Bilgeaphobia: Fear of Bilges

[Karma_Killz]

Morning all, let's begin with an apology up front, for fear is at times a very silly thing.

Now on to legitimacy. In all my research & minor experience in sailing there is one tiny itty bitty thing that keeps me up at night. The horror story's I have heard about neglected boats with bilge pump malfunctions as well as current operational boats with bilge problems.

This scares me to no end, in doing research on my future boat I plan on purchasing and equipping 1) bilge pump 2) back up bilge pump 3) back up back up bilge pump 4) manual bilge pump

Clearly this is borderline insanity. What can be learned to remedy this fear? Knowledge must be the answer!


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[Monkeyfist]

What are you scared of - sinking?

If so, you could get a multihull. Most of them won't sink.

Pretty much all boats get water in the bilge to one degree or another. Most of the time, it's not that big a deal. I've sailed on old woodies where one guy's job for an entire race was to (manually) pump the boat out on downwind legs. SOP according to the owner, and he said the boat didn't leak in its slip - just when the hull was 'working'.

In the unlikely event that all bilge systems fail, that old saying still stands: The best bilge pump is a scared man with a bucket. I can personally confirm this.

Past that, have a good liferaft or dinghy ready to go.

FWIW, boating/sailing is the #1 pastime most prone to overthinking.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Karma_Killz

This scares me to no end, in doing research on my future boat I plan on purchasing and equipping 1) bilge pump 2) back up bilge pump 3) back up back up bilge pump 4) manual bilge pump

that's going to be a pretty big boat to have a bilge big enough for all that

[zeehag]

sounds like less a fear of bilges as a deep fear of water. mebbe a travel trailer and a vw van might be in order..... then the water ingress would only be from above. and the sides.. and..... just sayin...

[gonesail]

after you own a boat for a while and it has not sunk yet .. you will get over your Bilgeaphobia and find new things to worry about

[onestepcsy37]

Originally Posted by zeehag

sounds like less a fear of bilges as a deep fear of water. mebbe a travel trailer and a vw van might be in order..... then the water ingress would only be from above. and the sides.. and..... just sayin...

I usually have to run your posts through my English-to-English translation computer, but this one is easily understood, straight to the point, and funny as hell. Thanks for that one, Zeehag!

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by gonesail

after you own a boat for a while and it has not sunk yet .. you will get over your Bilgeaphobia and find new things to worry about

+1

Accident's do happen.... But I can guarantee you that your boat will never sink in the slip if you take care of your due diligence...

It's the neglected boats you hear of sinking that are mostly negligent ownership karma taking it's turn...

[thinwater]

[QUOTE=Monkeyfist;1627837]... In the unlikely event that all bilge systems fail, that old saying still stands: The best bilge pump is a scared man with a bucket. I can personally confirm this.
...QUOTE]

Please explain how you carry the buckets up the companion way ladder and out through the washboards (closed, assuming it is rough). I understand how this works in small boats, but as a purely practical matter, getting those buckets out of a larger boat may be slow going until the water is well up the ladder.

[sailorboy1]

[QUOTE=thinwater;1627883]

Originally Posted by Monkeyfist

... In the unlikely event that all bilge systems fail, that old saying still stands: The best bilge pump is a scared man with a bucket. I can personally confirm this.
...QUOTE]

Please explain how you carry the buckets up the companion way ladder and out through the washboards (closed, assuming it is rough). I understand how this works in small boats, but as a purely practical matter, getting those buckets out of a larger boat may be slow going until the water is well up the ladder.

You pour them in the sink. If the sink is already below the waterline, it is too late.

[skipmac]

Solution, bilge alarm.

Rig a switch a few inches higher than the main bilge pump and attach to whatever kind of alarm suites. Could be flashing lights, buzzers, bells, even go to an autodial phone to call you at home.

[atoll]

besides the dirty stinkey water what about the rats ,spiders and cockroaches that love to hang out under the floorboards.................

[roverhi]

Originally Posted by atoll

besides the dirty stinkey water what about the rats ,spiders and cockroaches that love to hang out under the floorboards.................

Oh, you mean my pets.

[sailvayu]

Understanding Bilge Pumps - YouTube

[Karma_Killz]

Originally Posted by gonesail

after you own a boat for a while and it has not sunk yet .. you will get over your Bilgeaphobia and find new things to worry about

Ha +1

Originally Posted by skipmac

Solution, bilge alarm.



Rig a switch a few inches higher than the main bilge pump and attach to whatever kind of alarm suites. Could be flashing lights, buzzers, bells, even go to an autodial phone to call you at home.

Now this is solid advice. I currently work at RadioShack *please don't throw tomatoes* & wiring up such an alarm can be done for less than $10


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[Karma_Killz]

Originally Posted by sailvayu

Understanding Bilge Pumps - YouTube

Is that 30 minutes of bilge pumps?
Maybe the most boring yet necessary 30 minutes of my life incoming this afternoon haha

A solid find


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