2012 SeaDoo Challenger 180 SP Leaking

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SamDooSea

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Hello - I recently purchased a 2012 Challenger 180 SP with around 120 hours that was in great shape... or so I thought. 24 hours after putting it in the water I came back to about 12 inches of water in the hull. There are no visible issues with the hull itself, what areas should I inspect for leaks otherwise? I've been looking for service manuals to advise but cant seem to find anything helpful. Thanks in advance for the assistance!
 
Could be carbon ring/seal? The mechanics on here can better answer on that, but I have read of leaks coming from that.
 
Is the water hot or cold in the bilge.

If it is hot, check your exhaust and water box plumbing.

If it is cold, check your carbon seal or other points of thru hull.
 
Also, check the rub rail. Common leak point is the seams on these. Right behind the rub rail etc.
 
Filled it up with water today while on the trailer and saw 2 spots of leaking (See attached pictures).

One was at the seam of the plug, seems like it just needs a new gasket.

The other (that is a bit more concerning as there was more water coming out) Is underneath the drive and seems to be flowing out of the some part there. Based on these pictures does this seem like it is the Carbon Ring/Seal?
 

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Your carbon seal is up towards the grate not at the pump. If the carbon seal was leaking it would be coming from the grate where the drives shaft goes through the hull.

What you are looking at is the rideplate which has a fitting that goes through the hull to the cooling system.

You will see them as they are the 2 hoses that go into a fitting in the bottom of the hull. Check them for cracks in the caulking around them.
 
is it possible to diagnose this without taking the ride plate off? Also are the fittings replaceable or are they embedded into the hull?
 
The plate has 2 fittings that go through the hull and that is what the cooling system is connected to.

When you install the rideplate, you basically go nuts with the RTV around those fitting to seal them so water does not come through.

Judging by your photo, I would have to assume that is where the water is leaking out.

To permanently fix it, you should pull the rideplate, clean it up and redo the RTV. It would be a pretty big job.

Alternatively, you might be able to seal from the inside but in doing so the water is making its way up to the inside. I don't think there is any wood in the hull so this may not be a big worry.

Also, the holes may be integrated instead of drilled. Maybe someone who has taken the rideplate off of a simular boat can comment?
 
You can see the two hose connections to the ride plate from inside the engine bay. They are normally smothered in sealant. It could also be from the mounting bolts (x6 I think )that also come up through the hull in the same area. I would start with checking those areas. If you can clean off the old sealant and reseal the nuts/bolts and hoses, it will be significantly easier than removing the ride plate.
 
So I got it into a shop - and they confirmed the diagnosis that the O-rings where the ride plate fittings go into the boat need to be replaced. However they are also telling me that they need to remove the pump support and inlet ramp in order to replace these O-Rings. They also informed me that these parts are no longer sold and if they are broken during removal i'm SOL... I dont fully understand why they would need to take off the pump support and inlet ramp in order to re-seal the rideplate. Am i missing something?
 
I don't get it. The o-rings are in the fittings for the coolant. If the o-rings are a problem, you would have a coolant link.

The fittings just go through the hole in the hull and are packed with sealant. If water is coming in, it is because the sealant has failed.

If I were you, I would consider trying to repair from the inside with sealant before going through the exercise of removing the ride plate.

Also, from what I know, to remove the rideplate you just need to pull the bolts and the pump to be able to put a jack in to put pressure on it to peel it away from the sealant.
 
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