The Bilge
Above all, we need to recognize the bilge as a very important space on a sailing yacht. I think it often gets overlooked, and I think many times it isn't even considered to be an important space on a yacht. A space that needs the same care and attention in its preparation as any other aspect of a cruising boat. But I will assure you of its importance in this chapter.
There are a few minimum requirements for the bilge, and then we'll get into the other aspects I believe are important.
First, it needs to be clean. This doesn't mean that it always needs to have a fresh coat of paint—which I don't recommend painting the bilge anyway—or if it's gelcoat, that it needs to be spotless all the time, although a spotlessly clean bilge is a lovely thing. Especially if it's an older boat, the bilge might simply be the original glass job from the factory with no gelcoat, like our Bella Sera. Not smooth or shiny, just fiberglass or woven roving and polyester resin. But whether gelcoat or just GRP, the bilge needs to be clean.
By clean, I mean it needs to be free of oil, grease, grime, bilge water, and the buildup of crud that comes from the soles of the boat, or any leaks that inevitably end up in the bilge and create what I call "bilge mung." Besides being dirty and making anything you need to do in the bilge more difficult, time-consuming, and dirty, it can clog your bilge pump, make connections more difficult to service or—worse—inoperable, and it will grody up your transducers and wiring. It's just bad seamanship to have a dirty bilge.
Second, all areas of the bilge need to be accessible—as much as possible, anyway. The keel bolts, if you have them, need to be inspectable and serviceable. Any wiring that runs through the bilge needs to be as visible and as accessible as possible. All through-hulls and transducers need to be able to be seen and accessible. Your bilge pumps and accompanying hoses and connections need to be visually and physically accessible and serviceable. And all storage compartments in the bilge need to be quickly and easily accessible, as well as able to be securely closed. And if you have compartments that aren't easily accessible, know exactly what's in those areas, and don't store anything in them that's important or necessary, especially for an emergency.
Third, any and all items stored in the bilge need to be securely stowed, without the ability to become loose in the yacht. This is a very important aspect of all stowage on a yacht; things should absolutely never be able to get away from their place, and you will find this is a recurring theme throughout this book.
Fourth, you should have at the very least two bilge pumps: one electric and one manual. If you don't have electricity on your yacht, you of course need at least one manual bilge pump, and I would say two. With two, if you have another hand on board, there's a bilge pump for that person too, or if one fails, there's a backup.
Electric bilge pumps have a "float" switch. When the float "floats" up from the presence of water in the bilge, it switches on the bilge pump. There are two kinds of float switches to consider: the actual floating lever switch and the "caged" float switch. The floating lever has the advantage of being easily observed for its position—up or down, on or off. This enables you to quickly determine if the “switch” in the pump is working or not, or if the float is stuck, jammed, or broken. If you see the float is up but your pump is not on, the switch is likely disrupted in some way, and further inspection is required. The downside of the floating lever is that it can easily be obstructed by debris or objects in the bilge that can jam or hold it down, or get under it and keep it on (unknowingly wearing out your batteries), or gunk up the hinge to the point it is too sticky to operate.
The "caged" float switch is protected in an impact-resistant plastic box that also helps keep debris from clogging its operation or obstructions from jamming the switch. They're also equipped with a test switch on the outside of the cage for testing the operation of the "switch" and electrical connections.
All electric bilge pumps should also have a separate, manual/bypass on/off switch that operates the pump in the event the switch isn't functioning.
Bilge pump sizes are measured in gallons per hour (GPH), and the bigger the boat, the bigger the pump. In theory, a bilge pump should be able to handle the worst-case scenario for your yacht given its size. But I feel like the "worst-case scenario" would be well beyond what any bilge pump could handle, so I say the biggest is the best. If you can fit it in the bilge area where it needs to go, and your system can power it, use that size. There is no "too big" for bilge pumps in my opinion. Oversizing most things is a good rule of thumb, but not for everything—for example, standing rigging should not be oversized without serious consideration of the yacht's design parameters. Here are recommendations for correlating yacht size/GPH:
Small boats (under 20 feet): 700-1000 GPH
20-25 feet: 1000-1400 GPH
26-30 feet: 1200-1600 GPH
31-35 feet: 1400-1800 GPH
36-40 feet: 1600-2200 GPH
41-45 feet: 2000-4000 GPH
Fifth, you should have a bilge alarm. And if you have watertight bulkheads that are separated from each other, each section should have a bilge alarm.
Another safety feature one can add to their bilge system is a "bilge on" counter. This meter will count the number of times your bilge pump turns on in an hour. I don't consider these to be a "necessary" safety feature, but getting all the information one can about water intrusion into a yacht is always important.
And while we're discussing bilge pumps, I'd like to bring to your attention a bilge pump few know about, but I think everyone with the room for it should have, even if it's as a portable setup. It's the Edson Model 117 Lever Action, Side Inlet, Bilge Pump. https://edsonmarine.com/products/marine-pumps/manual-pumps/
There are 1.5" and 2" versions of this pump, and both pump 30 GPM, which equates to about a gallon per pump! They're large pumps and require enough room to swing a 32" handle. They probably need to be installed below decks, preferably near the companionway in the main saloon, but despite their size, I think they are a brilliant piece of kit, and size allowing, they should be standard equipment on a voyaging yacht. They can also be mounted on a board and used as a portable bilge pump but should be kept somewhere easily accessible.
These are the minimum requirements for a bilge, but there are other considerations and equipment that are also requirements or simply smart gear to have in the bilge, depending on some of the systems on your boat.
If you have a propane system of any kind on your boat, then you will also need a propane sniffer system in the bilge. Because propane fumes are heavier than air and therefore sink, the sniffers need to be installed in the bilge, and as low as possible without being drowned by your ordinary bilge depth of water, if you have that issue. These systems have several ways of alerting a person there's a propane buildup in the bilge. First, they're attached to your propane system via a solenoid; the solenoid will shut off or not allow propane supply to your appliance if propane is present, and at the same time an alarm will sound and a red light will illuminate. Not all systems will have all these features, but shop for those that do. Also, if you have another propane-burning feature on board, especially a manual one like a heater or a hot water system—maybe even one that's home-built—then you should have a standalone propane alarm. There are many on the market, and most work on a 12V system rather than batteries; some work on both.
Smoke detectors are also something that should be installed in the bilge, especially if you have a large or deep bilge where it might take a long time for smoke to get to where you could smell it or see it, or to where it would trigger a smoke detector and alert you since smoke detectors are ordinarily placed on the ceiling. There is usually wiring running through the bilge, and systems can short or wires could be undersized, causing them to smoke or combust—I've seen it. Even if the wiring only smokes and doesn't combust, the smoke detector can alert you that there's a problem and lead you to where that is, possibly alerting you to a serious situation like your bilge pump or your nav lights have shorted.
Lastly, if there are bulkheads present in your bilge with limber holes (small holes or openings that allow water to pass through or under them) make sure they are always kept clean, free of obstructions, and able to let water pass. Once again, we've come full circle back to number one: keep your bilge clean.
Further, though we'll cover this in a later chapter more in depth, all hatches over the bilge must absolutely be able to be locked down securely, without any possibility of them getting loose.