Animal, Vegetable or Mineral in my bilge?

[RWS]

I have long suspected a slow seawater leak into the bilge from either the rudder posts or a raw water intake that was damaged while stored on a damaged lift bunk, or possibly both.

The boat is generally lift kept but will spend time in the water behind the house when working on her or if a quick outing is planned just after a return.

We're on brackish water in Charlotte Harbor FL and the water temp is very warm, being the beginning of August.

The forward bilge connects to the rear bilge via the keel and runs the length of the boat.

In the water, the fwd bilge is the lowest point.

After a few days in the water, I noticed a foul odor. Opening up the bilge revealed dark water and a smell.

I poured a good dose of bleach into the bilge which killed the odor AND cleaned up the dark stuff, but I also noticed clear, transparent like stringy masses in the water.

The bleach turned these things brown.

I pulled them out and spread them on a white towel.

I have never encountered anything like this before. Could they be a result of the reaction of the strong does of bleach and a hose?

Could they be the remains of an organism that was killed by the bleach?

Any help will be appreciated.

THANKS,

RWS

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[yorklyn]

I have seen something similar . if you have stagnant water in your bilge it will sometimes develop a "scum" layer on top if left for a length of time. Sometimes if the water gets pumped out, the scum dries up into something similar to your picture.
Any way you can dry her out good on the lift then put her back in and check for leaks?

[Stripermann2]

Looks like algae of some sort, growing from bacteria in the sea water.
Get yourself some Pool Shock and dump it into the bilge. This will kill the bacteria and contaminants.