What Does This Tube Connect?

[boatnamesue]

I opened the sterns hatch access port, looked down inside, and found this lovely gem just laying there.  It's about 2.5' of corrugated flex tubing.  Last week I installed a bow mounted trolling motor.  I ran the trolling motor battery cable behind the starboard bow panel, past the fuel tank line and vent, and up to the bow's open access hatch.

My model comes equipped with a starboard thru-hull drain, which drains the middle bow compartment (ice box/fish box).  The outlet/inlet is located in close proximity of where I was running the cable. 

My guess is, this is the tubing that connects the outlet of the compartment to the inlet of the thru-hull...and I somehow knocked it loose while running the cable. 

Your thoughts?  If I'm correct, I believe the middle bow compartment has a small circular hatch access.  If this opens, will I be able to reconnect via this access hatch?

I do not use the middle bow compartment for ice, so I'm not concerned about draining water from this compartment.  What I am concerned about is, if I'm correct about what this tube connects, is water getting into the boat via the thru-hull hole.  Although this drainage hole sits above water level, in rough seas I can imagine water siphoning in and eventually filling the bilge. 

[chris0614]

I think your guess is right, I recently had a similar problem where the hose connecting fish box  in the bow to the thru hull broke with minimal force. If your hose was anything like mine it probably got forgotten about over the years and was barely hanging on. I can't recommend how to reach it without pics but I would recommend getting it reconnected so rainwater doesn't seep into bilge.

[boatnamesue]

I was able to open the round access hatch inside the bow starboard compartment.  I expected to see no hose attachment, but indeed there is.   This is good news of course.  Though now I have zero clue what the corrugated tubing was connected to.   

I guess it's possible the previous owner installed a new hose that connects fish box to thru hull, and the old one was left in the hull.   This piece of corrugated tubing I found would not be used to carry fuel, so thats the only reasoning I can come up with as to what its purpose was once for. 

[wingtime]

The center bow compartment drain hose came off the drain fitting and the end of the hose was laying down in the bottom of the bilge. The PO had simply placed a plug in the thru hull. The reality is without that plug my 170 was in inches of sinking... so don't use your boat until you resolve this issue.

[boatnamesue]

I was able to open the round access hatch inside the bow starboard compartment.  I expected to see no hose attachment, but indeed there is.   This is good news of course.

Perhaps you hadn't seen my latest update, quoted above.  The drain hose that is connected to compartment and thru hull and is functional. 

[Brendanpd28]

I actually had the same concern since the drain tube from the ice box on my 170 is also original. It gets backed up sometimes.  I use it for my anchor since the bow locker really doesn't have enough space for a decent sized anchor.  I plan on running a new hose since it's probably gunked up and that's why it's blocked up sometimes.  I can get to the bottom side of the drain through an access hatch from one of the casting deck hatches  but I have no idea how I'm going to get to the through hull fitting.  I plan on looking into this within the next couple weeks and I'll let you now how it goes. Solutions are always found in this forum. 
 

[CTsalt12]

I'm having trouble visualizing this, particularly what you did with the trolling motor.  However, have you checked the bilge pump to the thru hull connection in the stern?  You said you found this in the stern access port..  It looks like exactly the size and type of hose I use from stern bilge pump to thru hull, and the same location.  But I must be missing something, because you seem to think it's from the bow storage compartment, and I don't know how that would get all the way into the back of your boat.