mid cabin bilges - finally dry

[BobCT]

After two years of owning my midcabin, it looks like I have dry bilges or at least when they're wet, I know why. Here's what I did:

1) Removed the macerator seacock in the mid cabin bilge, it was weeping. I also removed the hull drain plug which is about 1' behind it, under the freshwater pump shelf. I don't know what the purpose of that drain is, when the boat is blocked, no water collects in this area. I believe it was weeping as well but either way it's useless. Now the only below waterline through hull in the cabin is for the A/C. I'm going to replace that next year.

For those of you that use an overboard discharge, I would replace or at least re-bed the macerator seacock and make a new backing plate.

After a couple of rains and being in the water, it's finally stayed dry. The only water now is from the A/C drain. Since I only use the A/C when stationary, I'm going to extend the drain hose a little and run into a small plastic pan. I'll empty as needed.


2) Engine room. Same issue here with the seacocks. I replaced both of them and made new backing plates. Both had a pretty good weep as well so I would wind uo with 2-3" of water every day. Now they're a single handle operation which is nice.I have the Groco SSC flush out connections so I'm in there all the time.

The only water that comes in now is rainwater through the intake vents. If your intake hoses are good, the water will drain into the low point of the bilge which is right around the raw water seacocks. Aside from the valves themselves, the backing plates were shot after sitting in water all these years. If you're getting water splashing all over the tanks when it rains, your intake hoses need replacing. The connection at the intake vents is another weak point but an easy fix.

Aside from the obvious re-bedding of everything up above, I think looking at the seacocks and intake hoses will help if you're having the same issues.

Bob

[RWS]

Thanks for the info Bob,

There is ALWAYS a spot of water in my engine room bilge, the pumps just cannot evacuate that last bit out, and then the water in the hose returns when the pump stops.

In my express cruiser the bilge water generally collects in the forward bilge when she is in the water, as it's the lowert point.

The HVAC really makes a lot of water. I wonder (aloud) if it makes sense to add a household HVAC plastic collection box with a small bilge pump and switch plumbed to a new thruhull.

Comments?

RWS

[prowlersfish]

If I worried about a little water in the bilge , I would have to find a new hobby . Its a boat its going to have some water in it . The more you use it the more you may have.

Sorry but I had to say it

[BobCT]

RWS - adding a pan with a small pump for the A/C is on my boat "bucket list". I will do that at some point but for now I'm going to at least contain and empty it as needed. I have the computer fan/vent setup in the same bilge so it gets really dry if I suck out the AC water.

If I were boating down your way, that would probably move up on the list. I'm sure you're running the A/C a lot more in Fla than I am in CT.

I think the primary source of water in my engine room/forward bilge was through the seacock backing plates. They were made of plywood and the surface didn't look like it was sealed, at least not after 20+ years. I think they started to swell and fail from water "inside" the bilge, probably from the intake vents. I'm told that freshwater is what rots wood not salt water.

Yeah, not much you can do about that gush of water coming back down from the bilge hose. It would be great if the in-line check valves didn't have so many downsides so I'll live with it or suck it out with my drill pump.

Bob

[mhandley]

When I bought my 10meter in December there was a lot of bilge under the engines.

And it stayed there intop the spring when I launched her.

I asked the bonehead who I bought the boat from what that was all about, he told me the through hulls leak a little.

Then I sealed the gunwhale - that's right, it wasn't sealed.

Now my bilges are dry as a bone, and she's a 1985.

Check also you porthole gaskets, I found that they will leak down the inside of the hull and into the bilge as well.

Mid cabin bilge? Well I still working on that.