Bilge under floor

[eddiesweber]

I have a 70's Chrysler boat with an out board engine. I installed a bilge pump in the bilge. When I went to test it, the water just disappears? When I checked it out, I found a hole in the front wall (towards front of boat) of the bilge where it meets the floor (bottom) of bilge. If I keep my hand flat, the hole is big enough to slide of of my fingers in hole and the hole is like an arch. Once I cranked the front of the boat up all of the water drained out.

My question is... Does the bilge run under the floor? Should this hole be there or should I plug it up?

 

[dingbat]

My question is... Does the bilge run under the floor? Should this hole be there or should I plug it up?

Typically, the bilge runs from bow to stern.

The holes you found are limber holes. Allows water for move from front to back of the boat

 

[eddiesweber]

Typically, the bilge runs from bow to stern.

The holes you found are limber holes. Allows water for move from front to back of the boat

Thank You!!

 

[Silvertip]

I have a 70's Chrysler boat with an out board engine. I installed a bilge pump in the bilge. When I went to test it, the water just disappears? When I checked it out, I found a hole in the front wall (towards front of boat) of the bilge where it meets the floor (bottom) of bilge. If I keep my hand flat, the hole is big enough to slide of of my fingers in hole and the hole is like an arch. Once I cranked the front of the boat up all of the water drained out.

My question is... Does the bilge run under the floor? Should this hole be there or should I plug it up?

You said when you tested the bilge the water just disappears. Where did you expect it to go? The discharge hose for pump dumps the water overboard -- not to the front of the boat. The purpose of the pump is to get the water OUT of the boat.

 

[flashback]

You said when you tested the bilge the water just disappears. Where did you expect it to go? The discharge hose for pump dumps the water overboard -- not to the front of the boat. The purpose of the pump is to get the water OUT of the boat.

Hopefully he installed the discharge line

 

[Silvertip]

I've seen boats with the forward bilge drained through a hose into the aft bilge. If the pump was hooked to that hose all the bilge water is now up front! Hope that's not the case but logic should prevail here.