Boat has always collected a lot of water and bilge pumps come on often. I've resealed rub rail and any other possible thing it could be but I found the issue this past weekend.
Water is coming IN the bilge pump out hole in side of hull! I thought about this before but many people have said the hoses are run way up high in the gunnels to keep this from happening but not true on a 32'. My bilge pump out hole sits about 1/4" above the water line when boat is sitting normally in the water. Last week, i was floating in the water toward the rear side of the boat. We had about 6 people standing on the swim step/sundeck so the bilge hole was under the waterline. I notice the bilge pumping water our and I put my hand up to it just to see how much pressure it pumps. Well, as the pumps cut off, the water immediately starting going back in and it sucked my hand up to the hole very hard! Within 1 min, the pump had reached it's limit and started pumping back out.
I can't figure out why Fountain put the hole so low. Even when I'm idling, the hole is 1/2 under water.
I've heard you can put a ball check valve in the tube but that will also keep the water from pumping out as good. Guess I could cap the stock hole and move it up higher but who wants to put another hole in the hull? Any thoughts?

The REAL question is................Why is there no check valve in the line?

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The hoses in my 32 loop up inside the gunnel as high as possible, putting them above the water line no matter how much weight is on the back. If water gets over those loops, it's coming over the hatch pad.

Never a single drop of water enters mine.

You do gotta make sure you don't create a siphon when the thru hull is under water from weight and boat is bouncing around. A high enough loop should prevent that. If not, a 'vented loop' will. Those are used all the time for marine plumbing that has the discharge under water.

'Generally', check valves are for most part avoided for bilge pump uses. a) you don't want a stuck valve, b) you risk where the pump won't be able to push water past the valve do to the weight of the water in the hose holding the valve shut. General bilge pumps aren't positive displacements, they just have a open vane impeller that is not sealed. It can spin freely w/o moving any water, if there is much of a back pressure and just cavitate. Not saying you can't use one though.
I'd try the hose rerouting as high as possible 1st. Keep it simple and trouble free. Yours sounds like they are lacking a loop above water level under all normal uses. Go high!

I would believe, someone cut the hose short at one time causing this issue.

I get water in the bilge also and my bilge pump hoses are not humped up , I need to fix that .

Same here. Mine dont go up at all. They go straight back and long the rear firewal over the exhaust.

I'm surprised your boat is still floating like that. Add to your hoses to loop them up if you can't get to your pumps to rep ace them with longer hoses. Better off to simply unhook and cap your thru hulls at this point, over your existing setup.


I see a dry bilge in your future!

I would certainly install a swing check valve if you can find one. We use them in the irrigation industry all the time.