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captainUni · 07-08-2012, 21:08

Someone once mentioned you can't always have a dry bilge. I disagree. There always seem to be some water collecting in my bilge even after I wet vacuumed it a week later I come back there's water again. Not a great amount but I sure don't want the stinger to rot if the water somehow penetrate the protective paint layer. Any advice?

**rebel heart** · 07-08-2012, 21:21

A dry bilge is a little weird considering plenty of shafts have a nice little drip going. Nothing excessive but "dry" seems a little weird. I'm sure there are some "nodrip" shaft solutions but it's not like normal packing material with a tiny drip is any sort of a problem.

captainUni · 07-08-2012, 21:49

Thanks. Do I have to worry about prolonged periods of time of standing water in the bilge? My biggest concern is rot because the water does somewhat contacts the stinger. And the stinger is protected by fiberglass and paint. Thing is water will always find a way to penetrate!

**rebel heart** · 07-08-2012, 21:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainUni

Thanks. Do I have to worry about prolonged periods of time of standing water in the bilge? My biggest concern is rot because the water does somewhat contacts the stinger. And the stinger is protected by fiberglass and paint. Thing is water will always find a way to penetrate!

Well, my hull is fiberglass and paint so really water doesn't get through it unless there's a pretty huge hole. I don't really think there are any problems with prolonged water in the bilge since the only problem with water outside the bilge is the marine growth.

It can foul up pumps and stink to high hell, and then there's the safety aspect of keeping it as dry as possible so that if you do have a leak you have some ability to take on water before it's sloshing the floorboards around. But again a half a cup of water sloshing around really doesn't make any kind of a difference in that regard.

charliehows · 07-08-2012, 21:57

sea water shouldnt cause rot - its fresh or rain water you have to worry about

captainUni · 07-08-2012, 22:01

Thanks guys for laying it out for me. I feel better already. However, I will look for signs of leaks once the bilge is dried.

impi · 07-08-2012, 22:11

Charliehows mentioned sea water andd fresh water ... which is it that is accumulating in the bilge? Good old finger tip on tongue test!

captainUni · 07-08-2012, 22:21

Yuck! Lol. I'm pretty sure it's salt water given most days here are sunny and dry.

bruce smith · 07-08-2012, 22:25

spit in it .
( saliva , not a loogie)
sweet water, it will stay together,
sea water , spit will break up
takes a little practice

impi · 07-08-2012, 22:28

LOL ... actually I had this question posed to me when i contacted our agent just having purchased Impi ... 'Is it salt water or fresh water?'. I did the 'taste test' ... fresh water!
It turned out there was a slight leak in the freshwater plumbing that was dripping into the hull ... nipped up the fitting and 'PRESTO!'

Heikki · 08-08-2012, 00:20

There will always be some water. When I bought our current boat, another steel boat owner gave a simple advice: pour some oil to the bilge and it will not rust. Seems to work. Just cannot pump the bilge to sea, have to vacuum it dry before lifting the boat on hard for (artic) winter storage.

**noelex 77** · 08-08-2012, 02:26

Our bilge is always completely dry. It's no difficult to arrange, although having an aluminium boat helps eliminate the above waterline leaks.
It's a good safety feature, gives a lot more storage, eliminates boat smells and avoids corrosion/osmosis problems.

**GordMay** · 08-08-2012, 02:54

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, captainUni.

captainUni · 08-08-2012, 21:17

Thanks Gord!

captainUni · 08-08-2012, 21:22

So today I found a small leak by the seals around the rudder mount inside of the boat. Is it hard to repair or should it leave it for the pro? Unbolt the screw and reseal? I'm sure there are much more than that! Lol....