Lots of water in bow bilge after heavy seas

[Vickers85]

Hi,does anyone else experience a lot of water in their bow bilge after running in rough water? The bilge pump doesnt even suck it up do the install height so I must use a wet vac to remove it after each trip. Any suggestions? Also any idea wear it comes from? My guess is the anchor box but wnt to see if others have this same issue and how you deal with it?

[Carl]

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=9540&p=60234&hilit= ... lge#p60234

[hatchetjoe]

Vickers,

Have you looked carefully at the tabbing between the floor of the anchor locker and the rear wall of the locker? When I purchased my 28 the surveyor noted that there was some separation at this junction. I posted some pictures of the separation and repair. I'm pretty sure that if waves had come onto or over the bow water from the anchor locker would have run down the inside wall and ended up in the bilge. As many others have posted you may need an extra pump to clear the forward bilge of water.

[Yearwood]

I posted a simple solution to removal of the water, regardless of source some years ago. Simply install a small elect pump in the space forward of the shower well tank, taking suction thru a section (6 to 8 inches) of perforated pvc. Discharge via a hose to the shower well tank. Wire the pump to the shower well circuit via a switch mounted on the bulkhead at the head sink. When water enters the bilge this serves as a stripping system...Not automatic but the shower drain must be on and one must pump the "NO" switch on the bulkhead. Mine has operated for perhaps 18 years w/o incident.

[Mntry_Goodson]

On my 1999, rough seas will put water into the bilge via the engine air vents on the sides of the boat's hull. My boat has two bilge pumps located below the engine and forward of the shower well tank. Both pumps take water out through standard hull penetrations about 6" above the water line on the starboard side. Each pump is matched with separate flotation float that turns on the bilge pump when water gets deeper than about 4". Typical pump switches allow "auto" monitoring or manual.