This is very trivial issue here, but I think about because the piece in question is sitting here in my bathroom ready to be sanded and refinished or…
So at the risk of sounding completely crazy or inept… do most people keep that board which lives above the bilge, behind the engine, under the prop shaft, or do most remove it? And what is the official job of that board?
In my very limited experience aboard the boat, it seems as though it could just get in the way, and be wet all the time from the shaft drips, serving very little purpose, EXCEPT to keep a tool from falling into the deep depths of the bilge back there.
HI Ben,
You got it right . . . . It’s there to give one last desperate hope of
intercepting that washer, seacock lock nut, socket wrench, whatever –
that just slipped from your fingers and is heading for a spot 3 1/2 "
beyond your reach under the last little bit of oily water in the inky
darkness of the bottom aft corner of the bilge. Itchen has a PYI PSS
“dripless” shaft seal and the amount of water which accumulates on the
cover below is negligible. For a traditional stuffing box seal
designed to drip, I would just do a very thorough job of epoxy-sealing
the board – top and bottom and edges.
Ben,
I really like that deep aft bilge. It holds a lot of water that
otherwise would be up around your toes if one has any sort of a
moderate leak before getting a balky bilge pump going again. I’ve
sailed some lovely modern fin keel dinghy-hulled shallow-bilged boats
– fast, but the cabin sole becomes part of the bilge if there’s more
than a very few gallons of water sloshing around. But, trade-offs,
trade-offs . . … I think some owners have used that space for
additional water or fuel tank space.
Scott
Ben,
Throw out the board.I put in a piece of fiberglass screen cloth held in place with strips of Velcro. Works like a safety net,lets the bilge breathe and the stuffing box drip.
Bob & Lois