got my first boat a 535 yesterday,should i worry?

[georgewright]

hi all my first ever boat a shetland 535 arrived yesterday, going to be used for fishing loch earn,and pleasure loch lomond etc
boat looks well cared for with original gel coat in v good condition ,trailer looks solid,etc
however me being new ,there is one or two things i forgot to ask in my over eager excitment
also as i say im new to boats,and prob not very clever
when i saw the boat sunday the cabin was dry, when delivered tuesday the cabin had a large puddle on floor,we didnot have rain, windows look ok and cockpit was covered with a cover
i forgot to ask if boat had a bilge pump, after looking i dont see any signs of a pump, where should it be on a 535 ? infact should a 535 have a bilge pump and if so could that be what is causing puddle in cabin?
thanks for anyone who can help
george

[admin]

Hello and welcome to the site. The journey you'll take with your first boat will be a fun, frustrating and down right expensive one!!!

Please ask any question, nothing is too stupid as we have al asked them before you

My guess is that your puddle could be condensation.

There are lots of 535 owners here who will answer your bilge question

Sue-ADMIN

[Paulsjenny]

Hi welcome to the forum ,
I have a 535 that I'm restoring (my first boat ) and I have asked the most stupid of question but its the only way to find out so ask away

The bilge pump on my boat is at the rear of the boat (stern) next to the transom ,on the inside of the boat but under the outboard , usually the flooring will have a cut out where the bilge would sit !

Hope this helps .

Pictures are always pleasing for this lot

[georgewright]

thanks pauljenny
will look for bilge pump tomorrow in day light
cheers
george

[warder54]

Hi, welcome to 535 ownership and the board.

I also have the same "problem" my puddle was first noticed after a first run out form Broughty Ferry on the Tay estuary to Arbroath harbour and return, we just bailed it out into a bucket when we got the 535 back on it's trailer. Got her home and checked the hull - all in good nick, we had hit something submerged on the return run and bent the prop (fuel usage doubled as a result - thank heaven we had double the estimated fuel required on board!) so we were concerned that the hull was cracked.

After heavy rain at home the puddle returned!, too much for condensation in our case. On closer inspection we found that the window seals while in fair condition, had shrunk causing gaps at the end joints. A quick dose of silicone sealant at these points has kept her dry even after torrential rain and heavy snow over the winter.

Bilge pump. Mine is under the deck near the transom with a twist and push toggle switch on the main electric panel in the cabin - found it by playing with the switches when we got her last March!

Hope this is some help

Mike

[stephenthomas]

Hi Guy's I used to have a 535 which over 2yrs I restored, for sealing the windows you need to use windscreen sealer not your run of the mill diy sealer.
DIY sealer will dry out and go hard, where as Windscreen sealer will stay soft and plyable thus keeping the seal.

Hope this helps

Steve.

[warder54]

Hi Guy's I used to have a 535 which over 2yrs I restored, for sealing the windows you need to use windscreen sealer not your run of the mill diy sealer.
DIY sealer will dry out and go hard, where as Windscreen sealer will stay soft and plyable thus keeping the seal.

Hope this helps

Steve.

Thanks Steve - I should have been clearer on that. I used the same stuff to seal the inside seams of my chest waders 2 year ago - still soft and flexible (and DRY!)

[georgewright]

thanks all for taking time to reply
.not had time to look at boat yet due to work
soon i hope

[Coddy]

Hi George

Welcome to the world of boat ownership

Should you think of replacing your windows or seals sometime, I would strongly recommend that you bolt the windows in place instead of using the standard rubber seals. The reason for this is should a wave or wall of water come over the boat, the pressure of water wont push the window in and flood the cabin.

Inland waterways tend not have this problem

Dave

[admin]

Bolted windows are all well and good BUT should you have a fire or worse turn the boat over you may regret not having an escape route.
They would seriously devalue the boat and are mega expensive to put in as every nut and bolt has to be marine grade SS and they dont come cheap

We had a small Dijon many years ago with bolted windows and the bloody things leaked like a sieve despite a rubber seal and copious amounts of sealant. Rattled like a demon at full tilt too

Sue - ADMIN