One other option is to put an access plate to the keel void in the bilge. A-231 is currently fitted with an o-ring sealed waste deck fitting in the bilge to provide access to the keel void. I can check the void mid-season with a dipstick (and pump out if required, it's been dry for the 6 seasons since the last keel repairs)....
If you look in '#50 revival' ...post 16 shows a pic of where her drain was located.It was the deep,open aft end of the keel.Great for the offseason. http://pearsonariel.org/discussion/s...?t=1239&page=2
My approach was a bit more unconventional. Because the bilge on A-24 was not fiberglassed over, but simply filled with foam on top of the lead pigs, I was able to extract all of the junk from the void leaving a nice deep fully accesible bilge with no surprises. Once dried, cleaned and prepped, I coated it with epoxy ensuring its water tight integrity. No regrets, although it was a lot of arm straining grunt work. I posted lots of details. http://pearsonariel.org/discussion/s...ead.php?t=1558
Tim,
I am still reading through your original post so forgive me if you already answered this question, but doesn't opening up the bilge like that increase the static head your bilge pump needed to overcome?
Jack
Kyle, I just finished winterizing this last weekend, and the last thing I did before I left the boat was to drill a hole deeper and farther back in my bilge to drain more of the water. I had a guess as to the location based on where my existing garboard drain is located. But, to determine the spot, I simply "sounded" the general area by tapping with the handle of a screw driver and listening for a hollow "thunk" instead of a sharp "ping". My new hole and future garboard drain location ended being almost exactly where A-50's is from Frank's post. Or here: http://pearsonariel.org/discussion/s...8&postcount=19, right at the aft end of the green in Periwinkle Bill's excellent diagram from the Keel Voids thread.Originally Posted by Lucky Dawg
As far as a glassed over bilge, I'm afraid I am of no help there, since mine isn't.
PS. Love all the "Dawg" pics. Beautiful boat - those green topsides sure look nice!
Mike
Totoro (Sea Sprite 23 #626)
Thanks Mike. Don't know that they have the same impact on others, but I know I enjoy the pictures!
I appreciate all of the feedback on this question.
So I poked two holes in my keel. Silly marina pulled and set her on the trailer before I could get there... So on the port side, I drilled about 4 inches forward and about 2 inches up and also about 5 inches above that - with the thought of placing my shop vac blower against the upper hole. ..and got just a 1/2 a cup or so of water that kind of foamed/bubbled out. I guess I had expected a gush of sorts. I presume that is a good thing. The lower drilling felt solid most of the inch or so in, the upper after less distance clearly poked into a cavity. Just some bubbles came out of the top hole. Referencing Bill's picture http://pearsonariel.org/discussion/s...8&postcount=19 I'm assuming I was in the zone. Despite referencing your collective authority, the mainly powerboat maintenance oriented folks there thought I was nuts. "WhatEVER Dude... your boat..."
Last edited by Lucky Dawg; 11-13-2007 at 02:13 PM.
Kyle
C-65 Lucky Dawg
I'm sure it does, but again I don't like surprises so cored out it was. To be honest my electrical bilge pump never got hooked up this past summer and I used the manual bilge pump maybe a half dozen times. The bilge stayed bone dry (no kidding) unless it rained and it would fill up just a little. I know for a fact that water can migrate from the bottom of the bilge, which is inaccessible for most Ariels, to the outside and vice versa as the photos in the Ariel 24 gallery show. If one does a good job sealing the rudder strap and shoe with say 5200, it would probably stop the flow of water, but I opted for full access. I also saw where water migrates from the ballast area into the bilge void itself. It is at the back of the cast ballast area where there's one, maybe two layers of laminate that are horribly tabbed in place. I would shop vac the area and then when I turned the vac off I would see water leaking into the bilge from the ballast area.
After allowing to dry out completey I then coated it completely with thickened epoxy. I also put a large amount of unthickend epoxy that would fill any cracks or voids preventing any routes for the water to take.
I often thought about adding a plug, but to the backside of the ballasted area. I was really considering this and recommended it to the new owner. I planned on removing the the laminate that was there originally and removing about two or so inches of lead and then relaminating where the original was. THis would allow the room needed to put the plug in. In the winter, any water that did make it in between the lead and hull would exit through that plug into the bilge. pump the bilge out and leave the plug removed for the winter and walla, no water or surprises and there isn't a plug going through the hull which is another possible leaking place.
Man, just talking about all of this work makes me mourn that I didn't get to finish A-24. I had some real plans for that baby and will certainly miss her.
To get back to your original concern about the pump not being able to suck water up from that depth, I would probably mount the pump higher in the bilge by galssing something to the side of the hull that the pump would mount to and just hand pump the water that the pump could not reach when needed. No biggee.
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