I have a question about a hole that is on the port side of the upper part of the bilge area and a hole that is near the keel bolts in front of the engine. I have found water coming out of the hole next to the bilge and a little water coming out of the hole in front of the engine. It seem as if the two are connected. I had a bad seal on my sea water filter and there was quite a bit of water in the engine bilge. The whole seems like an over flow. Are the two connected and is there an easy way to get the water out of that area?
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Jerry
Engine sump overflow sump
I also have a 31'. The engine sump has a side hole where your hoses run through on the side of your sink/water heater. If you have too much water in the engine sump from either the stuffing box or an engine leak, this will overflow through the side hose hole and into the keel bolt area through another small hole. This is a good/bad situation. Because the keel bolt sump is at the bottom of the steps, you will see a problem immediately so you can correct/fix a serious leak. The other "dark side" of this situation on a 31' is that any water that gets past the keel bolt sump and into the lower area below the main sump of the boat over time will Stink-Stink-Stink!!!!!!!! This sump is about 8" deep and any water gets traped "below" this sump and turns into an interior boat smell monster! As a last resort to my ordor situation, I cut a 1" dia hole in the bottom of this main sump and black/yellow/brown scum water drained out for a long time. Only after many fillings with solutions of bildge cleaners/KO/Spray 9/Mr. Clean/Pine oil, etc was I able to finally get the black/brown scum out of the below sump area. I do the same cleaning thing three times a year to keep the smell down. I let the cleaning solution sit for a few day make sure it desolves as much scum as possible. I have talked to several 31' owners and the below floor water/ordor bad design situation is a big problem with this model.
I also have a 31'. The engine sump has a side hole where your hoses run through on the side of your sink/water heater. If you have too much water in the engine sump from either the stuffing box or an engine leak, this will overflow through the side hose hole and into the keel bolt area through another small hole. This is a good/bad situation. Because the keel bolt sump is at the bottom of the steps, you will see a problem immediately so you can correct/fix a serious leak. The other "dark side" of this situation on a 31' is that any water that gets past the keel bolt sump and into the lower area below the main sump of the boat over time will Stink-Stink-Stink!!!!!!!! This sump is about 8" deep and any water gets traped "below" this sump and turns into an interior boat smell monster! As a last resort to my ordor situation, I cut a 1" dia hole in the bottom of this main sump and black/yellow/brown scum water drained out for a long time. Only after many fillings with solutions of bildge cleaners/KO/Spray 9/Mr. Clean/Pine oil, etc was I able to finally get the black/brown scum out of the below sump area. I do the same cleaning thing three times a year to keep the smell down. I let the cleaning solution sit for a few day make sure it desolves as much scum as possible. I have talked to several 31' owners and the below floor water/ordor bad design situation is a big problem with this model.
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Bob La Salle
Sponge it out
If I understand your question, the only way to remove any water/liquid that gets into the small bilge where the keel bolts are located is with a sponge or paper towels after removing the wooden panel that covers it. I had an engine leak and an excess stuffing box leak which caused the small bilge to fill. Once the leaks were fixed, the small bilge stays bone dry. I don't like the idea of having standing water covering the keel bolts.
If I understand your question, the only way to remove any water/liquid that gets into the small bilge where the keel bolts are located is with a sponge or paper towels after removing the wooden panel that covers it. I had an engine leak and an excess stuffing box leak which caused the small bilge to fill. Once the leaks were fixed, the small bilge stays bone dry. I don't like the idea of having standing water covering the keel bolts.
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Rich
Run a hose to main bilge
Experienced the same thing. We used a turkey baster to really drain the holes out. Our leak was in the fresh water hose at the tank. If you have a hose from the engine pan, you might check it for a leak. If you don't have a drain hose from the engine pan to the main bilge, you might want to install one. We have a hose that runs from the port side engine pan drain hole and goes directly to the main bilge along the port side of the sump. The starbord side drain hole in the engine pan has been plugged. All water from the engine area now drains directly into the main bilge where the pump is. To install, I recommend feeding the hose backward from the bilge, and accessing the bottom of the engine pan from the screw on hatch cover on the bottom port side of the engine compartment. Good Luck!
Experienced the same thing. We used a turkey baster to really drain the holes out. Our leak was in the fresh water hose at the tank. If you have a hose from the engine pan, you might check it for a leak. If you don't have a drain hose from the engine pan to the main bilge, you might want to install one. We have a hose that runs from the port side engine pan drain hole and goes directly to the main bilge along the port side of the sump. The starbord side drain hole in the engine pan has been plugged. All water from the engine area now drains directly into the main bilge where the pump is. To install, I recommend feeding the hose backward from the bilge, and accessing the bottom of the engine pan from the screw on hatch cover on the bottom port side of the engine compartment. Good Luck!
