1986 24'8 cuddy cabin

[lynnstrick01]

Hi I am a new guy (girl actually) I have a 1986 Aquasport, it is a 24'8 Cuddy Cabin after reviewing info found in this forum I believe it to be a 250 express fisherman.  I have owned it for about 4 years now but This is the 1st time I have had to do any work to it.  
1)I think the Bilge pump has quit working but cannot find it... Where is it please???

2) there are 3 "holes" that look like bilge holes toward the front (outside)  of the boat at about the water line..
What are all those holes for???

Thanks
Lynn

[jahoward1]

I have a 1997 20ft cc and my boat has a hole surrounded by hard plastic close to the bow near the waterline that drains the baitwell.  I haven't used the pump to drain it; instead, I just pull a plug and the water drains right out of that hole.  I was told that the pump is used to circulate water through the baitwell to keep the bait alive longer but like I said I, I haven't figured it out yet. The other hole that I remember is nearer to the stern and bilge water passes through that one.  Hope this hels a little--C ya

James H

[lynnstrick01]

Continued..... Sorry, did not realize I could edit instead of reply to add info to my own post, ... I  have been looking online for info about this boat and cant find anything other than this forum.... but it looks like most of the folks in here have some GREAT knowledge.. so I will be in here bugging you guys a lot..please be patient with me....  

[lynnstrick01]

JA that makes sense but my boat has a large "hole" in the back bottom of the hull that resembles a sink plug... "covered with a metal plate thing with smaller holes... i always thought that one was for the bait well... (with the holes being to filter out debris)  the others on the side have no plug but the boat doesnt seem to take on water.. I am just trying to figure out what they all are... oh I am soooo confused..there are tooo many holes in this boat..

[RickK]

Welcome aboard lynnstrick01  :!:  :!:
In my Explorer I have a baitwell under each helm seat that drain outboard on the port and starboard hull sides - these are not too much above the water line.  I also have an exhaust for the forward bilge pump and this one is a couple feet above the water line ahead of the baitwell drain on the starboard side.  In the aft I have the rear bilge exhaust on the starboard side about a foot ahead of the transom.  I would think you would have at least the fore and aft bilge exhausts.  You should have an access panel (round type) in the floor in the cabin to access the front bilge pump.  The aft bilge.... I'm not sure how you access it - I lift a big deck hatch that exposes the area where you would put an inboard/outboard engine and also the bilge, where the pump is.

[lynnstrick01]

Rick:
Thank you so very much for this info, it really helps a lot.  I will take a look at all this over the week-end. Seems funny as long as we have had this boat and am just now learning things about it.  The guy who sold it to us was second owner and he didnt have all of the info and as we said before there is just not much info to be found on the web. This Forum and all of you in it will be Life savers for us and our boat. We were hoping to be in the water this week-end but I am in central Fl (Tampa area) and it looks like the weather will be keeping  us on land for a few more days, so no better time to work on the boat and get ready for the next good fishing day.  

Lynn

[RickK]

Yes, we are officially the only Aquasport site left  

You should have "Bilge" switches to manually turn on the bilge pumps.  That'll confirm what 2 of the holes are for (assuming you have 2 pumps - which you should for that size boat).  If they don't turn on then that's a different problem.  
Post some pix of your baby and let us ogle her.  We all love boat porn :cyclops: Include those mystery holes in the pix too. Maybe the decks too so we can see any access points.

[lynnstrick01]

Thanks again for the warm welcome,,, working on uploading pix but running into a few tech issues with photobucket... should be in by this evening...

Hey Rick,   I just noticed you are in Sarasota, We come over there sometimes, use the fruitville rd county ramp,  Maybe the hubby and I can meet up with you sometime for some fishing

Trying to upload pix.. lets see how it goes


SHE'S BIG,  



SHE'S BAD


AND SHE'S MY BABY  (AND SHE KNOWS HOW TO FISH TOO)



The Mystery "HOLES"







The Helm area,  Not as pretty as I want her to be but functional




So tell me what you think of her,  She is the 1st big boat the hubby and I have ever had so we think she is FANTASTIC but dont have anything to compare her to.   I would like to do some cosmetic work, especially in the cabin and helm area but dont really know where to start.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[RickK]

Looks great    Big boat - I think it's a 246 EF maybe even a 250 8)
Lets see some pics of the cockpit area (fore and aft) and also the cabin, 'specially the floor  area (access plates etc.) - still trying to figure out your access to the bilge pumps.

