sealing sump

[Lennie]

Hello all,

I have a 1981 Pearson 367 and it has a very deep sump in the rear section of the keel. I'm considering sealing it up to make cleaning and retrieving dropped items easier. And this would keep water out if the keel was damaged where the sump is located.
My question is this a good idea? And if so should I fill the void with something?

Len

[GILow]

I am in the middle of reversing this very procedure on our boat. The voids in question became horrendously smelly with old water, and I mean INCREDIBLY smelly. I am now cutting them open to make them easier to access. And we do have a very deep keel so I accept that keeping the area clean will be a pain.

I have found the simplest solution is shop vac ($29) with a wet/dry function. I have found it keeps the bilges bone dry and takes only seconds to poke the long tube down into the difficult areas. I concede that it would be a bit of a pain to store it on board if we were liveaboards though.

Matt

[GILow]

P.S. I considered using expanding foam to fill the area, but I felt oncomfortable with the idea of an area that would become completely impossible to inspect.

[roverhi]

A sump is really necessary on a boat intended for ocean voyaging. Water will get below and if you don't have a sump, will end soaking anything against the hull. Hate these new flat bottomed boats with bolt on keels. A day or two sailing in ugly conditions will convince you how important a deep sump is.

[gjordan]

All you need is a few gallons of sea water leaking into your boat while sailing, and you will love your nice deep sump. It allows a bilge pump down low enough to pump water out without water sloshing up under your settees , or getting near your engine. Many people have lived with soaked supplies and wet gear from shallow bilge boats that took on a little water, and it sloshed into storage compartments. Deep sumps are a plus on an ocean going boat. Yes a little hard to keep clean, but worth it. Just my 2 cents worth. ______Grant.

[gjordan]

Peter types faster than me._____Grant.