Boat Smell and the Hidden Bilge on an Intrepid 9 Meter

[keneasley]

Continued...

See here the forward end of the bilge pan with the Dry Bilge pickup.

Dry_Bilge_9_pick_up.JPG

The pump is mounted back in the engine room as seen here.

Dry_Bilge_2_pump.JPG

And the water is pumped out to a T by the regular bilge pump's output at the transom (above the water line)

Dry_Bilge_1_output.JPG

We'll see how this works during the upcoming season.

I may not need to use the Dry Bilge system once all the small leaks have been fixed but see how it works to keep things dry.

I'd welcome comments on if you think that there was a design flaw with this model of boat or a manufacturing flaw in not filling in the low areas of the bilge on my particular boat.






Parts List (total was about $100):

An in-line strainer from ebay: "Water Pump Strainer, 3/8 Inch Hose Barb In-Line Strainer Twist-On Pipe Sprayer F"
A 12 volt water pump from ebay" "12V Water Pressure Diaphragm Pump 4.3 L/min 1.1 GPM 35 PSI for Caravan/RV/Boat"
A 12 volt timer from ebay: "DC 12V Timer Switch ON/OFF Weekly Programmable LCD Digital Light Time Relay US"
20 feet of 3/8 inch internal diameter and 1/2 inch outside diameter clear vinyl tubing from Home Depot
bilge water pick-up fitting to insert into sponge: "3/8 in. Barb x 1/4 in. MIP Nylon Adapter Fitting" from Home Depot
4 1/2 inch OD hose holders from McMaster's
3/4" ID bilge hose connector - T-connector from the Home Depot
3/4" ID to 3/8" ID hose reducer for connecting the 3/8" clear vinyl tubing to the 3/4" T-connector from McMaster's

[wikakaru]

Sorry, what's the timer part of the system for?

--Jim

[keneasley]

Hi Jim,

On my boat there is very little water (maybe a cup or two after several days) in the bilge.
I want to keep it very dry.
The sponges and narrow tubing pick up trace amounts of water and keep it from building up.

The timer is set to run the pump for 5 minutes twice day to limit battery drain.

The pump is a kind that can be run dry without damage.
So that's the concept - an automated system to maintain a very dry bilge.

The main bilge pumps (automatic/electric and manual) are still in place and working.

This may be of benefit to those that use a stuffing box or have yet-to-be-fixed small leaks.

Ken

[John Stone]

Great to see so many Intrepid 9 M owners coordinating and helping each other.

Ken, there is a photo on your 1 Sept 2020 post that looks like a duplex wire running near some bolts in the bilge. I can't really tell though. If so, and if you have not already done so, you should secure that wire so it doesn't get rubbed through and shorted on the metal. Especially important if there is water involved. Maybe it's something else?

That's some nice work you done. Not fun but pays off over the long haul.

[wikakaru]

Hi Jim,

On my boat there is very little water (maybe a cup or two after several days) in the bilge.
I want to keep it very dry.
The sponges and narrow tubing pick up trace amounts of water and keep it from building up.

The timer is set to run the pump for 5 minutes twice day to limit battery drain.

The pump is a kind that can be run dry without damage.
So that's the concept - an automated system to maintain a very dry bilge.

The main bilge pumps (automatic/electric and manual) are still in place and working.

This may be of benefit to those that use a stuffing box or have yet-to-be-fixed small leaks.

Ken

So the timer makes the pump run instead of a float switch. What an interesting way to keep things dry!

--Jim