Bilge Survey

[Guest ExMemberKingFisher]

As the title suggests I am starting this thread purely out of interest and as a survey, not really to discuss the rights and wrongs etc. It would make a more informative thread if people could just stick to the survey and maybe start another thread or carry on hijacking Dee and Mikes thread if they wish to discuss the topic further

1. Does your boat have a completely dry bilge, or does it have a small amount of water controlled by a bilge pump? 

2. Does your boat have a shaft seal designed to let past a small amount of water or is it dripless?

3. Does your boat have any wells, shower tray, gulleys or other drains directly into the bilge?

4. How many bilge pumps does your boat have?

5. Are they on separate batteries?

 

 

[Guest ExMemberKingFisher]

I'll kick off.

1. Small amount of water dealt with by bilge pumps with spongability, that probably gives away the make.

2. Lets past about a drip per minute.

3. Yes rear foot well.

4. 2

5. One of engine and one of domestic batteries.

[MauriceMynah]

1.  Some water (more than I would wish)

2.  At the moment one drip every 10 seconds.

3.  No, but when I'm aboard I often leave the pram hood canopy down even in the rain.

4.  One at the moment, a second one is planned for.

5.  Run from the domestic batteries (I think)

[grendel]

Baby BA- Model #1 

1. dry bilge

2.shaft gets a light oiling - no leaks yet

3. the rear well and cockpit drain into the bilge.

4 none, though I have created a design for one.

5.not applicable.

Baby BA- Model #2 

yet to have sea trials.

[High6]

20 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

1.  Some water (more than I would wish)

2.  At the moment one drip every 10 seconds.

3.  No, but when I'm aboard I often leave the pram hood canopy down even in the rain.

4.  One at the moment, a second one is planned for.

5.  Run from the domestic batteries (I think)

MM, I walk past your boat every day.

 

I'll let you know if it sinks.

[BroadAmbition]

1. Small amount controlled by bilge pumps

2. Yes

3. Yes

4. Four

5. No

Griff

[TheQ]

Being a Elysian Centre cockpit, I have three Bilge areas..

The forward area, the bilge is also where the shower water goes, so it gets wet in use, and has a Bilge pump

 The engine Area used to get a small amount of water oil / when we had a BMC 1500, But a mop up every few months, took care of it.. now we are all electric not a drop, no pump.

The aft area, has the stern gland in it, I Yet to see more than a drop out of that and only when I'm topping up the grease. , no pump.

At the moment the bilge pump is run from1/4 of the drive batteries (Solar charged), if it needs more than that, then there must be a very big hole.

 Eventually for safeties sake, each compartment will get it's own pump.

 

[ranworthbreeze]

Two bilge pumps on floats switches but can be operated manually.

Hand operated bilge pump that pumps lower than the automatic pumps.

Engine area sealed from the bilges.

Hot water cylinder pressure relief valve goes into bilges.

Prop shaft does drip into the bilges.

Shower trays pumped out via skin outlets.

Regards

Alan

[socrates]

Two bilge pups, one auto and one with manual switch. Bilge pumps run off separate solar powered battery. 

Large pans/buckets for self-bailing (see post Broadland Grebe)

Engine tray fitted with absorbent pads which are replaced every year. 

Shower tray pump discharges via skin fitting.

Hot water relief valve out via skin fitting.

Cold water vent out via skin fitting

Gas bottle stowage drains out via skin fitting

Stern gland drains to bilge (as in HMS Ark Royal)

[BrundallNavy]

Yes more water than I would like since being squashed, hopefully be dry when I fix it next year,

shaft with stuffing gland only drips when under way due to the shaft not quite in line, again on the list for next year.

only if the canopy is down.

Two, one aft and one forward, shower has a separate pump.

From my one starter battery that’s live all the time even when the batteries are isolated.

[dnks34]

 

Wet bilge in a gully roughly 10ft long and a foot wide narrowing toward the gland at the rear, the area behind it under the aft cabin is dry but drains into the same gully. Then going forward of the gully a seperate engine tray and then further forward to the bow a dry bilge and thruster compartment, no pump in the fwd compartment and it has never ever needed one.  The chain locker drains overboard and there is usually about 1 to 2 inches of water in the gully the pump can never completely shift. 

Traditional stuffing gland (that drips)

No, 2 shower trays with seperate pumps to overboard, no wells

1 auto bilge pump old but working and currently turned off as in its present location it cant sink!!

No, bilge pump runs from domestic bank.

you can come and survey my bilge anytime but please bring a sponge and some cleaner!

 

 

 

[BrundallNavy]

My bilge before being squashed.

[WherryNice]

1. Bilge is usually bone dry unless something has leaked(calorifier fitting last time).

2. I have an Inboard engine with an outdrive and as such is dripless and the engine bay is seperate from the rest of the bilge too.

3. Nothing deliberatly drains into the bilge.

4. 1 bilge pump

5. Hard wired to the domestic battery via own fuse and switch panel for auto operation when unattended and isolated with manual override at helm when electrics all on.

