Two More Newbie Questions

[KLMartini]

Hi all!

I have a couple of questions!

1. What size fenders do you use on your ? I need to replace a couple and I wondered what everyone else used.
2. Bilge Pump: Do I need one? If so, where would it go?

That's all I can think of at the moment. Thanks in advance!

Kathryn
martinisserenity.com

[dlandersson]

i have fenders on my slip - effen' huge.

I have fenders on my boat - 8.5 x 22 or so (military logo)

Hi all!

I have a couple of questions!

1. What size fenders do you use on your ? I need to replace a couple and I wondered what everyone else used.
2. Bilge Pump: Do I need one? If so, where would it go?

That's all I can think of at the moment. Thanks in advance!

Kathryn
martinisserenity.com

[Russ]

1. What size fenders do you use on your ? I need to replace a couple and I wondered what everyone else used.

Ditto on Dlandersson's advise and size of bumpers. We keep our Mac in a slip, so I mount the fenders on the dock. I also bought some dock guards to line the edge of slip. We store 3 fenders under the v-berth for when we are using the fuel dock. Honestly that's a waste also because almost every fuel dock I've been to has rubber bumpers on their dock.
link to several

2. Bilge Pump: Do I need one? If so, where would it go?

Right? Where would you put one?
Many folks here have installed them and I don't know how they can work since the Mac has no central low spot for water to settle to. I think for many people it's a peace of mind thing to have a pump. We've never had any water of much in ours. What little is rain water that we take out with a sponge. This is the first boat I've owned that didn't have a bilge pump and I don't miss it.

If I was inclined to have one for "safety" I'd get a portable deal that can be moved to where it needs to be and a hose that goes over the side.

Now others will swear they use their pumps all the time. I wonder where all that water is coming from as the Mac has no real place for water to leak in from the sea (like a propeller shaft other boats have). If you find water building up, I might consider a pump.

I don't remember your background. Have you had any boating education? If not, I'd do that. Most states require it and you'll find lots of people like yourselves with similar questions.

My 2 cents

[Catigale]

Best place for a bilge pump on n is under the cooler...There are a lot of stringers under the floor so water can accumulate in funny places

On the fenders, you have to think about use...are you docked, moored, or trailering?

[KLMartini]

Yes I have my boaters education card and took a intro to sailing class. The reason I asked about the bilge pump is because we have someone re-wiring the boat and asked if I wanted one installed.

The fender question was because I had a couple of different answers from different places I was looking.

We are moored in a marina.

[March]

If water accumulates in the bilge to the point that you need a bilge pump for peace of mind, the first thing to do in that respect is, find where that much water is coming through in the first place. I opted for a self-contained bilge pump that doesn't depend on the boat's batteries, just in case, but I used it only a couple of times--nothing that could not have been managed with a scooper or a sponge. The advantage is, I could put it where the water was: under the cooler, but also under the galley. Even under the v-berth when one of my water bladders got punctured and leaked

[NiceAft]

The fender question was because I had a couple of different answers from different places I was looking.

Your use of fenders can vary. I had one size that I used for years, but once, I pulled up to a pier that had pilings, and my fenders were useless. The boat took a beating. I now use fenders which are over sized for my slip, but they work perfectly when I pull up to a pier with pilings. Get big fenders.

Ray

[Catigale]

K....the wiring part is easy, the hard part is deciding where to put the "through hull" or the fitting which lets the water out.

My advice...lift out the cooler, look onto the floor below..

Dry or damp? Buy a hand bilge pump from west marine and a bucket. If you do get some rain in the boat, this will let you deal with it quickly.

Standing water...find leak.

If its below waterline...get it fixed!!
Above water line or deck? Consider the bilge pump.

...and don't forget to let the SO another problem solved...

[chipveres]

I also vote for a hand pump. A little water slops in my boat by the bolt holes at the top of the swing keel. A hand pump with a hose to reach the cockpit takes care of it. No through-hull needed.

Chip
S/V Macaroon
Dania, FL

[Russ]

K....the wiring part is easy, the hard part is deciding where to put the "through hull" or the fitting which lets the water out.

My advice...lift out the cooler, look onto the floor below..

Dry or damp? Buy a hand bilge pump from west marine and a bucket. If you do get some rain in the boat, this will let you deal with it quickly.

Standing water...find leak.

If its below waterline...get it fixed!!
Above water line or deck? Consider the bilge pump.

I agree. Great advise. Hand pumps work great. Much better at getting ALL the water out.

If you are looking at new wiring for the boat, you might consider other additions as well.
As mentioned, our boat has no bilge pump, but I did add extra wiring for:

12v outlets. Got em all over the place. V-Berth, cockpit, main cabin. There are lots of things that need juice. iPhone chargers to air pumps for floating toys.
VHF radio (antenna on top of mast)
Stereo / speakers (I also added some speakers in the cockpit. Ours are under the stern seats out of the way)
Washdown pump in engine well (This pump was a great addition. Allows us to hose off and spray some water on ourselves on hot days)
Anchor light (actually I didn't add any wires, I just used LEDs to the mast and reversed polarity to select ancho/steaming light).
More LED cabin lights (I ran some under the aft berth because it's so dark under there)

Shore power is another thing.
A good marine quality battery charger is a good idea.

[coolchange]

all of the above

fenders at a "discount" (used) (bigger is better to a point..especially if you raft up..I nailed my small ones to the slip and use the bigger on other docks and one for my captain seat when motoring.) ...if you have not found them visit Columbia Marine Exchange...not too far from your marina and they are a good resource for almost everything...new and used

You looked like you knew what you were doing the other day when I saw you on the river...and I wonder if alcohol tastes ok on a boat named Serenity? (also check out the sci-fi movie Serenity (it's excellent)...maybe you can claim that as source for the name)

[Tomfoolery]

1. What size fenders do you use on your ? I need to replace a couple and I wondered what everyone else used.

I have three 8" x 20" Taylor Big B fenders, which are sorta big for this boat (used them on my 34 footer), but when tying up in unfamiliar places, those oversized fenders are nice to have. I tied up at a navigation lock, against a really chewed concrete wall, and those fat fenders were just big enough to keep the hull off the concrete when a fender ended up in a bit of a recess. Also good when the water is rough and the dock (where I normally keep it) is just a wooden edge - the fat fenders lay against the flat boards that make a 'wall', but are large enough that the overhanging deck boards don't touch the boat. Smaller ones, like 6" x 15", would be more 'normal' for this size and weight boat, but I'm glad I have the bigger ones. New ones are about $67 at WM for the 8" and $45 for the 6", but I wouldn't cheap out if you think the larger would be a better fit for your local conditions. The oval shaped Hull Guard fenders from Taylor are a little cheaper, by the way, but they're longer for the same (well, similar) diameter due to the tab with hole at each end. I keep a couple of them, smaller in diameter, on the boat for when I need to protect the hull in unusual situations, like that nav lock wall with old-school mushroom bollards that were 50 ft apart or more, and the boat kept trying to bear against the front 3 ft of the hull.

2. Bilge Pump: Do I need one? If so, where would it go?

Already answered (under the cooler - maybe another under the galley), but I don't have any. I keep a bucket for a hand bailer, and use a small wet/dry vac to dry up puddles that accumulate (fewer and fewer as I fix the deck leaks), but that's it. If someone is only running wiring at this point, then rough in the wiring to future pump locations, coil them up out of the way, and label the end at the panel so you know which one(s) is(are) which.
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