Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnC
I was on a friends Ryborunner a few years back when two bilge pumps failed. It seems that someone had done some electrical work in the console and didn't clean up after themselves. The ends of the zip-ties found their way to the aft bilge and got stuck in the pumps impellers (Both of them!). The livewell drain had come loose under the deck, effectively pumping water into the bilge at 500 GPH. We noticed the boat started feeling heavy sitting on the anchor and started checking things out. When we discovered the problem, the water was a foot or more high bow to stern in the bilge and the 30' boat felt like is would tip from the weight of two guys standing on one side of the boat - very unstable! Dry boats are stable but partially swamped boats are relatively easy for a wave or even a mistake at the helm to finish off. Disaster was averted by a manual bilge pump mid-ship. I decided then that I would rather have foam under the deck than air, especially on a boat that may spend a day or two in the water. Foam can get heavy, but not as heavy as open space under the waterline. Most boats turtle because of unstable load after filling with water. I think there are pros and cons both ways but I prefer to displace as much water from under the deck as is practical.
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Limber holes are nice to have and I like access with vision.
High water alarms are your friends.