I DON'T WANT A CEST POOL IN MY BOAT!!!! Inside our 35.5 under the removable floor boards, water tends to pool up in the section directly aft of the section that contains the small 12 volt bilge pump. In the forward section, the 12 volt bilge pump does a good job draining out the area, and the aft section is drained, albeit poorly, with a manual pump that discharges overboard. It seems to me that the these areas underneath the floorboards are designed to all drain into the main, lowest section, right above the keel so that the 12 volt pump can pump all water overboard. Even though there is a drain hole that runs through the rib between the sections, it's blocked; I'm tempted to drill right through it but I thought I'd better ask first. Also, if you have any clever ideas for routing the shower drain directly to a pump that will take it overboard your advice would be appreciated. Thanks. DB, Seattle Washington.
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Ted A. Souter
My experience
Dave: I own an '89 Legend 35 with no doubt the same bilge configuration that you have. I replaced the float switch and a 1500 gph Rule bilge pump with their 1100 gph elctronic/automatic model. My thinking is why have two mechanisms to do what one can. I can't think of any bilge pump that would completely dry out the bilge. Given that the ice box, air conditioning, packing gland, and shower drain all drain ultimately to the center bilge. I did place two loops in the bilge hose to keep the all gray water that is lifted but not expelled from the thu-hull from draining back to the bilge. I also had to replace the mushroom fitting in the shower drain that was originally installed with NO caulking of any kind whatsoever, (the fitting was also installed at such an angle that it could not seat around the curved drain area and hence would leak into the underbody shell of the boat). I solved this with copious amounts of 3M5200. I believe that you are quite possible trying to fix something that is not broke. I've owned my 35 four almost five years, and for several reasons, I've become intimately familiar with all her systems. If I may be of any assistance to you, please feel free to call me at 870.235.1114. Good luck an good sailing...
Dave: I own an '89 Legend 35 with no doubt the same bilge configuration that you have. I replaced the float switch and a 1500 gph Rule bilge pump with their 1100 gph elctronic/automatic model. My thinking is why have two mechanisms to do what one can. I can't think of any bilge pump that would completely dry out the bilge. Given that the ice box, air conditioning, packing gland, and shower drain all drain ultimately to the center bilge. I did place two loops in the bilge hose to keep the all gray water that is lifted but not expelled from the thu-hull from draining back to the bilge. I also had to replace the mushroom fitting in the shower drain that was originally installed with NO caulking of any kind whatsoever, (the fitting was also installed at such an angle that it could not seat around the curved drain area and hence would leak into the underbody shell of the boat). I solved this with copious amounts of 3M5200. I believe that you are quite possible trying to fix something that is not broke. I've owned my 35 four almost five years, and for several reasons, I've become intimately familiar with all her systems. If I may be of any assistance to you, please feel free to call me at 870.235.1114. Good luck an good sailing...
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Bill Howitt
It's a problem
You are right. I have a '93 35.5 and I just have about an inch of water constantly in that bilge section just aft of the one with the bilge pump. On my boat there is a through hole connection between the two sections (about an inch off the bottom) that can get plugged with debris and gunk. Yours may be plugged. My boat is in a relatively cool climate (Seward, Alaska) so I just sponge out the bilge a couple of times a year and all is well. It does get pretty nasty if you get some biological growth going. That's only happened to me once. I've thought of using some of the "Biostatic" agent that's made for home humidifiers. That should probably do the trick.
You are right. I have a '93 35.5 and I just have about an inch of water constantly in that bilge section just aft of the one with the bilge pump. On my boat there is a through hole connection between the two sections (about an inch off the bottom) that can get plugged with debris and gunk. Yours may be plugged. My boat is in a relatively cool climate (Seward, Alaska) so I just sponge out the bilge a couple of times a year and all is well. It does get pretty nasty if you get some biological growth going. That's only happened to me once. I've thought of using some of the "Biostatic" agent that's made for home humidifiers. That should probably do the trick.
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Bill Howitt
More on bilge drain
Forgot to mention that when I took delivery of my boat in '93 the drain hole between the two sections was plugged with boat construction debris: bits of fiberglass, etc. It was in there pretty good! I took a screw driver to it to loosen it up and then used a bigger rod to open it up completely. After that, I didn't need the separate shower drain you are thinking about.
Forgot to mention that when I took delivery of my boat in '93 the drain hole between the two sections was plugged with boat construction debris: bits of fiberglass, etc. It was in there pretty good! I took a screw driver to it to loosen it up and then used a bigger rod to open it up completely. After that, I didn't need the separate shower drain you are thinking about.
