cleaning the bilge

[carolina-rig-01]

abbeysdads thread about water in the bilge area reminded me of a tip i thought i would share. i do this myself and have done it on every boat i have ever owned.

take a bar of soap and drop it in the bilge are of your boat. it's simple but when you get water in the bilge and the soap slides around it will help keep it clean. being a dark area that gets no light and is very damp it is prone to having some nasty stuff grow in there and the soap will help fight this. i always add a new bar of soap each spring.

[Abbeysdad]

Okay, but that means pumping out soapy water if/when you use the bilge pump. Better select a bio-degradable soap. I think there are bilge cleaners that are reasonably priced and water friendly.

[nofearengineer]

That sounds like a good idea, C-Rig. I just worry about it somehow clogging my bilge pump pickup?

You're right though...some foul-smelling stuff does take hold in your bilge...even the cleanest of boats. I wonder if a mild Muriatic acid might be in order once a year or something?

[zooker]

mmmm here ya go...





good idea c-rig


zooker

[nofearengineer]

I can't quite make out the teeny pic, Zook. Can you post a link?

[Abbeysdad]

Looks like an add fer 'Bilge Beer'.

Now I'm a believer that 'thirst is a dangerous thing' but I'm not man enough (or drunk enough) to drink bilge water 'beer'!

[ally260]

Squirt liquid Dawn all around. It doesn't bang around, break apart and is eco friendly............T

[Abbeysdad]

Originally Posted by ally260

Squirt liquid Dawn all around. It doesn't bang around, break apart and is eco friendly............T

That sounds like a winner.

[zooker]

here this one is biggger



zooker

[nofearengineer]

Haha....I did a google on bilge beer...there is some funny stuff out there. Thanks for the laugh.

[Bob Smith]

WEll I do several things. None of them have ever involved in putting anything in the bilge area to "self clean" while I transport the boat. One, I always open my hull drain when I leave the lake, two I stow my boat and trailer with enough bow elevation to ensure all the water will drain out of my hull. As far as cleaning the bilge area, I wash my boat totally about once every other month. I mean the full blown carpet scouring, clean the livewells and disinfect the livewells, etc. in the process of rinsing I flush out the bilge area (which by now will be thoroughly saturated with any cleaning agents and disinfectants I use. I then use my shop vac to accelerate the carpet drying by sucking up the water, while I have the vac in the boat I clean my bilge area and suck out any residual water in my livewell system. I then open all the compartments and allow it to dry completely. Never had an issue with "things growing" anywhere and I have had this rig since 1999.