Bilge sump

[Bill1565]

Hi, I'm a new Hunter owner. I bought Chet P's 37 cutter. Boat has water in the bilge, just the the pix in Ed Shenck's article which I found earlier. Does anyone know if there is a sump anywhere? I would like to put a small automatic pump somewhat lower than the flat surface in an attempt to have a dry bilge. I read some of Chet P's posts about rain in the mast head, but it doesn't rain much here in SW fla in the winter, and I still have water.

 

[Pat McCartin]

how is your shaft packing?

 

[Bill1565]

how is your shaft packing?

quote Dripless end quote.

I will track down sources as it rains or not. My concern is the last half inch of water that I would like remove. Boiat doesn't seem to have a sump or well to collect the last little bit of water. My firs Hunter. Pierson and Morgans all had deep sumps, deep enuff to hold 2000 gph pumps. Rest of bilge was bone dry all the time.

 

[Pat McCartin]

I don't remember a Cherubini with a stepped sump. You'll have to shop vac out the remains.

 

[sandpiper10471]

If your 37 is a shoal draft model then you have a very shallow sump. You might want to install a secon, small pump and plumb it out the transom or put a foot valve in it so that the standing water in the discharge hose doesn't run back after pumping. Or as suggested, just use a small shop vac.

 

[Bill1565]

If your 37 is a shoal draft model then you have a very shallow sump. You might want to install a secon, small pump and plumb it out the transom or put a foot valve in it so that the standing water in the discharge hose doesn't run back after pumping. Or as suggested, just use a small shop vac.

Yes, it is shoal draft. I just ordered a "new " pump with maybe a shallow pick up. I was hoping one of you guys could point out a thick section of the hull where I could safely carve out a recess. Shop vac is not going to be the answer on 2-3 month cruise.

 

[Pat McCartin]

is the 37 a bolt on keel? I don't remember.

You might need to use a towel to sop it out then.

 

[Bill1565]

Yes, it is a bolt on. Towel or sponge and bucket will get it dry, but I am so hoping for an electric solution.

 

[sandpiper10471]

I have a little one gallon shop vac on the boat. It can run off the boat batteries through an inverter. I use it all the time to clean up, get excess water out of the bilge (your concern) and vacuum bag comforters, pillows etc. to save space. Easy to store as it is very small. And my sump is about 3 ft. deep due to the 5'1" draft.

 

[Pat McCartin]

Yes, it is a bolt on. Towel or sponge and bucket will get it dry, but I am so hoping for an electric solution.

I wouldn't try to carve out a sump on that. The area is highly stressed with keel loads.

 

[Bill1565]

I have a little one gallon shop vac on the boat. It can run off the boat batteries through an inverter. I use it all the time to clean up, get excess water out of the bilge (your concern) and vacuum bag comforters, pillows etc. to save space. Easy to store as it is very small. And my sump is about 3 ft. deep due to the 5'1" draft.

Very interested. whose shop vac? Model#?

 

[sandpiper10471]

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brow...042P/Jobmate+2gal%2B10L++Wet%2BDry+Vacuum.jsp

OK - so I lied. Looks like it is a two gal., 6 amp. machine. It is sold under the Canadian Tire line of JobMate, which is their low end tool line. At $35, less on sale, I don't worry about the longevity. Not sure where to get the equivalent in the US. Perhaps Harbor Freight?

 

[jcherubini]

Use the small sump as the location of the pickup for your manual bilge pump. The electric pump will do most of the work and then whenever you feel like it you can pump out the rest.

My H-25 is set up like this.

(The astute will notice that I assumed in this post that the question 'What manual bilge pump?' was not going to be asked. )

 

[Bill1565]

Thank you Mr Cherubini. What small sump?

 

[Ed Schenck]

Bill, our shoal-draft bilges are not that shallow. But they are long and flat, from forward of the mast all the way to the engine. Even at 1/2" that is a lot of water. No bilge pump can take it down to anywhere near dry. I have a 2000gph in the bilge one frame forward of the manual pump pickup. A half-gallon of water will come back down the hose after it pumps. And no, I do not want a check valve. In the next compartment forward I have a Grp 27 battery AND a small 500gph bilge pump. This one has a short hose that goes into the shower sump. The shower sump will always have a little water in it for the same reason, backflow. The little pump has a built-in switch and comes on much earlier than the big pump. Still always have over 1/4" of water unless I hand sponge or vacuum. Meanwhile if you dry it and there is no rain then you have an additional problem. What did Chet do after selling the H37C?

 

[jcherubini]

Thank you Mr Cherubini. What small sump?

I don't know. I thought someone mentioned it.

In my boat I put in new sole joists, leaving a 'bilge' of about 3 inches deep. The Rule pump stands up only towards the after end; so it will leave about 1-1/2" in the bilge all the time. I installed the pickup fitting for the Whale manual pump farther forward. It will take both pumps to reduce bilge water to under 3/4"...and then the distance to the check valve holds enough water that this is kind of pointless anyway.

 

[Bill1565]

Chet passed away earlier this year. I bought the boat from his widow. It's been in the yard since the survey for strut/ shaft log alignment problems. All fixed now. Gonna launch it next Tuesday and bring it home. I Have a supposedly low profile bilge pump on order, but first on the list is a holding tank so we can spend time in the 10,000 Islands area and the Keys withour wet bilge.