Seafari step down soft deck, and bilge pump question

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by rockdoc

. . . What do you mean when you say "running the discharge line aft up under the cockpit shelf"- what's the cockpit shelf refer to? You mean the side shelves under the gunwales? That would be a good idea; to use the galley seat drain.

Yes, those shelves that run the length of the cockpit with the teak boards on them. Does your boat have the galley seat? I think it may have been standard on the I/O models for awhile. It's really handy when camping! My boat did not have one, but I found one that another forum member was removing, so I had to cut a hole in the side of the inner liner to install the sink drain thru hull, and there is foam between hull and inner liner all the way up to the shelf. The shelf stops just aft of the bulkhead, which extends all the way out to the hull, so I think you'd have to drill a hole there as well as in the bulkhead for a bilge pump hose. Would probably be easier to remove the bulkhead to do that! I've seen some photos of a Seafari with the bulkheads removed, and there is a vertical surface about 3" tall just forward of the footrests that the bulkheads attach to. I think you would have to drill a hole for the hose thru that surface also, so will be a lot of work routing that hose!

If I removed the galley seat, I have a long flexible shaft the fits on a dremel tool and a 1" diameter abrasive bit that I think would chew thru the foam, but drilling holes in the glass and bulkhead will be a lot of work.

I've attached some pics of the port bulkhead and some shots of the bulkhead just forward of the head which runs between the 2 inner stringers, looking aft thru the front hatch under the bunks. Don't know how big the box is under your front hatch, but you might want to consider just removing it because you can access a lot more volume in the hull without the box in the way, although it's potentially wet storage if you get much water in the bilge! I keep a spare prop up there, attached to a stud I installed in the bulkhead!