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Mark
Thank you!
Thanks for your feedback. I am going to try and flush out the area first. Then use the turkey baster to suck out all the water. Rich were you refering to the hole in the upper bilge area on the Port side. It is right under the wood support for the bilge cover. It looks like that area is where the water sits, runs all the way back to the engine sump. Thanks also also to you Jerry. You actually drilled a hole in the bottom of the sump. Do you plug it so that water does not drain from the main sump? Also where did you drill the whole? Was there a certain location? Thanks again, Mark
Thanks for your feedback. I am going to try and flush out the area first. Then use the turkey baster to suck out all the water. Rich were you refering to the hole in the upper bilge area on the Port side. It is right under the wood support for the bilge cover. It looks like that area is where the water sits, runs all the way back to the engine sump. Thanks also also to you Jerry. You actually drilled a hole in the bottom of the sump. Do you plug it so that water does not drain from the main sump? Also where did you drill the whole? Was there a certain location? Thanks again, Mark
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Rich
Lots of holes, but...
I think we are talking about the same hole. The main goal is to get all the water that sits anywhere to flow into the lower bilge where the pump is. The only place you should be getting water from in the future is the stuffing box anyway. If you have a drain hose from the front drains in the engine pan that goes direct to the lower bidge, you will never get much water anywhere else. Until of course something else breaks, leaks, corrodes, falls off, or melts, which as we know, will eventually happen.
I think we are talking about the same hole. The main goal is to get all the water that sits anywhere to flow into the lower bilge where the pump is. The only place you should be getting water from in the future is the stuffing box anyway. If you have a drain hose from the front drains in the engine pan that goes direct to the lower bidge, you will never get much water anywhere else. Until of course something else breaks, leaks, corrodes, falls off, or melts, which as we know, will eventually happen.
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Jerry
Sump Hole
I drilled a 1" hole in the front vertical side of the sump, right at the bottom. Be carefull just to break through the 1/8" liner with your drill. We had a lot of wind yesterday and at a 30-35 degree tilt, the two cups of water from the stuffing box made its way into the little wire/hose hole in the side of the engine sump and through the 1" hole in the sump. I sponged it out before we left last night. Without this hole, any water that leaks into the boat would just sit around the outside of the sump and make my boat smell like a sewer. Before this little hole was installed, when we opened the boat the smell would knock you over. I am glad to share this discovery with a 31' owner. we almost sold our boat due to this the problem.
I drilled a 1" hole in the front vertical side of the sump, right at the bottom. Be carefull just to break through the 1/8" liner with your drill. We had a lot of wind yesterday and at a 30-35 degree tilt, the two cups of water from the stuffing box made its way into the little wire/hose hole in the side of the engine sump and through the 1" hole in the sump. I sponged it out before we left last night. Without this hole, any water that leaks into the boat would just sit around the outside of the sump and make my boat smell like a sewer. Before this little hole was installed, when we opened the boat the smell would knock you over. I am glad to share this discovery with a 31' owner. we almost sold our boat due to this the problem.
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Jim
pictures?
I have a hunter 31 also and am interested in improving the drainage from the engine bilge also. I actually considered installing a second bilge pump, but I like your idea better. I don't understand exactly where you put the hole, can you take a picture of where you put the hole?
I have a hunter 31 also and am interested in improving the drainage from the engine bilge also. I actually considered installing a second bilge pump, but I like your idea better. I don't understand exactly where you put the hole, can you take a picture of where you put the hole?
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Jim McCue
tupperware catchall
I don't think you are "permitted" to drain engine oily water into the main bilge (and pump out the bilge) If most of your "water" in the engine compartment is from the packing gland drip.... What I did was to get a small(to the approx size of the packing box) rectanglular tupperware tub, cut a half circle off one narrow end...attach a poly hose and drain fitting to the other narrow end and slide the tub under the packing gland/box...... glue it in place and feed the poly hose thru a hole in the forward lip of the engine compartment and thru the outer rib weep hole(this took a bit of feeling around) and into the bilge. Its worked fine for me. Jim McCue
I don't think you are "permitted" to drain engine oily water into the main bilge (and pump out the bilge) If most of your "water" in the engine compartment is from the packing gland drip.... What I did was to get a small(to the approx size of the packing box) rectanglular tupperware tub, cut a half circle off one narrow end...attach a poly hose and drain fitting to the other narrow end and slide the tub under the packing gland/box...... glue it in place and feed the poly hose thru a hole in the forward lip of the engine compartment and thru the outer rib weep hole(this took a bit of feeling around) and into the bilge. Its worked fine for me. Jim McCue
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