I'm an ex-pat KIWI (New Zealander) and fairly new to sailing and boat ownership.
Ericson 380
Ericson 380
This winter I finally got around to starting the cosmetic to-do projects that the admiral has been pushing me to do since day one of purchasing my E38. Some of the sole in the galley, head, quarter berth, and companionway entrance had been badly water damaged at some point in the boats past, with the epoxy/varnish lifting and the holly badly mold damaged. I decided since I had the sole up to replace all the bilge hoses that were original and in very bad shape.
One thing I noticed is that the bilges below the companionway collect water that has drained from the limber hole that drain water below the engine pan from the drain hole under the gearbox (rear of engine area). I decided to address this design issue by installing a 1/2" drain tube from the engine limber hole through to the first accessible bilge area below the dust pan. The drain tube still allows any water that may collect in this area to drain through the limber holes. See the picture below of the tube.
I then set about degreasing and cleaning all the grime from the bilge areas and also painting the accessible bilges for a new clean start. I also decided to increase my bilge hoses from 5/8" to 3/4" as all the bilge pumps and strum boxes only seem to have a minimum port size of 3/4". This included changing the 5/8" thru hole to a 3/4" thru hull in the stern, by the way the hull is 1 3/8" solid glass in this section! For the shower bilge I have a new Johnson 750GPH pump (that comes with a 90 degree elbow and the only way you can make the connection in this small bilge) with a Water Witch electronic bilge switch cable tied to the unit. See picture. For the main bilge both the electric and manual bilge hoses have strum boxes. The main electric bilge also has a Water Witch electronic bilge switch attached to the strum box as well as a Johnson electronic bilge switch mounted higher up for my high bilge alarm. The main bilge pump is located in the original factory position in the engine compartment. I now have both the shower bilge hose and main bilge pump hoses joined by a Y fitting aft of the main bilge pump to a common 3/4" hose to the thru hull. I have also installed a 3/4" Jabsco check valve on the shower bilge hose in the same location. I should note that the Whale strum boxes also have check valves as standard. In addition to all this I've rebuilt the Whale Gusher 10 manual bilge pump so that it now works!
One thing I noticed is that the bilges below the companionway collect water that has drained from the limber hole that drain water below the engine pan from the drain hole under the gearbox (rear of engine area). I decided to address this design issue by installing a 1/2" drain tube from the engine limber hole through to the first accessible bilge area below the dust pan. The drain tube still allows any water that may collect in this area to drain through the limber holes. See the picture below of the tube.
I then set about degreasing and cleaning all the grime from the bilge areas and also painting the accessible bilges for a new clean start. I also decided to increase my bilge hoses from 5/8" to 3/4" as all the bilge pumps and strum boxes only seem to have a minimum port size of 3/4". This included changing the 5/8" thru hole to a 3/4" thru hull in the stern, by the way the hull is 1 3/8" solid glass in this section! For the shower bilge I have a new Johnson 750GPH pump (that comes with a 90 degree elbow and the only way you can make the connection in this small bilge) with a Water Witch electronic bilge switch cable tied to the unit. See picture. For the main bilge both the electric and manual bilge hoses have strum boxes. The main electric bilge also has a Water Witch electronic bilge switch attached to the strum box as well as a Johnson electronic bilge switch mounted higher up for my high bilge alarm. The main bilge pump is located in the original factory position in the engine compartment. I now have both the shower bilge hose and main bilge pump hoses joined by a Y fitting aft of the main bilge pump to a common 3/4" hose to the thru hull. I have also installed a 3/4" Jabsco check valve on the shower bilge hose in the same location. I should note that the Whale strum boxes also have check valves as standard. In addition to all this I've rebuilt the Whale Gusher 10 manual bilge pump so that it now works!
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