I just bought a used 2014 Stratos and noticed after fishing twice that there appeared to be water in the bottom of the boat. I wasn't sure if it came over from the boats when I slowed down too fast or what. So I kept the battery compartment open when put the boat in the water and immediately saw water in the bottom.

The plug seemed to be tight so I don't know if it's getting past the plug or of the hole around the plug is bad. 

 

Is this something that is covered by the boats hull warranty? How do I find out exactly where the leak is?

 

The first pic is immediately after putting it in the water. The second pic is after 5 hours of fishing. So a ton of water isn't coming in but if the boat was docked over night it could be an issue. 

 

 

Plug your livewell vents with covers and put it in the water. If the leak stops, you have a leak/crack in your livewell plumbing. If it doesnt stop, you may have a leak in the hull. No idea if stratos transfers hull warranties. 

It could be from the drain plug or it could be from a cracked hose in the live well system or from a loose hose clamp. Could even be a crack in the hull. The only way to know for sure is to dig in and inspect the hoses and pumps yourself. You could also pay someone to do it for you. 

2 hours ago, iabass8 said:

Plug your livewell vents with covers and put it in the water. If the leak stops, you have a leak/crack in your livewell plumbing. If it doesnt stop, you may have a leak in the hull. No idea if stratos transfers hull warranties. 

 

How do I plug those holes?

How many live well vents are there? Is a vent a drain? Because I think it has one that lets out water near the main drain. 

I think the best thing for you to do is take it a dealer and have him test and fix it.

7 hours ago, tcbass said:

 

How do I plug those holes?

How many live well vents are there? Is a vent a drain? Because I think it has one that lets out water near the main drain. 

 The live well vent holes will be down by your plug. They'll be much larger in circumference then your plug hole and most likely have a vent looking cover over them. You can get covers At a lot of places to cover them up so water does not go in or out of your live wells. Also there's another hole next to your drain plugs  that is for your live well as well. Plug that too. Basically plug both of the holes and put vent covers over the live well vents.  If you do this and then put the boat in the water and water does not come in anywhere then you know you have a live well plumbing problem And is it very difficult to find out where at that point.If you do do this correctly and water still comes in, you may have some structural damage you can't see.

Check your bilge pump while launching.  If I launch my boat on a steep ramp water gets up over the back bilge pump outlets for a few seconds and will put a small amount of water into my bilge area.  Easiest way to check is to be on the back deck with the hatch open as some one dumps you in.  If you see nothing come backflushing out of your bilge pumps then my next test would be to fill the bilge with a garden hose while the boat is sitting on the trailer in the driveway.  If you have a cracked pump housing or bad hose you will be able to see water dripping from the boat and can back track it from there. 

Also one other word of advise... especially if leaving a boat docked overnight.  Add an Automatic bilge pump.  I added one mainly for added piece of mind on Erie.  A day in big waves can wash a lot of water overboard that you may not realize until it is too late.  Also kicks on during a big rain.

1 hour ago, stfreed said:

Check your bilge pump while launching.  If I launch my boat on a steep ramp water gets up over the back bilge pump outlets for a few seconds and will put a small amount of water into my bilge area.  Easiest way to check is to be on the back deck with the hatch open as some one dumps you in.  If you see nothing come backflushing out of your bilge pumps then my next test would be to fill the bilge with a garden hose while the boat is sitting on the trailer in the driveway.  If you have a cracked pump housing or bad hose you will be able to see water dripping from the boat and can back track it from there. 

Also one other word of advise... especially if leaving a boat docked overnight.  Add an Automatic bilge pump.  I added one mainly for added piece of mind on Erie.  A day in big waves can wash a lot of water overboard that you may not realize until it is too late.  Also kicks on during a big rain.

 

Thanks. I'll check it out. 

3 hours ago, iabass8 said:

 The live well vent holes will be down by your plug. They'll be much larger in circumference then your plug hole and most likely have a vent looking cover over them. You can get covers At a lot of places to cover them up so water does not go in or out of your live wells. Also there's another hole next to your drain plugs  that is for your live well as well. Plug that too. Basically plug both of the holes and put vent covers over the live well vents.  If you do this and then put the boat in the water and water does not come in anywhere then you know you have a live well plumbing problem And is it very difficult to find out where at that point.If you do do this correctly and water still comes in, you may have some structural damage you can't see.

 

Ok. Are vent covers and plugs something I could find at Gander Mountain or do I need to go to a marine dealership?

And are they the same size for all or do I need to find out their sizes?

Marine dealership would be my first choice. It's a longshot to Gander Mountain would have them but I suppose it's possible.

no, not all vents are the same size. Just take a tape measure and measure the diameter and circumference

There is an easier way. I know this is an old post but here is what I did to test the system. I hooked up both livewell intakes to each other. This allowed me to isolate the systems and still be on the water if needed.