Y pipe

[ChrisS]

This may be a stupid question but what is the simplest way for me to check and see if the Y pipe is leaking sea water into bilge?

The marina mechanic, who just did about $1500 of engine work. Prior to this, the boat showed no signs of water leakage. I complained to him about the water suddenly showing up. He looked at it again for me and now states that the Y pipe is corroded and has a very slight leak. He said that this would be an off-season repair and based on the amount shown that I will be good to use it as long as the bilge pump is working (It is brand new).

So, is he possibly just stringing me along for $$$? Is the boat "safe" to operate? Should I find a new mechanic?

[mmwjr]

With your phone on a GoPro stick in video mode you can try to film the bottom of the pipe to see if you can spot any corrosion. If you trailer the boat you can run the engine with the drain plug installed to see if water starts collecting in the bilge. If the pipe is leaking sea water it’s also leaking exhaust fumes into the bilge which isn’t good.