Keeping sea water out of bilge

[Priceless]

My 1971 Bahia Mar has forward facing air scoops two on each side amidships for air to the diesel engines. They are rather large and come down flush with the gunwales. I am looking for all and any ways to keep any sea water out of my bilge while running. This includes caps over the rod holders and I am wondering how to keep a large amount of airflow coming in through the scoops but not allow spray when we’re running. As you all know some spray will kick up and then runs down from the bow and goes into the bilge through these air scoops. Have any of you had unique solutions to this problem. I do not want to take off the scoops since they are somewhat classic looking and I like their appearance. All of my cockpit deck hatches already have water channels with drains that go out aft. Thanks

[Charlie J]

you might not need them
do you have vents in the back of your engine boxes
are the side under the gunnel open a bit to get down to the bilge
I was running 230 yanmars and had my scoops turned around facing backwards
in fact they didn't even go anywhere, I had plenty of air
but if your sealed up tight that might be a problem

[bob lico]

yes i did solve that dilemma and gained at least 1/2 knot but it would take pages of explanations start with NO side panels like Bob H has on his Bahia Mar and then go look it up i did a total explanation on "forced air " to engines .

[Priceless]

Thanks. Unfortunately as we all know photos won’t show

[Priceless]

Looked it up and found post though. Very interesting

[bob lico]

rule # 6 or whatever carl has compiled on the experiments on Phoenix. Never run a diesel engine on salt-laden combustion air ESPECIALLY diesels with Japanese turbo`s. you have the edge on most of us on this board in this area as a science teacher, remember that term "station wagon effect" . i will save you all the labor of cutting 16" strips of yellow warning tape then scotch tape it to your Bertram from all around the boat at the point of the side pillars.the airstream flows over the top and around the sided into the cockpit as well as air at cruise speed coming over the transom into the cockpit. the object here is to utilize this fact and then "funnel " the cleanest, coldest air available and direct it to the air cleaners on your engines. HINT you can cheat and use millions of dollars of military research and accept the fact that air accelerates running thru a D shape intake opening (like an F-18 air intake) the rest is up to you. you can actually come out of this with a 3 to 5 hp gain at cruise speed.take a look at the ocean and can see a two-foot area above the water this is the salt-laden air you must keep out of your engine compartment especially your turbo's.you have to direct that high turbulence air thru that area of the engine bulkhead thru a D shaped hole.

[Tony Meola]

The 31 engine room sucks air from a lot of places. If you have the Fly bridge, it sucks it down the pillars from the bridge area. So think about opening one of the doors under the dash, or since nothing is air tight it is sucking from all those spots.

Then remember the engines are open to the bilge area. So it is sucking air from that point also.

Do you have side panels. If you do, and if you do it is sucking from that area. Some side panels have a storage opening, so it is sucking air from that point. If you do not have openings you can put a vent in then closer to the engine.

So if you think about it, turning the vent around so it faces the stern will not hurt your air flow. You will still have plenty of air. In fact you can leave them on for looks and seal up the opening. No one will even know.

[bob lico]

tony this is not about sucking air from all over most of it bad this is the real deal coolest RAM AIR (.04 positive pressure) . the air vents on the gunwale are excellent to see how agile you really are when you stub your toes while you're in the ocean. a test of manhood because you cannot grab your foot while you let out a blood-curdling scream. totally useless and actually working against you big time, but then again there are some people that love the starboard side of the starboard motor and the same for port turning to rust and really good on the starter motor .salt spray on electrical devices can help develop patience as you attempt to change that starter motor.

[Carl]

Sides of my cabin, just aft of window are the intakes for my motors.
Not sure if that is just on the Express, EZ two foot over the gunnel facing forward goes through a bit of a matrix into a shelf out to motor.

[Yannis]

...and if you make it safe past the gunnel air intakes, the side cleats await to destroy your little toe!

[mike ohlstein]

...and if you make it safe past the gunnel air intakes, the side cleats await to destroy your little toe!

Which is why I removed the clam-shells, glassed the holes, and installed flat-top cleats.

http://www.flattopcleats.com/

[Yannis]

There is no retractable model large enough for our mooring conditions...
And outrageously expensive, may I add.

