Keeping my 19'1 docked.

[seabob4]

Jess, I'd love to see a sealed bilge...

[MarshMarlowe196]

They exist SeaBob, though maybe only temporarily and surely not on any AquaSports :)

[gran398]

Guys, given how often this subject is brought up, I actually conducted a test of my own recently to verify whether or not water entering the boat via the deck would drain through unobstructed scuppers below the waterline.

At the dock, I removed my ping pong scuppers and ran a water hose continuously into the deck.  With my scuppers about 1" below the waterline and seawater already on the deck, the water level inside the boat did not change.

This does not negate the need for an automatic float switch and bilge pump.  BUT- if you have your scuppers plugged and your bilge sealed, an automatic pump below deck wouldn't (couldn't) help.

What you have observed is hydrostatic pressure/equilibrium. At a certain point, more water on the deck is impossible, per flotation/design.

Not applicable to waterlogged/fully absorbed hulls. If we have a 70's hull....we may qualify.

[MarshMarlowe196]

Guys, given how often this subject is brought up, I actually conducted a test of my own recently to verify whether or not water entering the boat via the deck would drain through unobstructed scuppers below the waterline.

At the dock, I removed my ping pong scuppers and ran a water hose continuously into the deck.  With my scuppers about 1" below the waterline and seawater already on the deck, the water level inside the boat did not change.

This does not negate the need for an automatic float switch and bilge pump.  BUT- if you have your scuppers plugged and your bilge sealed, an automatic pump below deck wouldn't (couldn't) help.

What you have observed is hydrostatic pressure/equilibrium. At a certain point, more water on the deck is impossible, per flotation/design.

Not applicable to waterlogged/fully absorbed hulls. If we have a 70's hull....we may qualify.

Hydrostatic pressure is still applicable to waterlogged hulls; the difference would be how much the added weight of said waterlogged stringers would cause the deck to be below the waterline.  The 19-1's and Flatbacks didn't have nearly the amount of foam as the post 75' Ospreys, or even as much as the pre 1975 3 piece 12 degree hulls. I'm sure my stringers have their fair share of water in them, but even with my heavy outboard, the water fills the deck to about the cooler seat then stops. If there's so much water weight in your hull that your entire deck is below the waterline, then leaving the scuppers out really isn't feasible because then you'd just have a boat full of water. But really, if this is the case with your aqua, then you've got much bigger problems.


Ali-   Can you plug the holes in your deck/trough that lead down to your bilge?

[ali y0]

In reality there is only one hole because the other hole has a hose coming out for the bilge pump.

[c master]

The bilge-pump team has you covered on that subject, so I'm going to take a slightly different tack here and ask about anti-fouling bottom paint.  

Does your boat have it?  'Cause if you don't, you will have a mess on your hands in about 60 days.  I've had boats all my life...some big, some small.  Some lived in the water, others on trailers, others in slings over the water.  Anyway, my experience is that leaving an outboard vessel in the water is convenient and desirable for short periods of time (such as - maybe - a week long fishing vacation) but over longer periods the 'deterioration factor' outweighs the 'convenience factor'.  Saltwater is a very caustic, corrosive solution that causes pitted metal on lower units and tilt/trim parts, permanently stains fiberglass, and grows algae, barnacles, etc. like a mofo.  Sort of like rust, saltwater 'never sleeps'.  Even with anti-fouling paint, other deterioration is accelerated when the hull's in the water.   For instance, it's damn near impossible to flush an outboard motor that lives in the water.

But floating dockside is, indeed convenient.  So if you DO have bottom paint on the hull, then I'd recommend a highest-quality, 'fitted' boat cover.  The kind with a strap/velcro system around the outside edge (under the rubrail).  The kind that breathes - usually with an inner liner.  The kind that is tight enough not to 'pond' in the aft quarters after a rainy, windy day or two.  I've had the best luck ordering them through shops that sell wakeboard and ski boats.  They aren't cheap and they don't last forever outdoors.  But they're 'sacrificial'...the sun/rain/dirt/salt ruins the cover in a few years, instead of every exposed thing on your boat.  (That takes a little longer).

My $ 0.02.    Ok, everybody...pile on.