Centaur bilges

[Guest]

Well it's a chieftan but the same hull, I have water (and oil) traveling from the engine to the heads outlets(under the cool box). The flooring has been stuck down.

Should there be any access panels into the bilge agea to clean this mess out, or would it be safe to cut an access under the companion way step box?

Or should I just load the stern and tip the boat backwards and flush through and then try and seal the bilges altogether!

Help before the auto pump gets me into trouble!

 

[dah]

I also have a centaur ( b layout ) . You should have an access hole, a round screwable lid, which is situated between the table leg inserts on the port side of the main cabin. Unsrew this, you will obviously have to lift the flooring, and you can put a pump in and extract all the gunge. Hope this helps.

 

[davidphillips]

I too have a chieftain - make sure that the water is not coming from leaking keel bolts ( a common problem). There was no access hatch to the bilges in mine - I cut one near the sink (b layout), but actually found that most water drained back into the engine bilge.

 

[Guest]

I convert my boats to have interference fit sole boards in the cabins etc. I don't like 'sealed / locked' in bilges !

OK so some smart -a-- is going to shout - they should be screwed down, but in 40 years of on boats, I have not needed to screw down cabin sole ......

By the way, the best cleaner for you bilges after removing the liquid ..... oven cleaner liberally sprayed and brushed in. Wipe away well, fresh water wash it all down and dry. They'll be the cleanest bilges you have ever seen. I use this trick to clean GRP bilges prior to glassing in Echo-sounder mounts, it produces a clean grease free glueable surface.