Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.
Okay, I know this subject has been covered but I'm still not totally sure where to make a hole for a bilge pump. I'm a chicken when it comes to cutting a hole in the bottom of my boat. If it's possible for anything to go wrong, I'm the idiot who will have a boat sitting underwater. I bought this Capri 25 a year ago and love it. However, I usually see water when I look under the companionway step, back under the cockpit. It has the usual hand pump in the cockpit but it doesn't remove all of it. So, I want to add an electric bilge pump IN THE CORRECT LOCATION. Twelve inches behind the keel box, under the cooler cover isn't enough info for me. Can I get more details and possibly a pic or two?
P.S. I didn't even know there was a cooler storage. The only place I can think of is under the companionway step, beside the sink. That's where my batteries are at.
I just cut a hole in my cabin floor last week. I cut it under the companion way hatch and used the hole to evacuate the water from the "hidden" bilge by parking the boat and trailer on a slope with the stern down. In this position I was able to suck all of the water from the bilge with a wet/dry vac. I plan to cover the hole with a typical access panel. I'll take some pics the next time I visit the boat (its back in the water now). My next task is to get a small flashlight and mirror to see what I can see under the cabin floor, should be interesting, If I can get a pic of that too I will. Report back later.
On related subject: Mine and some other CP25's have a Whale bilge pump monted in cockpit. It is a huge 1.25" hose one with hoses going to inside bilge. I don't know why such a monster was needed. Anyway, the cover soon goes bad. A replacement cover can be ordered from West Marine. The Whale deckplate kit as it is called is #DP8904 and sells for about $40. It is white and matches the cockpit nicely. I second the idea about a hole under the companionway step. Have installed one and it works well. Have used sponge when there has been water and have avoided bilge hardware mess.
Crunkinator - sorry it has taken me so long, but Holidays, cold weather and such has kept me and my camera from my boat. I have some pictures now of the access I put in the floor. I don't know how to put them on the forum so send me an email @ joearcht@jwha.net and I'll attach and reply if you still want to see what I am doing.
I have a friend here who bought a Capri 25 he was going to restore and he cut out the floor around the keel completely. I took some pictures the other day for those interested in what's hidden down there.
You can see the plywood (he cut that out also) that underlies the floor. The keel sockets into a space that is raised in the floor, maybe an inch or so. The bonding mix has been removed. I guess it would depend on the leveling of the boat in the water but I doubt we will never be able to fully evacuate water manually in the space between the plywood and hull unless someone comes up with some system of small tubes that can be worked under there to suck up the water to a pump. Water will form a kind of 'moat' around the keel/bonding mix there.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by jmadd</i> <br />I have a friend here who bought a Capri 25 he was going to restore and he cut out the floor around the keel completely. I took some pictures the other day for those interested in what's hidden down there.
You can see the plywood (he cut that out also) that underlies the floor. The keel sockets into a space that is raised in the floor, maybe an inch or so. The bonding mix has been removed. I guess it would depend on the leveling of the boat in the water but I doubt we will never be able to fully evacuate water manually in the space between the plywood and hull unless someone comes up with some system of small tubes that can be worked under there to suck up the water to a pump. Water will form a kind of 'moat' around the keel/bonding mix there. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Wow, what a butcher job!! hope he gets the support back under the fiberglass hull with new ply, hate to see a single load in the middle of the hull without taking into account what was cut out.
I did not know there was that much plywood under the glass, the drawings from Catalina do not reflect this?
I'd never really looked at those drawings closely before. The plywood is shown, although in the keel attachment and keel joint repair drawings the plywood is spec'ed at 3/4 inch and in drawing #14 its 1/2 inch. In drawing 14 it shows the plywood also and specifies the ply is to be coated with resin and glassed in where if fairs to the hull.
I guess early on they realized the keel attachment was a problem, the 'Keel Joint Repair' specifies enlarging the space between the hull and keel to allow application of a greater amount of caulk.
Maybe the intent was to keep the space below the plywood a sealed area protected from water intrusion and so that no provision was needed for bilge drainage there. It would be interesting to see a drawing that showed how the liner fit into the boat. I think between the liner and the plywood is where most of the water collects. I can't see how it would get there though.
The original intent when my friend cut those out was to rebuild the boat 'better than new' from the keel up so to speak. I'm not sure how he plans to replace the plywood though.
I would have never, never would have thought in a solid glass and coremat construction boat Catalina would have put plywood here? I read from the drawing the plywood ran for and aft, never the entire hull, someone call Frank Buttler! The plywood has to stiffen the hull to keel joint and spread the weight of the keel attachment.
There are problems around the keel / hull joint----------Found lots of porosity on Capri 25 hull #215-----------------Cut out the liner below the teak and holly.--------------Removed the junk plywood and old cracked useless " bonding agent " .----------Glassed in some ribs and marine plywood. Probably one of the strongest Capris in this area now. ------Not a hint of leaks or cracks after sailing for 3 seasons on one of the great lakes.
Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ. The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.