How wet are your bilges?

[dylanwinter]

the slug was wet

maybe a two pints a week

more if it was raining

Harmony is about half a pint per side (twin keel Centaur) per week when sailing and no rain at all comes in

she is close to being dry when just sitting on a pontoon or a mooring

but the weeping around the keel bolts is just enough to make the side lockers too wet for anything other than fenders unless you sponge them out out once every two days or so.

everything else has to be in Aldi bags

nothing coming in from the stern gland once filled with grease

walking around marinas I hear pumps going off a lot

I just wondered what was normal

Dylan

PS Katie L has dust in her bilges

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

We get a tiny bit in the main saloon bilges due to a keel stepped mast, and a slight leak in the engine room, that I have now tracked down and will be curing shortly... in other areas, bone dry

 

[neilf39]

Completely dry. Other than the stern gland I would not expect water to get in anywhere else on a fibreglass boat unless you have things like showers emptying into the bilges. Wood is a different matter.

 

[Dipper]

I have to vacuum the dust out of my bilges.

It wasn't always so. Like you, everything in the lockers got wet and when heeled, the water could slosh from one side to the other. I discovered it was a large number of very small leaks through the toerail bolts. One year I resealed all one at a time which cured the problem.

 

[MrCramp]

This boat, like my last one, I have to vacuum the dust out of my bilges.

I cannot stand a boat that gets water in it or gets damp. It just shouldn't happen.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I just wondered what was normal

I get the drips from the stern gland when motoring, melt water from the coolbox and a tiny bit of condensation. There is normally about 2" of water in the "bilge", a sump about 12" x 4" under the engine, and after a month away the electric bilge pump will run for maybe five or ten seconds to get it to that level. On my previous boat, which had an outboard and no ice box, I'd dust out the bilges once a year.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Atacama.

 

[ronmarson]

Macwester 27. Stbd bilge has a small leak around one keel bolt, about half a pint a week. I sealed around the joint outside last winter but it still leaks. The port bilge has dust. The stern gland needs repacking and the auto bilge pump goes off every half hour when motoring. So much to do, so little time.
Capt. RoN

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Completely dry. Other than the stern gland I would not expect water to get in anywhere else on a fibreglass boat unless you have things like showers emptying into the bilges. Wood is a different matter.

Pretty hard to stop on a keel stepped mast....

 

[salar]

I am very pleased with myself. After 19 years with a boat that always seemed to have half an inch of bilge water whatever I did, I then fitted out a Harley 25. At first it was wetter than ever because the cockpit hatch design wasn't watertight. I had a new hatch made to my design and finally after another year, connected up the gutter drainage system. Totally dry bilge! First time in 20 years and I keep looking at it just to feel good.

 

[Poignard]

After remaking the joint between the wooden coachroof and the GRP deck my boat is dry inside.

 

[Tam Lin]

No weeping around my Centaur's keel bolts. Could be something to do with the fact that she has been on dry land for 18 months! Seriously though, she was dry even when she was in the water. I wouldn't shout about Harmony's weeping, its hardly a selling point!

 

[planteater]

My keel stepped boat does a good job at keeping the sea out - not so good with the rain.

Not a biggy though. Just have a solar powered bilge pump to chuck it out again.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

yep, we're the same.... but no more than quarter of a cup in a month, and even then, only when its rained hard

 

[PhillM]

One word, wood.

More rain than sea. Unless on the rails when tosides will leak a bit.

Constant battle, but a fun one.

 

[Searush]

First boat was dryzabone with an outboard power unit, but SR always has a little in the sump under the engine that the pump doesn't clear & which drips in thro the sterngland. The lockers tend to have a bit of condensation in them & I cut some 25gal plastic jerry cans in half so that stuff can be put inside in case of "accidents".

You may recall a thread earlier this year when I arrived at her to find about 6-8" of water above the floorboards. The plastic 1/2 barrels served their purpose well. I have since tighten the stern gland somewhat! Having seen that I was able to pump out such a quantity of water, I am quite relaxed about small amounts of water especially when they are out of sight.

 

[dylanwinter]

No weeping around my Centaur's keel bolts. Could be something to do with the fact that she has been on dry land for 18 months! Seriously though, she was dry even when she was in the water. I wouldn't shout about Harmony's weeping, its hardly a selling point!

there are no secrets when it come to selling harmony - everything is in the blog

 

[carl170]

It depends if I have a cover over the cockpit. 99% of the water that gets in my bilge is due to rain water running down between the cockpit hatch straight into the bilge. Water in the cockpit bilge doesn't bother me. What does bother me is when it fills up the cockpit bilge and runs into the cabin. The water would always run into the cabin bilge before setting off the pump.

I had a "Eureka" moment a few days ago and have figured out that I need to seperate the two with a dam of some description and then the bilge pump and float switch will deal with the rest! Simples!


Sadly, I am rather stupid and it has taken me 12 months of owning "Pheebs" to think of this!

Dylan - I was watching your video taken when you were going up the Tyne and have seen my current boat at Friars Goose (long before I owned her). I thought this was an interesting fact anyway!

 

[yachtorion]

Once I seal the windows properly again on Ailsa she'll be bone dry and dusty bilged.

The Hurley before was totally dry except for condensation on the rudder post.

 

[Heckler]

the slug was wet

maybe a two pints a week

more if it was raining

Harmony is about half a pint per side (twin keel Centaur) per week when sailing and no rain at all comes in

she is close to being dry when just sitting on a pontoon or a mooring

but the weeping around the keel bolts is just enough to make the side lockers too wet for anything other than fenders unless you sponge them out out once every two days or so.

everything else has to be in Aldi bags

nothing coming in from the stern gland once filled with grease

walking around marinas I hear pumps going off a lot

I just wondered what was normal

Dylan

PS Katie L has dust in her bilges

mine has dust as well. Benes dont leak if looked after proper