1991 F206LS Thunderbird with a Magnum 5.7, 350 / Alpha drive

I noticed water in the bilge today and used my wet vac to clean it up ... about 4 gallons. I noticed that the water is dripping in between the two bottom thru hull bolts on the lower portion of the outdrive. I took an open-end wrench and found the port side nut to be loose.... the starboard nut was also loose but not as bad. I tightened both and it seems to have slowed the drip somewhat but it is still defiantly continuing to weep. What might be the cause? It seems to run and shift in and out of gear fine but the slow leak is very disconcerting. I towed the boat from Nevada where it has spent its whole life last week ... could the altitude change along with the 800-mile drive caused these bolts to loosen? Do I need to put the boat on my trailer and torque these outdive bolts or should I find a local dealer to inspect? I did have a buyer’s inspection performed in Nevada, which indicated the boat was in exceptional condition for a 1991. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Mike

Welcome to OSO Mike.

Finally, another F-206 owner!

You could try to retorque the bolts but I'd let a service tech look at it. The seal (O-ring) on the transom assy maybe bad. If so the drive, transom assy and possibly the engine will have to be pulled to repair it.
The change in altitude had nothing to do with it.
The long haul may have contributed to the cause.

Have it looked at ASAP!
Water seeping in will soak into the transom and possibly cause the wood to rot if not stopped. Sounds like it's in the water now. Get it on the trail as soon as possible and don't leave it the water till it's fixed.

Pick up a service manual and read up on your drive system. You'll learn a lot and understand what the service tech is telling you.

Best of luck.
Let us know what you find out. We're all here to help.

yeah what he said..if its the two bolts I am thinking of the have gaskets on them! YAY for another 206 owner!! 1989 here. Do you have any pics??

With the Alpha drive if the u-joint bellows or seal on u-joint barrel are leaking, the water will usually show up in the boat between those two bolts. it's something to attend to ASAP as the pieces (u-joints,yokes,G-bearing)that would also be laying in water are subject to rust. Quick check is just pull drive, and check for water in bellows, if none, look elsewhere for source.

Thanks you guys ... I'm bummed! Need to find a reputable dealer in my neck of the woods to preform the work. The boat is in such good condition I am really surprised to have this issue but I guess thats what boat ownership is all about! I will try to post a pic. Hope this works.

Mine is an 1988 model, 350 MAG/Alpha drive.

Here's a link to pics of it...... Iggy's Boat

Boat ownership is a full time job. No matter how well it's been kept there's always something that needs tending to. Preventive maintenence will lessen the down time and catch things before the become serious.
Remember, if the engine or drive fails you can't just pull over and call AAA.

sorry for the crappy pic but this is the boat stuck on a sandbar last year! I will have alot of new pics up very soon

bowtie89, have you figured out what was causing the knock in your engine??
Hope it wasn't too serious.