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First time posting on the boards but have been following these discussions for about a year now and really hoping for some help and advice diagnosing the cause (and cure) for the declining performance on my whaler

The Boat: 2001 Dauntless 22' with a 2011 225 Yamaha V6 Four stroke with a 15 1/2 X 17 SS II prop. Boat has a T-top that was recently installed on the decking at some point in the last several years.

The Problem: I purchased this boat in April and at the time of survey WOT put the boat at 5500 RPMs and 44mph. The engine appears to be mounted a bit low. I have one more hole I can go up and was hoping that was the cause of not getting to 6000 RPM when the boat was purchased. However, now that performance continues to degrade, I am concerned that either i have some type of engine problem, or more concerning, that there is water coming into the hull.

When the boat arrived up North I had the hull bottom painted (previously it had been stored on a lift or trailered) and replaced all of the thru-hull fittings as they were all leaking water. I also noticed that the bilge tended to get water in it after washdowns and rain. There is always a little water in bilge area even though the plug is left in.

The boat has been in the water for four months and when I went out recently ( single person plus full fuel 90 gallons plus 6 gallons of water) I could not get more than 4800 -4900 RPMs and top speed was under 40mph.

Here is my question - Is it possible that this is being caused by water intrusion, and if so where is the water going? I have read enough on here that it seems unlikely the hull itself is absorbing that much water. The hull is in very good condition with the exception of a couple of small cracks in the gel coat (i.e. this is no Chain Saw Whaler. ) I wonder if water is leaking onto the fuel tank cavity from the deck?. I have seen several mention of this with the older Outrages, but I have not seen much mention on 'newer' boats post 2000. Anyone have experience with this? and if so how can I figure that out? And how would I get that out before the winter freeze comes?

Down deep I am hoping this is an engine problem as the motor is still under warranty, but would love to get some help figuring out what is going on.

Thanks for any help or advice you care to share!

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You could start with the engine (it is under warranty).....Have a certified yamaha mechanic (or a mechanic with the yamaha software) perform diagnostic testing on your motor. An engine issue should be straightforward to diagnose...the computer programs give a nice history of engine performance. Ruling out any type of engine issue should give you peace of mind in that department.....hopefully your issues are minor engine issues.
In regards to the hull, how did you know the thru hull fittings were leaking? And what did you replace them with?

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You've probably lost some of the performance due to the bottom paint and the boat sitting in the water for the past 4 months.

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I had the boat delivered to my mechanic who did the bottom painting and also was going to service the engine before it went in. When he put it in the water, he found water leaking in to the stern from the thru-hulls. He pulled it out and on closer inspection, found all of them to be leaking. One appeared to have lost all sealant and could spin freely. I think because the boat was not kept in the water, the previous owner either did not notice, or did not care. I was disappointed to say the least, but once i recognized the problem, I had all of them replaced.

All were replaced with plastic through hulls and 5200 sealant I believe.

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I have wondered about that. This is the first time I have kept a boat in the water, and was surprised that even with bottom paint, there is a fair amount of crud that grows, but given the drop in performance I did not know if that could explain all of it.

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Follow up question for you - what would show up? I am not familiar with the software. The surveyor hooked his computer up and all I saw in the report was hours in the 5000-6000 range, no major faults. Is there something more specific my mechanic should be looking for?

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I'm not a mechanic....you will need to discuss possible engine concerns with your mechanic. As you know, the newer motors are incredibly complicated with all kinds of computer systems. Its like having a new car engine on the back of your boat. When was the last time you worked on a new car motor. Today's engines require the appropriate software to run all kinds of diagnostic testing which should yield lots of information about your motor and all systems within....historical information with how your engine has been running...any error or fault codes....etc.
Your mechanic should be a certified yamaha mechanic or someone that you trust to work on yamaha four stroke motors......
I do agree with earlier post....clean the bottom of your boat first....see if that improves your issue....

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I've seen a performance drop just from painting the hull.