Just bought a 1980 V22 (or is it a 222?) and everything looked acceptable when I bought it. When cleaning it out I noticed a an electric bilge pump in the compartment under the foreward seat of the dinette that gives access to the keel bolts. For some reason I either didn't see it or it didn't make an impression on me. I looked in the compartment and didn't see any obvious cracks or issues, but am now nervous about the need for an electic bilge pump. I plan to dock it for the summer and don't really want to come back after a week away from the boat and find it at the bottom of the club's harbour.
Am I being a nervous bride or is this something I shouldn't be too worried about?
New v22 and bilge pump
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Capt Duffy
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- Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:55 am
- Sailboat: Venture 2-24
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mastreb
- Admiral
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- Sailboat: MacGregor 26M
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Re: New v22 and bilge pump
A lot of boats have a permanently installed bilge pump. I don't think it means anything more than that the PO took on some water once and didn't like drying it out manually. You should test the pump to see that it works and that it's automatically actuated in the presence of water, then you can leave the boat safely with a charged battery even if you have a minor leak.
While on the trailer, check the boat for any thru-hull penetrations on the boat that the PO may have made, such as for a sounder or water temp sensor. If there aren't any, then you likely have nothing to worry about.
If there are, check the fitting thoroughly on both sides, and consider re-bedding it with butyl tape to be sure it won't leak. Some people say that you shouldn't use butyl tape below the waterline because it can be broken down by fuels or oils, but unless you're floating in a sea of gasoline, this is simply not a real issue. All petrochemicals float--they are at the waterline only, not below it, ever. Even at the waterline, you typically will not be in contact with floating petrochemicals long enough or often enough to make any difference to butyl tape.
Butyl tape is perfectly fine for sealing anything that is thru-hull fitted and compression bolted, and it has the best materials compatibility and longevity of any sealant. It never sets, and remains flexible throughout its working life. My previous boat had thru-hull below waterline fittings that were sealed with butyl tape 40 years earlier and had never leaked. And it spent those 40 years in San Diego harbor, which is so polluted that my Mac comes out of the water with a brown "tub ring" around it after a week in the water.
Watch out for 3M 5200. I see a lot of recommendations for it and they sell it at West Marine, but it's for permanent installation only because it has such a high bonding strength that it can de-laminate gel-kote if you bed a working load like a cleat, chain-plate or rub-rail with it, and it's damned hard to remove without causing gel-kote damage. 4200 is almost always the better choice on a boat where flexing loads are the rule. If you have to remove 5200, try DeBond 2000, which will weaken it below the delamination strength of gel-kote.
On a Mac, Butyl tape and 3M 4200 are the only sealants you'll ever need. The two of them handle every case you'll have. Use butyl tape where ever you have a thru-bolted compression fitting, and use 4200 everywhere else.
While on the trailer, check the boat for any thru-hull penetrations on the boat that the PO may have made, such as for a sounder or water temp sensor. If there aren't any, then you likely have nothing to worry about.
If there are, check the fitting thoroughly on both sides, and consider re-bedding it with butyl tape to be sure it won't leak. Some people say that you shouldn't use butyl tape below the waterline because it can be broken down by fuels or oils, but unless you're floating in a sea of gasoline, this is simply not a real issue. All petrochemicals float--they are at the waterline only, not below it, ever. Even at the waterline, you typically will not be in contact with floating petrochemicals long enough or often enough to make any difference to butyl tape.
Butyl tape is perfectly fine for sealing anything that is thru-hull fitted and compression bolted, and it has the best materials compatibility and longevity of any sealant. It never sets, and remains flexible throughout its working life. My previous boat had thru-hull below waterline fittings that were sealed with butyl tape 40 years earlier and had never leaked. And it spent those 40 years in San Diego harbor, which is so polluted that my Mac comes out of the water with a brown "tub ring" around it after a week in the water.
Watch out for 3M 5200. I see a lot of recommendations for it and they sell it at West Marine, but it's for permanent installation only because it has such a high bonding strength that it can de-laminate gel-kote if you bed a working load like a cleat, chain-plate or rub-rail with it, and it's damned hard to remove without causing gel-kote damage. 4200 is almost always the better choice on a boat where flexing loads are the rule. If you have to remove 5200, try DeBond 2000, which will weaken it below the delamination strength of gel-kote.
On a Mac, Butyl tape and 3M 4200 are the only sealants you'll ever need. The two of them handle every case you'll have. Use butyl tape where ever you have a thru-bolted compression fitting, and use 4200 everywhere else.