by Mark Raudenbush
It seems around the marina, there are trends that occur from time to time. This week seems to have been dominated with bilge issues. You know, the bilge area in your boat that you don’t think about very much until there’s a problem. This week we had three different issues in three different boats all occurring down in the bilge area of the boat.
The first was a planned re-piping and refitting of the bilge in a boat here at Wolcott Marine for a repower. While we were doing the repower it made sense to replace all the pumps, all the piping and most of the through hull fittings. Keeping you pumps and hoses in good condition is critical, especially during rainy season. It’s well advised to check the health of your pumps, and the thru hull fittings and ball valves connected to them. A stuck valve or a broken thru hull can quickly create a dangerous situation.
The second bilge issue was electrical. A customer brought us a “newer” boat, that was troubled with electrical issues. Opening the bilge, we found that the manufacturer of the boat made little effort to route and restrain the wiring in the bilge when the boat was built. Inevitably these connections, even though they are theoretically water tight, began corroding. We fixed what needed fixing, but inevitably that boat’s issues will continue until a substantial refit is ultimately done to solve the problem.
The third boat’s issues were the most grave and dangerous. An older boat suddenly experienced a fuel tank leak. By the time we got it to the shop, over 100 gallons of fuel settled into the bilge of this boat. A very dangerous situation to say the least. The fuel was pumped out and properly disposed of and that boat is now in line for some very major work.
Ironically, after all of that, I took delivery of a brand-new boat for our sales yard. Inspecting the boat, I opened the bilge to find a truly professional execution of how to rig a bilge. Every wire and hose was thoughtfully routed. The layout was organized, valves and pumps were accessible. This boat I am not worried about having to do any work in the bilge for a long long time.
Do you know how healthy the bilge of your boat is? When’s the last time you stuck your head in your bilge? If you don’t know what you’re looking for, bring the boat by Wolcott Marine. We’re happy to stick our head in there and see what’s up.
Wishing you nothing but safe and enjoyable boating.