Bilge Setup - Help

[Cubman]

I recently purchased a 14' V-Hull, and have been doing a few small things to get it ready to fish out of this summer. The previous owner did a pretty hack job, in my opinion, of installing the bilge setup. First, let me share a few pictures to help my explanation.

The red circle is where the fitting passes through the hull at the transom. The hole is about an 1" in diameter, and it is just below a flat piece of metal. This prevents any hex nuts from being tightened onto the fitting. The two red boxes mark where the bilge area is easily accessible.

Here is a shot showing the location of the fitting from the outside:

The fitting was just sitting in its hole when I bought the boat, I think that it was letting water in during deceleration (when the wake would catch up with the boat). Right now the bilge pump sits in the pocket on the left side of the first picture, and the hose (he used hardware store stuff, i will use actual bilge hose) ran diagonally up to the fitting. They make 90* thru-hull fittings: that would make the run of hose much neater, but I will have to find one locally. As I mentioned earlier, because of the location of the hole in the transom, I can't tighten the hex nut down on the fitting. I need to do this to create a good seal. Should I elongate the hole down, or patch the hole and drill a new one in a different location? If I elongate it, how would I seal the gap? Thanks.

 

[fishnohio]

i'm no expert on this but if it were mine i would take the boat to someone who could weld aluminum and have the hole welded shut and then put a new fitting in a easier accessible location, and you are right they did a hack job on it, but you can fix it, it is a simple fix............Mike

 

[Waterwings]

i'm no expert on this but if it were mine i would take the boat to someone who could weld aluminum and have the hole welded shut and then put a new fitting in a easier accessible location...

Concur on that.

You might check Walmart in the boat section. They usually carry the straight and the 90 degree elbow through-hull kits. Unfortunately for me they only had the straight fitting the day I went looking to get one. Get some of the 3M Marine Sealant to apply to both sides of the through-hull fitting.

 

[Captain Ahab]

Place your bilge pump outlet on the side of the hull - not the stern. No chance of your own wake coming in that way, helps keep the stern strong (that holds the shape of the boat together) and leave room on the stern for motors, depth finder, etc.

You can probably get away with plugging the hole using an aluminum plates, some SS Machine screws and sealant

 

[Cubman]

Thanks for all the replies. I will see about getting the hole welded up this winter, but I made this so I could get out on the water sooner.

I found a thru hull fitting with a smaller diameter (still had 3/4" barb). I trimmed the hex nut down on one side so it would fit. The nut isn't tightened up against the transom, but it pulled the flange on the outside tight against the hull, which makes a good seal. The hose is run the way it is to help hold the bilge pump on the bottom, since it isn't physically attached in any way. I also bent up the bracket on the bilge pump's wire to help hold it on the bottom. I will report back after I take it out for the first time. I have an appointment to take the boating safety exam tomorrow, I hope I pass.

 

[Jim]

Good for you taking the class :beer:

I wish more people would take it!

 

[Cubman]

Sorry Jim, no class for me. In Tennessee, anyone born after 1/1/1989 is required to pass the boating safety exam to legally operate a boat. I am just studying from this website:
https://www.boat-ed.com/tn/

 

[Quackrstackr]

Regardless of where you relocate your bilge discharge, make sure that it is mounted in a position so that it never dips below the waterline.

When we started chasing catfish this year, I couldn't figure out why my bilge area was taking on water. I thought it was from wake wash or something. I finally figured out that when people would climb into the boat near the discharge, it would dip the hole below the water level and back water into the bilge. For normal operation, it would never happen unless someone pretty large was fishing on the rear deck and standing to that side but it can put a lot of water in the bilge in a hurry.

 

[heavy-chevy]

in Florida you have to take the class if your under 21 and you have over 10 hp. that looks good, i wold have put it on the side to start with but the previous owner already screwed up there.

 

[Jim]

Sorry Jim, no class for me. In Tennessee, anyone born after 1/1/1989 is required to pass the boating safety exam to legally operate a boat. I am just studying from this website:
https://www.boat-ed.com/tn/

Class does not matter, As long as your attempting to pass the safety exam....:beer: