After a hard sail a couple nights ago, I found about a half inch of water wandering around the bilge sections. We had been sailing a couple of hours with the full main and 135, in about 15 kts of breeze. Lots of time at 8 knots on the speed guage, and the stern wave up a foot on the transome for much of the evening.
If short crewed, I would have reefed. With 6 racing buddies, we had someone to play the traveler *and* someone to play the mainsheet... Even had people parking their butts on the weather rail, like we were serious!
Great Fun!
About that water...
Natually the loose water got up into the shelf by the nav station on starboard tack... This tendeth to vexeth the captain mightily...
So I sponged it all out, muttering vile words. Where did it find a way in?
Admission: I may have made a big error when I replaced one of the original Par bilge pumps with a Rule pump several years ago. Those $pendy Par diaphram pumps work by a check valve system and do not allow back-flow. The Rule centrif. pumps have a much higher GPH rating, but can let water siphon back in...
The exit hose inside the transome is looped up a couple of feet (!) above the DWL, and is normally empty and should never support any siphon action.
Or, did all our heeling and general movement shake loose some water lurking in the bilge hose runs (2 electric, 1 manual)? We did shake up the boat a lot, what with lots of power boat wakes, and short wind chop.
We did not, OTOH, take any wave tops over the deck, it was not that choppy...
As a trial, I am thinking of removing the Rule pump (it has a tendancy to air lock once in a while during testing), anyway. I could plug the hole in the transome and use the remaining Par diaphram pump to de-water the bilge when needed. (Which is mostly never, we keep it sponged dry.)
Any thoughts on this problem?
Loren in Portland, OR
Olson 34 #8
If short crewed, I would have reefed. With 6 racing buddies, we had someone to play the traveler *and* someone to play the mainsheet... Even had people parking their butts on the weather rail, like we were serious!
Great Fun!
About that water...
Natually the loose water got up into the shelf by the nav station on starboard tack... This tendeth to vexeth the captain mightily...
So I sponged it all out, muttering vile words. Where did it find a way in?
Admission: I may have made a big error when I replaced one of the original Par bilge pumps with a Rule pump several years ago. Those $pendy Par diaphram pumps work by a check valve system and do not allow back-flow. The Rule centrif. pumps have a much higher GPH rating, but can let water siphon back in...
The exit hose inside the transome is looped up a couple of feet (!) above the DWL, and is normally empty and should never support any siphon action.
Or, did all our heeling and general movement shake loose some water lurking in the bilge hose runs (2 electric, 1 manual)? We did shake up the boat a lot, what with lots of power boat wakes, and short wind chop.
We did not, OTOH, take any wave tops over the deck, it was not that choppy...
As a trial, I am thinking of removing the Rule pump (it has a tendancy to air lock once in a while during testing), anyway. I could plug the hole in the transome and use the remaining Par diaphram pump to de-water the bilge when needed. (Which is mostly never, we keep it sponged dry.)
Any thoughts on this problem?
Loren in Portland, OR
Olson 34 #8