Bilge access

[aitchw]

My recently acquired 16' triple keel (long keel with small bilge keels) Seasafe has no access to the bilges. There appear to be just two full bulkheads which go down to the bottom of the central keel, one in line with the start of the foredeck and the other at the cabin entrance. There is ballast (probably concrete) which I assume is located only in the central section under the cabin sole. When I rock the boat fore and aft on the trailer I can hear water sloshing around. I need to cut a hatch in the floor big enough to at least get a hand bilge pump pipe in but better, big enough to get my hand in to sponge out.

Problem is what to use as a hatch fitting. 4" dinghy hatches won't take being stepped on repeatedly and are not designed to cope with pressure from the inside. Yacht hatches which might do the job are big and expensive.

Anyone any ideas about what to use that's affordable?

I have no doubt the builder intended these compartments to be watertight but I don't think any boat of an age is likely to be completely dry. There are no hull fittings which go through the hull except for the rudder tube and the hull looks sound, no cracks or damage. The window seals have let in water for a long time (about to be replaced) and the boat has had a lot of standing water inside until I took her on a couple of months ago. These are the most likely sources.

Any helpful pointers to dealing with this would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Howard

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[philwebb]

Why dont you make up a hatch from marine ply and cut a matching hole in
the cabin sole. You would then have to support the edge of the hatch with
a flange made up from some suitable scrap and self tapped/araldited/ glassed
into place.
Alternatively dont you have lockers on either side? Perhaps it is
possible to access the bilge somehow via the side or bottom of a locker
(careful not to go through the bottom of the boat!)

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[boatless]

Do you really need a hole that big? I'd try a small hole to allow a pipe in to suck out?

<hr width=100% size=1>my opinion is complete rubbish, probably.

 

[silverseal]

I have a Pela oil suction system which works with water as well as oil, and is designed to draw via the dip stick, which is 6-mm diameter... a lot easier to seal than a 4 inch hole!

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[tugboat]

I also favour a small hole that could be used to pass the pipe from an oil changer pump (the small brass hand pumps are good). If you feel the need for a slightly larger hole you could use a deck filler fitting as these are strong enough to walk on. A plastic one would be good as you could easily trim off the spigot underneath if necessary.A small pilot hole is good idea first so you can check clearance under the sole with a piece of wire before drilling a big'un.

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[aitchw]

Ideally, I was looking for something easily plugged and unplugged for more frequent access rather than screws and resealing.

The locker sides contact the hull at the same level as the cabin sole.

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[aitchw]

The oil changer pump appears favoured by most of you though the deck filler idea would allow the fairly big bore of my hand pump hose to access the area. I will have a look at them.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

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[Rick]

I've got a couple of access hatches that are some sort of bronze deck plate - I've seen them for sale at marine engineering type places, and not too dear.

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[floatything]

Do you have access to a router? If so, then you could cut an access hole of the required size, then route a 'lip' in the floor to a depth of half the floor thickness. Next cut ( from a piece of wood the same thickness as your boarding) a cover of a size to match the larger 'routed out' hole size, then route the edges of this to match the inner hole. All you need then is a couple of fixings to keep it in place.

Just an idea - commonly used by plumber / electricians for access holes in flooring.
HTH

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