Why on earth would a sailboat designer/manufacturer put the thru-hulls for both the manual and automatic bilge
pumps below the water
line? Seems like asking for unnecessary risk. This is exactly what we have on our 42 ft CC Beneteau, made in France. In addition, the associated seacocks are accessible only by removing panels held in place by 4-6 screws. I can imagine the scramble to get to them should a hose or clamp fail. One is accessed through a lazerette, and the other is beneath the propane locker via the aft cabin. The only defense would seem to be keeping the hoses, seacocks, and clamps in pristine condition at all times, despite the inconvenient access.
Does anyone know if a significant number of other boats have underwater bilge thru-hulls? What could possibly be the rationale for the arrangement?