ScottinAZ
Master Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2009
- Messages
- 831
ok, this is gonna come off as a stupid question, but Im gonna ask anyways.
What is the best way to mount a bilge pump to the hull?
Existing pump when I got the boat was just lying loose in the bilge, not attached to anything. No obvious mounting pad to screw down into either. I have a couple ideas, but wanted to see what the board thinks first. Im not really into the idea of screwing things directly to the hull, if y'all know what I mean
1) clean the hell out of, and fiberglass in a pad to the hull... Straightforward, but the engine creates a clearance issue.
2) weld (or bolt) a bracket to the front engine mount. How close to the hull is close enough for pickup before too much water accumulates?
As part of the rebuild process on my hull, I re-engineered the front engine mount. what was there was just a shedload of plywood glassed over and subsequently rotted out. (of course, thats what plywood does when it gets wet). I made some angle brackets (scavenged off an old trailer hitch) and welded a piece of channel steel between them that bridges between the sides of the bilge, and has full clearance underneath. only holes for mounting are above the level of the bilge, so if they get wet, I got bigger issues than wood rot. For those that will inevitably bring up engine alignment, It aligned beautifully for me, with no issues.
What is the best way to mount a bilge pump to the hull?
Existing pump when I got the boat was just lying loose in the bilge, not attached to anything. No obvious mounting pad to screw down into either. I have a couple ideas, but wanted to see what the board thinks first. Im not really into the idea of screwing things directly to the hull, if y'all know what I mean
1) clean the hell out of, and fiberglass in a pad to the hull... Straightforward, but the engine creates a clearance issue.
2) weld (or bolt) a bracket to the front engine mount. How close to the hull is close enough for pickup before too much water accumulates?
As part of the rebuild process on my hull, I re-engineered the front engine mount. what was there was just a shedload of plywood glassed over and subsequently rotted out. (of course, thats what plywood does when it gets wet). I made some angle brackets (scavenged off an old trailer hitch) and welded a piece of channel steel between them that bridges between the sides of the bilge, and has full clearance underneath. only holes for mounting are above the level of the bilge, so if they get wet, I got bigger issues than wood rot. For those that will inevitably bring up engine alignment, It aligned beautifully for me, with no issues.
