Bilge
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Project Logs
September 24, 2011
Major construction for the bilge is complete. I still need to build the drip pan below the engine which is loosely part of the bilge, but I am happy to say that I can now see the bilge in it’s final state.
August 11, 2011
Recently, my focus has been on the bilge area above the diesel tank and below the cabin sole. Originally, I had envisioned this location as having a fair amount of space to store things like wine bottles or heavy anchors. As I began to add locker drainage, tank lids and the cabin sole, it became obvious that my idea of having below sole stowage was a futile one. Due to the futility of trying to gain just a few extra centimeters of stowage, I decided that I would foam in more of the bilge area. The extra foam would add some extra support for the sole as well as create better support for the below head locker drainage.
I’ve discussed more about the foam and so on in the August 2 project log, but in the end, I was able to garner a bit of stowage space (see image below). For the most part, I decided to let this area be given over to any locker drainage that may be needed.
This is the area below the cabin sole and above the diesel tank which is the forward bilge. Not much room for stowage, but some!
And speaking of locker drainage, this bilge area, plus the lockers that drain into the forward bilge (settees & below head) all drain via a 3/4″ PVC pipe. The pipe runs above the diesel tank, next to the lid flanges and eventually drains into the bilge. Originally, I had two different PVC pipes (a 3/4″ and 1/4″), but due to some errant epoxy work, I had to permanently seal the 1/4″ drain in the bilge area. Now, this 1/4″ pipe only drains the drip pan.
August 2, 2011
The bilge area I’ve been focusing on of late is the area forward of the newly installed drip pan. This is a forward area that drains via 2 PVC pipes (a 3/4″ and a 1/4″). There isn’t much volume in this area and so the main focus of this area is to drain the settee lockers as well as the below head foot locker. As I’ve completed work on the cabin sole, I’ve found myself re-organizing my vision of the bilge drastically.
Originally, I was going to try to reserve as much stowage room in the bilge as possible. My hope was to be able to store a large, foldable, fisherman type anchor there, plus anything else that might fit. As the cabin sole construction has progressed, I am now better able to physically see how much space the below sole area (aka the bilge) actually will have. What has become clear, is not much!
So, I’ve given over major portions of the bilge area above the diesel tanks to foam. The foam serves as a support for the cabin sole as well as support for the cabin sole access hatches. I also used foam to build up the “upper sole” area (as I call it); the area between the navigation-station and galley. I’ll go into much more detail in the “Cabin Sole” project section, but suffice it so say that my bilge stowage is down to a very small area in the center of the diesel tank. Likely, I won’t ever keep things here unless the boat is severely over burdened.
July 14, 2011
When I decided to enlarge the diesel tank to take up the aft-most portion of the bilge as well as the forward portion, I had to completely re-design how the bilge would come together. You can read some of my thinking as to why this was necessary in the “Questions” area, but overall I’m quite happy with the change.
Overall, the construction of the new bilge essentially came “free” with the construction of the diesel tank sides, but I did glass in support cleats for an eventual shelf to hold the high capacity pump. I also installed the sump drain line into the bilge and also have glassed in a backing plate for the raw water seacock.
The fiberglass plate I glassed into place may end up being too low for the raw water seacock, so I might have to add another plate higher up on the hull, but that’s not really a big deal because I will be able to use this glassed in plate to mount hoses or other bilge items to.
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