[bob lico]

just want to give mike a vote of confidence he knows and i have the same cleats, they are huge Yannis. funny now perhaps but i was carrying a 4" roller pan, roller and a pint of mixed Awl-grip from cockpit up on gunwale and walk to bow area .two toe went into that clamshell intake and i fell about 8' onto broken blacktop (boat was on the hard) then the paint came down on me with my hand pumping blood .drove to the walk-in clinic a total mess. five days later i fill in those retarded, ridiculous, ugly clamshells then went to town on the design for a real cold air intake. the clamshell definitely will cause more grief than the class four hitch on your shins.incidentally the track Hellcat Dodge gain 42 hp from forced air thru inner headlight removed and ductwork installed to SC. i did a thorough test with IR gun . and my findings are moderate.

[EarleyBird]

Hello All, just to add a thought, though we all have one of the best, if not the best boat ever built, keeping sea water out of the bilge??? Don’t we own one of the wettest boats ever built too? In 32 years of ownership, the only time my Ol’Girl didn’t get water in the bilge she was on blocks and covered. I not trying to be a wise guy but if you use the boat, keeping Salt H2O out of the bilge is nearly impossible. Then again I might be wrong.

[Tony Meola]

Bob

I agree with your set up, but I was just trying to explain that he is worrying too much about the engines starving for air. By the way, I have been stepping over those clamshell vets and around the out rigger base's for 43 years. But of course accidents do happen. I am not as agile as I was when I was 25.

[Tony Meola]

Hello All, just to add a thought, though we all have one of the best, if not the best boat ever built, keeping sea water out of the bilge??? Don’t we own one of the wettest boats ever built too? In 32 years of ownership, the only time my Ol’Girl didn’t get water in the bilge she was on blocks and covered. I not trying to be a wise guy but if you use the boat, keeping Salt H2O out of the bilge is nearly impossible. Then again I might be wrong.

I agree, no such thing as a totally dry bilge. I think the issue here is keeping the spray out of the engine room.

[bob lico]

yes agile like a cat however trying to catch paint on the way down and use my hand to break the fall did not work out.the coolest, dryest combustion air is just behind the engine box to the transom one foot above the cockpit. now you have to get that air to the engines.

[mike ohlstein]

There is no retractable model large enough for our mooring conditions...
And outrageously expensive, may I add.

I've occasionally used 3/4" when there was a hurricane coming, but 5/8" is plenty for these boats. As for mooring, I have removed the cleat from the bow and installed a single bollard with a pretty massive backing plate. It isn't beautiful (if I find something nicer I might replace it) but it's rather functional.

https://deals.kancyl.com/other-vehicle- ... 2692264970

[Yannis]

Mike,

I remember we had the same discussion about folding cleats a few months back, when I asked about any proposals on how to replace those side cleats.
You, but also others, had put up links which I visited and decided that, like I said earlier, unfortunately, whatever is on the market is NOT any larger than the existing stock cleat which, apart from being a constant lurking ...."danger", it also is too small for my purpose.

Side cleats are very seldom used. But when they are used there is good reason. The ropes we use are anywhere from 12 to 16 mm and if you are to use more than one rope and tie them properly, there is simply not enough meat in the cleat to accommodate 2-3 turns of each rope.
We do not have pillars and floating side piers; the side cleat is when you enter into a crowded port in the summer where everyone is on top of each other, and have to moor at an angle next to a monster yacht AND next to the rocks (that nobody wanted to go next to, until you arrived last, so you're the one!) and suddenly during the night the wind picks up and every sailor is on deck securing their lines...

Same happens when someone is dragging his anchor and is pushed against his neighbor, who is pushed against his neighbor,....until that side rope might stop that tug of war. And it has to be thick enough to hold the weight of all these boats that have accumulated up against you...
It also has to be robust enough for when you stand on the gunnel and use it as leverage point to take the rope slack.

Now, if you also need two side ropes from the middle of the boat, the existing cleat, as well as any folding one I've seen, they are simply too small.
And outrageously expensive, may I add!

[Lars]

..enter into a crowded port in the summer where everyone is on top of each other, and have to moor at an angle next to a monster yacht AND next to the rocks (that nobody wanted to go next to, until you arrived last, so you're the one!) and suddenly during the night the wind picks up and every sailor is on deck securing their lines...

Sounds stressful.. Come visit and try mooring the Norwegian way..
(Just had to get you back after that long-season-bragging...)

[Yannis]

Lars,

Youre almost insulting me, lol !
Everybody knows that my sea is better than yours , plus, you can swim in it, not just look at its 15 degrees!

However i might take you up on cominng during the -40 winter temps which i miss so much...

Cheers and let me know if any 99€ flight to athens suits you and ill pick you up either by car or boat.