Boat is 21ft GRP cruiser

[LondonRascal]

On Independence:

1. Small amount of water.

2. Shaft seal allowing small amount of water to drip (yet to see how much especially when underway)

3. No. All domestic water is routed to 'sea chests' which have their own dedicated bilge pump to pump the contents overboard (float switch)

4. 3 pumps + manual hand pump

5. They are run off the main domestic batteries.

[ExSurveyor]

 Calypso

1. Does your boat have a completely dry bilge, or does it have a small amount of water controlled by a bilge pump?

NO, 

2. Does your boat have a shaft seal designed to let past a small amount of water or is it dripless?

Yes

3. Does your boat have any wells, shower tray, gulleys or other drains directly into the bilge?

Large rear well.  All deck and well drains should go via rubber tubes to skin fittings although a couple have perished in the last 45 years and are impossible to get to without employing small children.

4. How many bilge pumps does your boat have?

Two,  set at different heights.

5. Are they on separate batteries?

Yes

 

 

Topcraft Topliner

 1. Does your boat have a completely dry bilge, or does it have a small amount of water controlled by a bilge pump?

Wet,  contained in a deep keel gulley

2. Does your boat have a shaft seal designed to let past a small amount of water or is it dripless?

Yes

3. Does your boat have any wells, shower tray, gulleys or other drains directly into the bilge?

The huge flat roof drains overboard via concealed pipes (thank goodness  )

The front well drains into the bilge but now has a cover.

The covered side and rear walk ways collect a lot of rain that goes straight into the bilge these areas are below the waterline.  This ingress is mitigated by partial side canopy screens.  I plan to try and get these areas to drain via a sump pump or just extend the canopy covers right around the sides and rear.

4. How many bilge pumps does your boat have?

Two,  set at different levels plus a really weird mechanical one as a further back up.

5. Are they on separate batteries?

One off dedicated fridge battery and two off the 360amp domestic bank.

I fitted a pump to the little Broom Scorpio just because the canopy leaks.

[ZimbiIV]

1. I don't know, I pay a man (Mark Ignition Marine) to see to that.

2. ditto.

3. ditto. etc.

I have a back problem that prevents me from crawling around the bilge area.

paul

[garryn]

1. There' s always water in the bilges roughly from the middle of the boat to the stern in th bottom of the v.

2. Yes

3. The rear well drains into the bilges.

4. One

5. Off the domestic batteries.

 

[socrates]

 

Continuation of the topic. What do the experts here suggest that the bilge is painted with, how often, and what colour?

We chose to paint our bilge with grey (again, I won't mention the brand name of the paint for fearing that I fall foul of the rules)specialist bilge paint. I plan to use a proprietary wood preserver followed by two coats of the above paint. 

On reflection, I think white might be better, this was the colour of bilges of Royal Navy ships, the reason being is that anything dropped in the bilge can be seen (unless it is white) and any oil can be spotted easily. Looking at the bilge of Broadland Grebe, something I have to do often, it is highly unlikely it has been cleaned let alone painted for many years.In February, I will be carrying out a deep clean and paint of the whole bilge.

[grendel]

I believe Broad Ambition has used a fire resistant aluminium based paint for all of the interior of the hull and bilges

[socrates]

5 minutes ago, grendel said:

I believe Broad Ambition has used a fire resistant aluminium based paint for all of the interior of the hull and bilges

Thanks, I think that is the same paint we are using but can't mention the name (bit like being on the BBC). Being new, I don't want to attract the attention of the forum police.

[Vaughan]

My advice is two words -  WATER TRAPS.

On a wooden boat, any little corner where water is trapped and cannot flow away to the centre of the bilge, will be where it starts to go rotten. Rot is caused when air and water are allowed to regularly mix.

Where the timbers meet the hog, there will be gaps, to let the water flow down the keel, or the timbers may be drilled with "limber holes" to allow for drainage. It is very important that these gaps and holes are kept clean and clear, and that also means clear of enthusiastic over-painting!

[BroadAmbition]

Limber holes - Hundreds of em on 'B.A' each rib has a gap under it where it meets and goes over the hog,  Every two years, every single one is checked for debris / blockages - none to date which means water can flow from fwd and aft freely down to the lowest points where the pumps are situated, these themselves I have 'Let' into the top of the hog in a kind of sump with a cross over channel.  After we had steam cleaned the whole of the inside of the hull it was allowed to thoroughly dry out (Well she was in the shed for over five years)  the whole lot was treated to 2 x coats of 5 star cuprinol, then two coats of aluminium fire resistant paint which of course is silver in colour.  Goodness me that stuff is expensive, but then again, one usually gets what one pays for

Griff

[socrates]

One of the first things we did was clear the limber holes as they were mostly blocked with evil, unmentionable stuff. I found an old welding rod was good for clearing the limber holes, some of which had disappeared in the mess. Will do the same after painting.

Never thought about steam cleaning the bilge before we start this Feb, just might do that. Certainly needs a good and proper clean,

From what I recall we recovered a considerable amount of small change as well as a variety of tools, finders keepers!

[VetChugger]

What's with all this "eggshell walking" over brand names?? The forum is surely about useful information as well as discussion?

 

[ranworthbreeze]

There is nothing wrong with giving out advice such as brand names, naming and shaming is another story.

Regards

Alan