I probably have no business dissuading anyone from an innovative idea to save money but I must. I think the way to go is to spend the money on pour foam and find a way to get it where you want it. Even canned foam from Home Depot would be better. I almost sunk in a friend’s 30’ Ribo Runner once because debris from the bilge was sucked into the bilge pumps (2) and prevented the impeller from turning. The livewell drain line failed and we had water up to the deck in no time. In this case it was zip-tie pieces left over from electrical wiring work in the console that got lodged in the pumps – both of them. I have since adopted the idea that anything that goes into the bilge needs to be immune to producing small pieces of any kind. Anything that can clog or get through the strainer at the bottom of the pump is a hazard. They are designed to move water, nothing else. Since that time I regularly look over my bilge pumps and I have pulled small chips of bilge-coat paint and flotation foam out of mine. Wire insulation that has been stripped off and loose screws were in my bilge and have all been removed. I try to make sure that any work I do in the bilge includes a thorough clean up when I’m done. I appreciate the innovation of putting noodles in the bilge but they are not going to stay in one piece indefinitely. Sometimes reinventing the wheel causes problems that nobody can foresee. I say stick with what has worked well in the past. I don’t mind being a guinea pig but not with safety stuff. My $0.02.
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08-02-2015, 10:26 AM
Hybrid Mode
