Info about bilge

[Bibbs]

Hey guys just a quick question as I am still in the learning process. We had our boat in some rough water a few weeks back so some water got into the boat--no prob.We had the bilge switch on although I think the 07 20V has a automatic bilge.We took the boat back to the cabin which is 20 min away through the mountains-- lots of up and down. We then parked the boat in the garage with level floor for a week.At this point the rug was pretty well dry.A week later I pulled the boat out of the garage and parked it on the level drive pad by the garage. No keys in the boat. The bilge kicked in a few hours later and pumped alot of water out. Just curious why this did not happen on the way home as we were going up hills,in the garage as the ground is the same as the driveway and why it waited a week. Like I said I am still new to this but always appreciate info.Sorry if it is a goofy question.

[Jason B]

Is there some sort of delay that would stop the bilge from kicking on if the float was not left floating for more than a short while?

[Bog]

why dont you take out the drain plug when not in use?

[philwsailz]

You really should get into the habit if removing the drain plug when the boat hits the trailer, and re-installing it prior to launch. Store it on your keychain, and you will not forget it.

There are passages called limber holes in the stringer system of many boats. Sometimes they are easily clogged with small debris. This allows the stringers to act as dams. It is possible that you had some water higher up in the boat that settled there after storage. Then when you moved it, maybe the limber hole became unblocked, and it allowed the bilge to get full enough of water to trigger the pump?

Just a theory, but if you ever have seen what all is really under the floor, you will understand how many places water can accumulate and stay.

Oh, a level surface is good, but you probably jacked the front trailer jack/wheel thingie higher or lower after moving it as well... This would allow water that was stuck elsewhere to move closer to the pump.

[da.bell]

Did your carpet have that much water? j/k

Don't think you were on level ground in the driveway but I don't know. Since the water would collect under that gas tank because of the rocker.

[R&T Babich]

Not goofy at all. First trip this year and our local lake wants to see a dry bilge before letting us on the lake due to some mussels. At the end of the day I pulled the drain plug and drove home thinking the bilge would drain. The bilge was dry when we got home. The next day I jacked the front end of the trailer up real high because I'm making a spare tire mount and happened to have the center drain plug out for an oil change. About a gallon of water came out the center drain from the front of the boat. Looking at the hull lines the front of the boat is a bit lower than the bilge under the engine. I now jack up the trailer and pull the center drain plug to get all the water out. Explains why we had a little mold after last winter.

[chpthril]

1st - yes, you Tige does have an auto bilge that will kick on when the water level is enough to lift the float, which may be 2-3" in the bilge and that's normal for any auto bilge out there.

2nd - I know with my Ve, that it will collect water about mid-ship in the bilge due to the amount of rocker in the hull. If I know I've taken on water - rain, rollers, swimmers, etc, i'll pull into a steep cul-de-sac up the street from the house and let the bilge drain before parking her.

[chadster2]

mine takes a long time to drip dry (days). First year I had water in it all winter and the stearing cable was bad the next year. Now I tilt it a lot more.
And a fan.
I'm bad about getting people, at the bow, back into the game by crashing a wave.....
some times I think my pump sticks "off" too.........5-10 min of pumping after leaving it on the river all night in a storm. the bow held water and didn't make
the pump turn on. as I got onto the back of the boat all the water rushed back and turned the pump on......???

[dogbert]

Your boat has a convex V hull. This means the lowest part of the boat is somewhere around the middle. Think of your hull as a giant rocker that TAPS allows you to rock back and forth. Unless you have your boat jacked up so high the prop guard is dragging on the ground, all the water won't drain from the bilge even if you remove the plug.

Sort of

This is why I think you need 2 bilge pumps in Tiges. One at the lowest point in the hull when the boat is at rest (either on the trailer or in the water) and one as far back in the bilge as possible so it works when you're under way.

Tige, if you're listening, this is a good idea because we all love your boats for wakesurfing and we always get water in our boats when we're doing it. My alternator and other stuff in the engine compartment on my V-Drive would last a lot longer if you did this.

[dogbert]

Another piece of advice for folks that was actually mentioned on another thread. If you've gotten water in your bilge, make sure you turn your steering wheel all the way to the left when you're not using your boat so that the steering cable is fully retracted. Rust won't build up and you'll get a lot more life out of your steering wheel. Along with pulling the plug and wiping the boat down, this is one of our trailering rituals.

[da.bell]

Another piece of advice for folks that was actually mentioned on another thread. If you've gotten water in your bilge, make sure you turn your steering wheel all the way to the left when you're not using your boat so that the steering cable is fully retracted. Rust won't build up and you'll get a lot more life out of your steering wheel. Along with pulling the plug and wiping the boat down, this is one of our trailering rituals.

That is a great idea. I haven't heard that one and I think I might just do it after every outing anyways. No harm if I do it anyways. Thanks...

[dogbert]

That is a great idea. I haven't heard that one and I think I might just do it after every outing anyways. No harm if I do it anyways. Thanks...

That's one of my off-season projects. I have the bilge pump already, just need to do the install. Originally, my boat's bilge pump was at the lowest point in the bilge. It's just when we surfed that it didn't do me any good. I also plan to install a check valve on the bilge discharge hose because I take on water through the opening when we're surfing the dark side.

[Duncan]

This is why I think you need 2 bilge pumps in Tiges. One at the lowest point in the hull when the boat is at rest (either on the trailer or in the water) and one as far back in the bilge as possible so it works when you're under way.

I spec'd my 09 RZ2 with two extra 1200gph bilge pumps partially for this reason (the other was paranoia of water over the bow).

Is there a difference in the lowest point in the hull underway between (i) even keel and (ii) leaned over under surf ballast? If so, is the difference significant (ie, several inches)?

[R&T Babich]

...I also plan to install a check valve on the bilge discharge hose because I take on water through the opening when we're surfing the dark side.

You discharge hose may not be routed properly. The hose should have a riser loop from the discharge outlet before going down to the pump. Our factory hose ran straight to the discharge outlet from the pump. Here's an article: http://www.yachtsurvey.com/bilge_pumps.htm

[Bibbs]

Thanks guys for all the info and tips, this will help me out alot. Bibbs