Where are you located (you can modify your profile to show this) - we can certainly hook up to do some fishing, camping, etc. 8)

[Marcq]

The Helm area,  Not as pretty as I want her to be but functional


So tell me what you think of her,  She is the 1st big boat the hubby and I have ever had so we think she is FANTASTIC but dont have anything to compare her to.   I would like to do some cosmetic work, especially in the cabin and helm area but dont really know where to start.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

She wont need much. First thing I would do, get rid of the stains, where the hinges are(instrument panel), buff it, replace the hinges if necessary , fresh coat of what ever on your louvers doors and your set. It doesn't take much to make something look like a million bucks  

edit: oh, toothbrush, very useful

 

Marc..

[Hardwater]

Welcome lynnstrick01 - nice boat!  

Following up on Marq's suggestions...non-abrasive, fiberglass safe cleaners like Bon Ami and Bar Keepers Friend do a great job of cleaning up gelcoat, removing stains, etc.  Bar Keepers Friend has a small amount of oxalic acid and does a better job on some of the tougher stains.  Both are available at just about any grocery store - cheap, too.  Stay away from the abrasives like Ajax, Comet, etc.

Add some work on the teak - she'll look great.

How's the Yamaha been for ya?

[lynnstrick01]

Hey Guys!

I know, the stains are horrible. the seal on the steering wheel busted and leaked hydraulic fluid. I have used bleach and other household cleaners but never knew about the barkeepers friend. I will look for it next time I am in the store.  As far as the teak goes, I just got lazy, used to keep it oiled and looking good all the time but the hubby was out of town a lot last summer and we didn't get to take her out so I just kind of let it go.  My brother is a painter says he will help me stain and seal the teak and re-gel the other stuff.  Hopefully by the end of this summer we will have her looking like new again.

The Yamaha is a 1996 250HP, It has been GRRREAT!!!  Had her for 4 years. Only problem we ever had was just a few weeks ago,  she sat most of last summer and with all of this crap they are putting in our gas these days it got some water build up in the tank and we didnt realze it.  Motor started running like crap and  fouled a couple of plugs,  we put some stabilizer in the gas, changed the water seperator filter, changed the plugs and cleaned the carborators, now she is running like a top again.  I love american made products and would love to try out an E-Tech, but no money in the budget for that, and it really is hard to beat a Yamaha.

RickK
I am in Plant City, (about 20 miles out of tampa) Would be great to get together sometime.  Last time we were over in your neck of the woods was about 4 weeks ago. We were planning to go out to some of the outer reefs and grouper holes but we had 4 foot seas before we could get more than about 4 miles off longboat key.  Then we started having motor trouble, to sum it up it was a BAD boating day. But we do love Sarasota and will be back over there pretty soon, will try to let you know a few days ahead, maybe we can meet up.

I found the access hatch in the cabin where you said the bilge pump should be, Just about the time we started to open it up it started thundering and lightening and raining and haven't had a chance to get back in there yet but maybe tomorrow.

[RickK]

You JUST missed the gathering we had in Apollo Beach - just 3 weeks ago.

[GoneFission]

Welcome to the site Lynn!  I think you have a 246 XF - Express Fisherman.  Nice boat!  I would use Soft Scrub on the stains - it does not scratch like some abrasive cleaners.  It also has bleach which helps.  There are several links on the forums for how to bring the teak back to life - do a search on teak refinishing and you can find more than you probably want to know...  :)

Regarding the holes on the sides - the lower ones are usually fish box or other drains and the upper ones are for bilge pump outputs.  Your probably boat came with a 1500 pump, and a second pump was an option.  These pumps use a 1 1/4" outlet (or 1 1/2" - it depends), which looks like the size of the larger thru-hull.  The smaller one looks to be a 3/4" thru-hull - more suited to a drain for a cooler or box.   Does your XF have the compartment/box under the seat in the bow area?  If so, it probably also has a drain.  Pour some water in there and find out where it comes out!      

I could not see if your boat has the optional sink - if so, one is probably the sink drain.  Again, pour some water down the sink drain and see where it comes out.  Bilge pump outlets are usually higher on the hull because it is expected the pump might be used to help pump out a boat with a lot of water inside - the higher location of the pump outlet means the pump can discharge freely and does not have to pump against a water head (submerged outlet).  You actually want drains lower (just above the water line) so the box or sink drains better.  

[lynnstrick01]

Hey Guys,  

Found te bilge pump,  Just like you said Rick, it was under the access hatch in the cabin.  Come t find out the pump itself was fine, there was just a wire that was not connected, gt that fixed and all is working perfectly.


Couldn't find the BarKeepers friend, but found some other stuff that may work on those stains.