Gee sherm, I think it depends. Fresh or Salt? Fresh can be more of a problem due to rot invitations. Salt can be good cause it pickles the wood. But again, how much is too much is one of comfort for you. Chrissies leak like sives. In fact if you have to pull her out on the hard be aware that unless it's a short stay...say 48 hours...She'll scare you to death when you drop her back in the drink. You'll probably think she's opened up something fatal. Make sure the bilge pump's alive and go have a couple of cups of coffee or a drinky or two and she'll heal up. Question is; Do you have a lotawater all the time below the sump level or does your bilge pump cycle a lot? How much is too much is a personal matter i suppose. I know if the water (weather/wave cycle etc) is a bit choppy I'd like to have that hummer drier than it sounds like it is. Cheers, PS1
Prarie is right, but water in the bilge of a wooden boat, especially a 50 footer is normal. Regardless of whether your in fresh or salt. His question is valid... How often does your bilge pump cycle? Not to mention, you probably have three or at least two and a manual back up in that boat. I would tend to believe that 4 cycles in a 24 hour period would be normal. If its pumping every hour you should make sure your battery charging system is on automatic. Years a ago, my buddy had a 38 footer that was pumping twice an hour. We hauled her out and I personally spent a weekend sealing her up. Here's, how it went: I scrapped every seam stem to stern with a hook scraper. Removeing the remaining caulk and loose cotton. I then rolled and stuffed new cotten where ever necessary stem to stern. Folowed by a smoothed bead of 3M 5200 over every seam, stem to stern. Once the 5200 skinned over I re-painted the bottom with fresh anti-foul. She went back in the next day. Once she swelled up good the Bilge pump was cycling about once every 24 hours or so.
Gee sherm, I think it depends. Fresh or Salt? Fresh can be more of a problem due to rot invitations. Salt can be good cause it pickles the wood. But again, how much is too much is one of comfort for you. Chrissies leak like sives. In fact if you have to pull her out on the hard be aware that unless it's a short stay...say 48 hours...She'll scare you to death when you drop her back in the drink. You'll probably think she's opened up something fatal. Make sure the bilge pump's alive and go have a couple of cups of coffee or a drinky or two and she'll heal up. Question is; Do you have a lotawater all the time below the sump level or does your bilge pump cycle a lot? How much is too much is a personal matter i suppose. I know if the water (weather/wave cycle etc) is a bit choppy I'd like to have that hummer drier than it sounds like it is. Cheers, PS1
ReplyDeletePrarie is right, but water in the bilge of a wooden boat, especially a 50 footer is normal. Regardless of whether your in fresh or salt. His question is valid... How often does your bilge pump cycle? Not to mention, you probably have three or at least two and a manual back up in that boat. I would tend to believe that 4 cycles in a 24 hour period would be normal. If its pumping every hour you should make sure your battery charging system is on automatic. Years a ago, my buddy had a 38 footer that was pumping twice an hour. We hauled her out and I personally spent a weekend sealing her up. Here's, how it went: I scrapped every seam stem to stern with a hook scraper. Removeing the remaining caulk and loose cotton. I then rolled and stuffed new cotten where ever necessary stem to stern. Folowed by a smoothed bead of 3M 5200 over every seam, stem to stern. Once the 5200 skinned over I re-painted the bottom with fresh anti-foul. She went back in the next day. Once she swelled up good the Bilge pump was cycling about once every 24 hours or so.
ReplyDelete