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Ron Hughes
35.5 bilge
Dave, I had a 94 35.5 for 4 years. On my boat I cut the drain hole down flush with the bottom of the bilge and it drained great(seal it with 3M 5200 or similar). To keep the bilge clean and smelling sweet, I always kept some simple green cleaner in there, even if it gets dry. Shortly after I bought the boat a whole gallon of the stuff accidently opened in the aft port locker and spilled into the unreachable areas of the boat. Subsequently, the bilge water was always a little greenish in color and smelled great! I decided that this was good, and have continued the practice with my 40.5 with good results. Also, on my boat I have permanently installed a 1/2 inch clear plastic tube with it's end just barely above the bottom of the bilge, from the bilge to under the sink in the galley(leave extra length). I attach a drill-type pump to it and pump the last little bit of water into the sink drain, keeping the bilge almost completely dry. As an aside, we never used the shower in the head on the 35.5 we showered aft because there wasn't any dedicated drain for it and I didn't want hair and dead skin growing things in the bilge. A dedicated pump is at the bottom of our showers on the 40-.5. It is a good idea, I think you should try to add one. My idea would be to build a woode(teak) grating over the existing floor(raised a couple inches toward the bottom of the head door), and put the dedicated pump where the drain hole is, and pump to the head sink drain and overboard. Good Luck and Happy sailing! Ron
Dave, I had a 94 35.5 for 4 years. On my boat I cut the drain hole down flush with the bottom of the bilge and it drained great(seal it with 3M 5200 or similar). To keep the bilge clean and smelling sweet, I always kept some simple green cleaner in there, even if it gets dry. Shortly after I bought the boat a whole gallon of the stuff accidently opened in the aft port locker and spilled into the unreachable areas of the boat. Subsequently, the bilge water was always a little greenish in color and smelled great! I decided that this was good, and have continued the practice with my 40.5 with good results. Also, on my boat I have permanently installed a 1/2 inch clear plastic tube with it's end just barely above the bottom of the bilge, from the bilge to under the sink in the galley(leave extra length). I attach a drill-type pump to it and pump the last little bit of water into the sink drain, keeping the bilge almost completely dry. As an aside, we never used the shower in the head on the 35.5 we showered aft because there wasn't any dedicated drain for it and I didn't want hair and dead skin growing things in the bilge. A dedicated pump is at the bottom of our showers on the 40-.5. It is a good idea, I think you should try to add one. My idea would be to build a woode(teak) grating over the existing floor(raised a couple inches toward the bottom of the head door), and put the dedicated pump where the drain hole is, and pump to the head sink drain and overboard. Good Luck and Happy sailing! Ron
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Jay Hill
Clearing the hole
Advice on drilling? Don't. Someone suggested screwdriver and longer rod. That is definitely the way to go. Underneath some to the fiberglass cross members run grounding cables which end up at the keel. Unless you know exactly where the cables are and the precise angle of the water flow hole, I would strongly recommend AGAINST drilling. I am also FOR having a seperate sump pump. My H31 has the same bilge routing as your boat and it is a constant pain/chore to keep clean. I shower on the boat relatively often and clean the entire bilge weekly. The problem with installing sump on the 31 is the small amount of clearance underneath the head deck slat plates. I cannot install the pump there (yet.) Please post how you do this and if you find a pump small enough to fit, which one is it? Thanks, Jay
Advice on drilling? Don't. Someone suggested screwdriver and longer rod. That is definitely the way to go. Underneath some to the fiberglass cross members run grounding cables which end up at the keel. Unless you know exactly where the cables are and the precise angle of the water flow hole, I would strongly recommend AGAINST drilling. I am also FOR having a seperate sump pump. My H31 has the same bilge routing as your boat and it is a constant pain/chore to keep clean. I shower on the boat relatively often and clean the entire bilge weekly. The problem with installing sump on the 31 is the small amount of clearance underneath the head deck slat plates. I cannot install the pump there (yet.) Please post how you do this and if you find a pump small enough to fit, which one is it? Thanks, Jay
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Bob E.
Rule 20A ?
The Rule 20A is a very small bilge pump that did very well for its size in Practical Sailor's performance tests. See the July 15, 1994 issue. It is rated at 1000 Gal/Hr, and actually delivered 705 G/H into a 3 foot lift, and 465 G/H into a 6 foot lift. The footprint is 3" x 3" and 4" high. It runs on 12 volts at about 3 amps. Perhaps two of these would fit in your bilge and deliver adequate capacity. This pump is still available; I found it on one of the retail Web sites. I plan to install two of these in my boat this winter, replacing the pitiful little pump (30 l/min open flow rating) that's there now. Having two pumps (and two float switches) gives some redundancy in case of a single failure. See the Web site www.yachtsurvey.com for opinions of an experienced surveyor about requirements for bilge pumps on boats.
The Rule 20A is a very small bilge pump that did very well for its size in Practical Sailor's performance tests. See the July 15, 1994 issue. It is rated at 1000 Gal/Hr, and actually delivered 705 G/H into a 3 foot lift, and 465 G/H into a 6 foot lift. The footprint is 3" x 3" and 4" high. It runs on 12 volts at about 3 amps. Perhaps two of these would fit in your bilge and deliver adequate capacity. This pump is still available; I found it on one of the retail Web sites. I plan to install two of these in my boat this winter, replacing the pitiful little pump (30 l/min open flow rating) that's there now. Having two pumps (and two float switches) gives some redundancy in case of a single failure. See the Web site www.yachtsurvey.com for opinions of an experienced surveyor about requirements for bilge pumps on boats.
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