bilge placement

[guffo]

what's the preferred place for a bilge in the 4.55's?under the rear seat(between the skin's)or just sitting at the back?any comment's /pic's appreciated

cheers guffo

[Smoomanchu]

I'd be interested in this too, any suggestions anyone ?

[Dave]

I have mine placed in the rear under the floor at the back of the fuel tank which seems to be the lowest point of the hull.

I dont know how you could fit one between the skins. I presume you meant the floor and skin.

[Andy]

you mean bilge pump? you dont get much choice where the bilge is.

[Giffo]

Guffo
I have mine in my 4.55 in the open space/cut out in the floor at the rear,I have it there so you can remove it to clean it when it gets clogged with cr@p.

[Smoomanchu]

thanks fellas. I know its a separate topic but seeing as you blokes are 4.55 owners, has anyone installed a fuel gauge and has any suggestions ?

[Dave]

has anyone installed a fuel gauge and has any suggestions ?

Unless you have heaps of $$ dont bother.

The best way to manage fuel is to do a good run on a full tank

A known distance, for a known time at 80-90% throttle and then fill up the tank.

Use this to give you your average LPH burn.

Mine uses 10LPH with a 70 litre tank = 7 hours of running.

Minus 2 hours for factors such as weather and sea state, weight, fuel consumption problems.

Thats the formula which I run my boat to. I always fill up before I go out and carry an extra 20L if I know I am going to be running close to my limit.

It would be cheaper to purchase and fit an hour meter to keep track of your engine hours for each trip to monitor fuel.

Better to come home with half a tank than be a litre short of the boat ramp.

[DvrDve]

giffo --andy is right :)
as for bilge pump just make sure its easy accessible and put some protective cage around

Smoomanchu if u run Navman /northstar
they have a fuleflow sensor that then dispalys on ur sounder or gps-this is a help as u know fule consumption at any known moment - u can use this to trim /change throttle settings to get optimum speed /lowest fuel use
-if u run a merc motor thery just plug into the wiring harness
the sensor is also available as a standalone
with its own display- about$150 from memory
hwever on small boat like the polys if u have a removable fuel tank why bother
davos way works well-buy a second tank keep it full, leaves u more $$ for fishing gear

[Pirate Pete]

Smoomanchu my 5.3 has a built in tank with gauge but its only any good at rest. The other thing I do do is lift the floor & have a look . . . .

you cant beat that. . . .


good old Mark 1 eyeball

[Keithy P]

Back to Bilge questions.

The brumby has a bilge pump under the carpeted floor section, but there is no real drain from the deck into the bilge. The water sloshes around for a while before it slowly seeps into the bilge. Has anyone else found this with other models?

I am thinking of fitting some form of stainless drain with a strainer so that the water gets to the pump a little quicker.

What do you recon?

[chin]

On the old site Keithy, there was a post by someone who actually did exactly what you are talking about on a 4.8.
It was almost like a shower floor drain from memory.

[Smoomanchu]

Thanks fellas. I just troll the local freshwater lakes or putt around the estuaries on the coast and don't use a lot of juice. Not worth the $$ and am happy to guestimate, take a look or carry some extra as suggested.

[Keithy P]

Thats kinda what I'm thinking chin.

Ive got this great little drain/plug/strainer combo in my kitchen. I recon it should work a treat.

Do you recon the missus will notice its gone??

http://i971.photobucket.com/albums/ae199/keithy_p/IMG_0250-2.jpg
http://i971.photobucket.com/albums/ae199/keithy_p/IMG_0251-1.jpg

[polyFrank]

Keithy P. You know how the spray that drains off the front cuddy and runs down the side into the boat. I glued plastic baffles on top of that flat area near the back of the cuddy to make the water run back into the sea.

[Keithy P]

sounds like a great idea PF, but I dont think it will help me in this situation.

[polyFrank]

Sound a bit on the rough side K P. Try fishing in calmer waters!!

[Keithy P]

Nah its not like that PF, I have to wash the boat out a fair bit during trips. You know what its like, you bring in a big Macky or GT and they thrash around at a billion beats per minute with a lure in there chops spraying blood everywhere. I wash down with buckets of water, at the mo it slops around in the bottom for a while while it seeps throgh. and I end up with gouts of blood and bits of scale and crap sort of jammed at the rear of the boat.

I recon the drain hole will do the trick, I just dont want big stuff getting under the floor that can clog the pump is all.

[polyFrank]

Get the point K P. Having a drain in floor that wont allow any gunk down into the bilge is the way to go.

[DvrDve]

gunk is always gonna fund its way down-- rules of physics and boats

therefore make sure the bilgepump is easily acessible/cleanable
i use some stainless mesh around the pump-this might work in your application- stuff they use in deepfrier baskets make a lilttle cage -the about 1.2mm strand stuff will bend and take shape like plate

as for the strainer the ms is gonna miss it- at the risk of no legover for years to come
if u go to your local tip/second hand building supplier they have heaps of old zinks- u can pick a zink up for about $10- (its good stainless plate for other stuff)
use the strainer, and the zink makes a good fish cleaning station
of course u could go and pay for a new one from tradelink but thats cheating