX · 07-02-2006, 10:48 PM

I have a 2006 Northriver Seahawk 20' with the offshore bracket. This has been bothering me greatly. Everytime I take the boat out of the water, a ton of water pours out of the back-end (the bracket), and they tell me this is expected. Is it? All that weight is a big-time drag, I know it is. Any recommendations?

boater · 07-03-2006, 08:05 AM

Quote:

I have a 2006 Northriver Seahawk 20' with the offshore bracket. This has been bothering me greatly. Everytime I take the boat out of the water, a ton of water pours out of the back-end (the bracket), and they tell me this is expected. Is it? All that weight is a big-time drag, I know it is. Any recommendations?

if i had a boat with an offshore bracket on it the thing would be sitting in the dealer parking lot until it was fixed, no, it not normal.

Tacklebuster · 07-03-2006, 08:23 AM

Getting that much water in your boat under normal conditions is not expected, period.

If your bracket is the one that the bottom extends out and connects with the rest of your boat, I have a fix for you if it's the hatch that is leaking. Make sure it's not thru hull fittings or bolt holes from mounting your motor.

The fix I have for the hatch is 100 percent water proof and takes only 30 minutes to do. You can still open/unscrew the hatch anytime you like as well.

Magnum · 07-03-2006, 01:08 PM

DanX,

I have the 2006 20' as well. The offshore bracket on our model is "not" completely sealed. If you look up under the bottom where there is access to the motor bolts, you will see that the vertical plate is not welded to the top. On mine, it is a very small gap (paper thin) so I don't get a lot of water in mine. You might want to check your gap at that place. Everytime you accelarate water will be pressured up into that area. The more weight you have on the stern the more pressure it will be. I have not contacted NR about it to see if they can weld it sealed or not, but that may be the only option for keeping it 100% leak proof. :whazzup:

Tacklebuster · 07-03-2006, 04:05 PM

Are you talking about the metal plate on top of the offshore bracket that the hatch is on? If so, just take the plate off, smear a bunch of sealant on the bottom and then screw back down. Then take you some rubber and cut a thin strip to circle around the the edge of the plastic screw in hatch. Goop that down and then your 100 percent water proof.

I can not stand anything that leaks on my boat, even a little bit.

Magnum · 07-03-2006, 07:14 PM

Chris,

On the picture below, I am talking about the plate to which the 2 red arrows point too. This is the underside of my bracket. It has an opening to access the engine mounting bolts. The plate that the arrows point at is not welded at the top. I can take a piece of paper & slide it through the gap. During rough water trips, water is forced into this area & then into the bracket. When it is calm, I get on plane really fast & the bracket cut out rides above the water line so I dont' get any water drainage on calm days.

The top of my bracket, is sealed/water tight.

Tacklebuster · 07-03-2006, 07:48 PM

Interesting indeed. Is that bracket the kind that is made from the bottom extending out or the kind that is welded on to the back? Can your bracket fill up with water or does water from the bracket drain into the bilge?

I am thinking that would let water in while you are in reverse as well. I would be getting that sealed if water from your bracket can get into your bilge. If the bracket just contains the water, I probably wouldn't worry about it.

fishn2gthr4ever · 07-03-2006, 09:10 PM

You have all been very helpful! We have the exact same set up as Magnum. When we took our boat back to the dealer, the sales manager suspected that the areas that Magnum pointed out in his picture is the issue. We decided to let the dealer handle it and they will do the water test. We'll report back with the findings.

Other than this issue, we love our new boat. The fishing layout is perfect for me and my husband.

Thanks again to all!

joemomma · 07-04-2006, 08:58 AM

My TJ has a plastic screw cover, and water will come in from there, remove the plate and see if there is a gasket, if not, put some rtv around it and see if this solve's the problem. It will be easy to remove if you have to, but really no reason to get in there.