Re: Bilge bulkheads

Scott,

My '86 360 SF has a bulkhead in front of the engines that separates the bilge water from running forward, although the factory installed a drain fitting with an rubber transom plug, just like a transom plug on a small boat, which is removable. I keep the plug in and the forward bilge never gets wet. There is a dewater pump on the engine side of the bulkhead. There is a 2500 GPH with float switch forward which would only turn on in case of a hull breach. When the boat is at rest, if I remove the plug, any water would drain forward which I did not want. This keeps any dirty water from spills or whatever contained in the ER, so if there is a oil leak or spill it doesn't mess up the whole bilge, easier to clean. The cockpit hatches outside have gutters with hoses that drain overboard but they can still leak into the bilge if the tubes are clogged with trash which happens a lot because the drain holes are small.

Greg