H 31 false bilge-how to reach the true bilge?.

[Jim Oursler]

As I learned on my 34, the bilge area is actually the liner, with the true bilge below the liner. I have been told that the 31 are similar. What have people done to fill the void or cut out the liner in the bilge area so that the bilge pump actually pumps out the bottom of the boat?

 

[Ed Welp]

Don't know

I never heard of that. I thought what you saw was what you got. I did not know that there is an area below the pump that water can get to.The big problem that I see with the H31 is that the shower runs into the main bildge, which can cause some order problems.

 

[Gil Croome]

Been there, Done that...

When I bought my '86 H31 about 8 years ago, the stench from the unaccessable bilge was terrible. Previous owner had even used plastic bags tyring to stop it. Anyway, I drilled four holes with a 1/4" bit in the liner near the bottom of the sump where your bilge pump should be. Really rotten water came out!! The bilge pump pumped it out. OK now. Also,RE: Ed - my shower sump does not drain into bilge. I have a water pump in the locker next to head w/hose to sump w/switch on the cabinet wall in the head. Pumps shower water out hose next to the vent hose for the holding tank. Works well.

 

[Jim Oursler]

final story on false sump/bilge...

I spoke yesterday with Greg Emerson at Hunter.. quite helpful.. In the early days, the H34 and probably the H31 liner had a full sump pan. The install process was to put polyester resin on the hull, drop the liner in, and vacuum bag it all until cured. So you had a false sump over the hull sump. And, the thought was that there were no voids between liner and hull... mistaken thought in a few cases, but not always. Later, Hunter did the same, but cut out the false sump area and went back with 2415 rovemat that tied liner to the true hull sump.Greq suggested carefully cutting out the false sump and installing 2415, approximately 24 ounce mat with 1.5 ounce cloth, 4 layers of each to bond liner to sump in the sump area. As for myself, first I'm going to try a simpler approach.. drill a couple of holes in the false sump, dry with cloth and acetone, fill with urethane foam, and continue on with life... If that doesn't work, I will cut out the liner false sump.

 

[Victor Robert]

Re: Fill with urethane foam

Jim,Consider the foam option carefully. As someone else mentioned, they were able to pump the foul water (and smell) out of the bilge. If the foam starts absorbing it, the task won't be so easy.