Water in the bildge

[davidpm]

Almost every boat I see on land has water in the bilge even in the winter.

I guess it is almost impossible to keep every drop of rain and condensation out of the boat and eventually ends up in the bildge.

I worry about freezing damage though and wonder just how much damage is being done.

What do you think?

I'm not talking about any specific boat just the concept in general.

[sailingdog]

A lot of this depends on the boat. Keel-stepped mast boats are usually going to have some water get in via the mast. Deck-stepped masts should be dry on the interior if the boat is tight and well-found.

Yes, the water can cause problems, but it also depends on where the water is located and how much there is.

[davidpm]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

A lot of this depends on the boat. Keel-stepped mast boats are usually going to have some water get in via the mast. Deck-stepped masts should be dry on the interior if the boat is tight and well-found.

Yes, the water can cause problems, but it also depends on where the water is located and how much there is.

Would you elaborate please?
What I have seen most often is 3 or 4 inches in the bilge.
I'm sure the pump is ruined when it freezes but since the bilge is usually flaired a little I'm hoping that the ice will just pop up naturally.

[garyguss]

I throw in a little RV antifreeze when its on the hard and go back to sleep

[sawingknots]

if you don't want to use antifreeze,put in a few corncobs[oldtimers remedy]rubber balls would work just as well,any compressible objects

[sailingdog]

Elaborate on what? Water expands 10% when it freezes. Depending on when and where it freezes it can cause anywhere from no real damage to splitting a hull-keel join apart if it wasn't well sealed.

Originally Posted by davidpm

Would you elaborate please?
What I have seen most often is 3 or 4 inches in the bilge.
I'm sure the pump is ruined when it freezes but since the bilge is usually flaired a little I'm hoping that the ice will just pop up naturally.

[BarryL]

Hello,

I try to keep the water out of my bilge over the winter, but I usually do end up with some.

When I winterize the boat I pour some marine / rv antifreeze into the bilge, enough so that when I run bilge pump the antifreeze is pumped out. Then I try not to touch the bilge again. I visit the boat a bit and if I see water in the bilge I'll pump it out into a bucket and add a little bit of antifreeze.

This has been my scheme since 2007 and no problems yet.

Barry

[WanderingStar]

When I wintered ashore, I drilled a hole in the hull, and plugged it in spring.

[Gene T]

Originally Posted by WanderingStar

When I wintered ashore, I drilled a hole in the hull, and plugged it in spring.

This is really quite common and done by some boatyards to unattended leaky boats to prevent damage.

Gene

[CalebD]

Originally Posted by WanderingStar

When I wintered ashore, I drilled a hole in the hull, and plugged it in spring.

I've heard of this referred to as a 'garboard plug' which empties the bilge at a low spot. I have thought about installing something like this on my boat which has a deeper sump under the engine compartment then many shallow bilges I have seen.
I have a useless thru hull (speedo transducer) that I keep plugged but remove for winters on the hard. Water will drain out just below the engine but ice is not so good so a little RV anti-freeze in the sump is part of my winterizing process. A permanent garboard plug would be best but most sailors try to limit the number of holes they have in their boats so it isn't all that common these days.