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Hi Guys

I have a 17' GLS and as you all know the bilge pump is the only way of water egress (that I know of) - we have had severe monsoon rains here (in HK) and over the last 3 weeks the battery has gone flat from not using the boat and the pump running on a regular basis...

My question - has anyone got a remedy for this short of putting a cover over the boat, it is in a dry stack but its not totally water proof.... my thoughts are to add another batter and fit an isolator swith and run the bilge pump off the second batt.

Thanks for your thoughts in advance
Blannie

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blannie,

Don't you have a drain plug for the sump?
Every smaller Whaler I have ever seen had a drain plug but I have never seen a GLS...

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Quite honestly I know some 17' owners who leave their boats in the water uncovered leave the stern bilge plug out. It is a Whaler so it will not sink and whatever water that gets in will find it's way out as gravity works it's wonders. It is an option.

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Where is "HK"?

Regardless of where in the face of the earth your boat is stored, you can easily and inexpensively solve you problem by removing both the drain plug and the bilge pump. There is no need for either if the boat is sitting in a rack.

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HK = Hong Kong.

Tom,

I believe (?) the boat is stored in the water. Here is his personal page.

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blannie -- can you clarify where you store your boat? From your first post: "...it is in a dry stack but it's not totally water proof..."

Even moored in the water you will be better off just pulling the plug as Jeff suggested.

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Hi Guys....yes HK = HONG KONG ....It is in a "dry" stack which is 70 ft tall and has 3 layers and an iron roof and I am on the bottom so not really covered if wind and rain comes together....

Now my turn to take the bullet - but I can't say I have seen any bung / drain in the stern of the boat but I stand to be corrected and will go have a good look tomorrow...(must be to many years with big boats and forgot to look)

My other concern would then be the chaps that place the boat into the water prob wouldn't put it back in so back to square one...

This boat is quite new to me so still ironing out these little issues...I am tending towards a second battery option and isolater switch as we don't have any form of sea tow or break down service here so it would be a good back up anyway...

btw - it seems HK (Hong Kong) has been a big market for Bostons in years gone by, many many older 13 / 17 ft whalers and a few bigger 20+ft versions here...

thanks for your replies....Blannie

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There is nothing wrong with launching the boat without the drain plug installed. The GLS 17 is self-bailing so even if there is a small amount if water in the sump area after launching, you need only get the boat on plane, let the water drain and then install the plug. There is no need for a bilge pump at all.

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Blannie,

I looks like from your images there is a plexiglass cover over where you bilge plug is. Remove that piece and you can get to the plug. Actually just remove it entirely. See image.


Tom,
I have to argue that there is a need for a bilge pump on a 17'. Once on Lake Erie I took a couple of waves over the bow of our Montauk. These waves filled the cockpit with 6" - 12" of slawshing water in a hurry. It filled quicker that the thru-hull could get it out alone. I had to keep the now unstable water logged hull under power and heading into the seas until the water could empty out of the cockpit out.

Story goes, I had 4 people and gear in the boat and I had a bit of no wake to get through to get to the open water. If the plug would have been pulled during that time there would have been a lot of in the cockpit. In fact we never ran that boat with the plug out. I still leave the plug in when my Newport is in the water. Running out the the landing area to water was fairly calm and we got to the destination, anchored in a cove out of the wind and waves, unloaded, and hiked around the island. now it was time for me to head back and leave the others there. Wind had shifted and now the once protected cove was getting large rollers coming head on into it. There were a few waves that were rolling over the bow into the cockpit. So I pulled the plug and began to motor out. The boat was very unstable and I had to keep the boat going into the waves. On the way out I took two more waves that rolled into the cockpit and now it was really flooded. To the point that when I tried to power on to plane all of the water rushed to the stern and some even went over the transom. The bow went straight up in the air and the motor started to go under. I backed down and kept pumping overboard while still taking on water every once and a while. Fortunately the bilge was able to help dewater quicker than it was coming in. I know the thru hull alone would have not been able to dewater as fast. Once most of the water was out I was able to turn between the wave crests and run with the waves home. I have never been that afraid in a boat as that day. It was also the day that truly sold me on the safety of Whalers. While most boats would have just sank the Whaler kept going. It took a lot of work to keep it going into the waves and keep it right side up but, it did it.

Looking back maybe I should have just left it anchored and tried to dewater it there....maybe. But, the waves were building and they were rooling over the bow at a faster frequency. Hey, I was a 21 year guy who thought it's a Whaler it is not going to sink so why not try to put it on plane without the plug and bilge on. I was totally blind sided with the unstability I encountered. You live, you learn.

Guess what I am getting at is the thru hull can only do so much and when or if the sh!t hits the fan you want as much help as you can get.

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This topic has been rolling around my brain pan since reading a thread a few days back regarding getting a group together to fish 30 or 40 miles offshore of Long Island.

Never ever confuse "sinking" with "foundering"! A few waves over the stern may not put your boat under but it will make the boat very unstable and prone to capsizing. If anything, smaller open boats, especially those used in open water, even if self bailing, should have higher capacity pumps then commonly found on our boats. How many people out there are running 500 or 750 GPH RuleMates as opposed to 1500 GPH? Or here's an idea: how about two 750 GPH pumps? How many times have you found water in the boat and a pump that didn't kick on because a little eel grass got in the strainer?

Remember too that 500 or 750 GPH per hour is based on ideal conditions using a reliable power source, not a fading battery. Calculate the volume of 17 foot Montauk Cockpit, do the math and you will be surprised how much water you can take on and how long it can take to pump it out at 500 GPH. And that's assuming you aren't continuing to take on additional water!

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It's NEVER the first wave over the bow that flood's the boat, it's the second and third wave that get you, the first wave just "set's you up". I keep a 5 gal. bucket on board, it will de-water faster than any bilge pump in an emergency.
mw

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Hi Guys

Thanks very much for your words & info, I don't think I would have found that drain without some direction...It is hidden behind the plumbing of the bilge pump and never been removed in its lifetime I think, certainly took some coaxing to get it out. I can rest peacefully the next time we have a typhoon (read hurricane) pass through.

While sorting the drain out I found the outboard is no longer squirting water...oh well another job...yippee

My 40ft Trawler is out of the water at the moment as well so my days off are consumed with boats,

Happy boating all

Regards Blannie :)