15 litre sump extension

[solent clown]

We have been out and about the last couple of days, getting to grips with the yacht, practising all the boring bits - getting the main up past the lazyjacks etc, as well as doing some actual sailing. We got the boat well heeled over and flying along (in it's 50 year old way) only for me to glance down into the interior to find a black tide swilling around in the cabin.
I was aware we had suffered an oil leak, it was there when we got the boat,something I had repaired a while back. (yes THAT oil pipe on a yanmar 1gm10) In our identical other boat the engine bilge is separated from the hull, so I stupidly assumed this one was too. I had cleaned that part out. I also stupidly assumed it was just a skin of oil over bilge water, so I put the pump on and looked over the side. Water ran out for about three seconds, then it began to look soupy and nasty, so Karen flicked the pump straight off.
Upon return I lifted the now less pretty and delightfuly well executed fake teak floor to find the bilges filled with oil. A lot of oil. Dipping a digit revealed it was all oil. That explains the myriad of empty cans that were in lockers.
Next task is to pump it out into some cans for disposal/storage until we build the oil burner for the new workshop.

 

[Stemar]

I'm guessing there's a nice oily fragrance to the boat now :disgust:

We had a similar aroma caused by a leaking diesel return that nothing would cure, even after we cured the leak, until someone pointed us at this http://www.bioclean.co.uk/

As well as detergents, it contains bacteria that eat pretty much anything organic. Not cheap, but very useful to have on an old boat.

 

[solent clown]

thanks for that, sounds like a plan, I will get some. Yes it smells like my workshop now in the saloon, which kind of defeats the "getting away from it all" part of sailing! It is all dambolined fortunately so it should come off ok.