[seaner97]

Thinking of trying one of these (Arid Bilge just too expensive to justify) as the Admiral dislikes the smell that is generated by the standing water. Have spent beauceau time/money plugging all holes and eliminating leaks, but still get some condensate and in the P35 double bilge it's hard to get the last inch. Would appreciate any practical experience.

 

[Faster]

One of these what??
Edit: found it.

http://www.drybilgesystem.com/

 

[seaner97]

Yeah, sorry for no link, but figured if you didn't know what it was, probably no practical experience with it.

 

[seaner97]

There is passing mention in one prior thread, but I wanted to avoid the "fix the holes, use a phone book, live with it, and use a clothesline" stuff. Any practical experience would be helpful.

 

[MarkSF]

Interesting idea.

 

[seaner97]

After several email tries and no response, I decided to make my own using a graybeard pump. Will let you know how it goes.

 

[seaner97]

So, I put the Greybeard in, hooked it to a water witch and used a wet/dry vac filter to make a filter for the end of it. Primed the tube, dropped it into the bilge and it drained it dry and out the thruhull. Awesome... until the damn thing clogged 24 hours later with sludge in the tube. I'm thinking it will work spectacularly once I detergent out the bilge and get all the sludge out, but not as well as I thought at this point. I guess bilge cleaning is like painting. It's all in the prep work.

Still- way cheaper option that seems to work well.
I'll get some pics up at some point.

 

[aeventyr60]

More frequent flushing of your bilge with a 5 gallon bucket of suds sounds more like the answer.

 

[seaner97]

I'm thinking it will work spectacularly once I detergent out the bilge and get all the sludge out, but not as well as I thought at this point. .

Agree, as I said

 

[seaner97]

I will say, however, that the boat smell is way better than it was by adding two solar vents and doing this. Barely smells like fibreglass and not at all like diesel anymore.

 

[Minnewaska]

Dust and moisture in a bilge are always going to reappear as sludge. Frequent cleaning is required to avoid.

Would love to see some pics. I have a small compartment that holds some water and I've wanted to just pump it to my low bilge. Arid Bilge is overkill.

 

[eherlihy]

This is what I use to clean, and keep my bilge very dry (~$30);

I have to say that I am VERY interested in upgrading to this (~$100);

Except that it requires a battery (sold separately for ~$100), and a 120VAC charger (sold separately for ~$50)

 

[IStream]

This is what I use to clean, and keep my bilge very dry (~$30);

I do the same thing at the end of the season. Makes quick work of it.

 

[seaner97]

Will try to get some pics early next week.
I've done the shopvac thing as well, but forgot/didn't get around to it before splash this year (and I'm on a mooring with no easy 110 access), and wanted something that would keep the bilge dry if some rainwater/condensation got in in between my visits just to keep the smell/growth down. My bad for not making sure the bilge was clean before I did this, but as we all have done- sometimes we get ahead of ourselves and do things out of proper order. Live and learn.
I also looked at and liked that rechargable Rigid. Had trouble justifying the price as well, however.

 

[Minnewaska]

A dry vac is a cute idea, but not going to solve some problems. You can't stop water coming down the mast and, if you have an issue with some limber holes blocking the bottom 1/8" of water from flowing, it will almost always be wet. Requires mechanical automated solution. Not manual.

 

[seaner97]

Agree. Which is why I went this way.

 

[seaner97]

The install. Pump lifts then pushes out the underside of the transom on the Starboard side. Washed it out and unplugged and suds it up good. Worked like a charm.

 

[aloof]

I have been thinking of making a little drip pan for the mast foot. A separate little pump would drain it. That way the bilge could be dry most of the time. Anyone seen this?

 

[seaner97]

I'd be a little worried you would concentrate the moisture and rot out your mast foot. Better to have it drain to the bilge and then drain that, I would think.

 

[aloof]

I'd be a little worried you would concentrate the moisture and rot out your mast foot. Better to have it drain to the bilge and then drain that, I would think.

That is an excellent point. Fortunately my mast ends at about the floors. The pan could sit below on the turn of the hull, above the keel stub sump.