4+2 Water in bilge/bathing platform

[timmy]

Hello

I found this site by mistake but hope you can help me as I have not had much luck with Shetland boats in getting an answer, or are you the board for Shetland boats?

I own 4+2. On the bathing platform is a large black screw hatch. when I removed this the compartment below is full of water. I have a bilge pump in the cockpit but when pumped it makes no difference to the water in this compartment. My gut feeling is that the water should not be there.

My questions are these

where is the bilge pump connected to? ( I thought the floor of the boat was foam filled)
Is the pump a standard Shetland fitting or something the previous owner has put in.
Is that water there for a reason?

Thank you
James

[admin]

Hello and Welcome

This board is for Shetland boat Enthusiasts. All of us either currently own a shetland or previously owned one. We are not connected to Shetland boats in any other way. And yes, they can be a tad tardy in replying to emails.

My husband and I own a 4+2 so can answer a few of your questions.

No the water in the platform space should not be there. Best way to empty it is with a fish tank suction tube. Check for cracks in th platform to see were the seepage is or whether the seal on the black hatch has perished.
we too have a bilge pump in the cockpit, it was fitted by Shetland. This does not lead into the platform space but into the space under the cockpit floor, well ours does.

Hope this helps, please feel free to ask any thing else.

Sue - ADMIN

[NelsonAdmiral]

Large black screw hatch - Do you mean a large black cover (Hatch) that is screwed down? The description isnt too clear.
I have a regular Shetland 610. Beneath the stern area is the fuel tank and storage space. When I remove the floor and the rubbish I have stowed beneath there is another floor level. Mine is loose though. And I get water collected there too. Only this weekend I was spooning it out by hand. MY bilge pump only collects so much water. Essentially and rain water leaking through covers etc can collect there. Its not meant to be there but it is the lowest and most exposed area of the boat from the top side.

On my boat- which is very old I have to say - the pump doesn't look as if it was original. There is no proper mount for it either. A previous owner has made a reasonable job at installing a bracker but the pump is - oddly- more towards the bow. Which is slightly odd since assuming bow is upper most - the water collects deepest towards the stern/transom.


If you have more than about 2 cm of water there I'd worry a bit and install or replace your bilge pump. Get one that automatically turns on when the water rises. No point carrying round water - plenty enough of that outside.

[broadsluise]

The bathing platform shouldn’t let water in but they often do: completely separated from the main hull, no danger of the boat sinking but the boat’s bilge pump won’t have any effect on removing any water inside - get your hand in and dry it out with a sponge.

Where does it come from? Almost certainly the lower bolts holding the outboard motor to the bathing platform’s transom, lots and lots of sealant is the answer.

Peter

[turco1]

Hi, we have a family four which last year also had water in the rear pod and I was just pumping it out now and again using a submersible pump from a caravan. The boat has since been stored on its trailer over the winter and when I checked the other day the pod was full again. Relieved in a way as it could only be rainwater. On the pod there is a recessed "tray" around 6" deep and its attached to the pod with 12 self tapper screws. The seal between the tray and the pod is just sealant which had gone off. Removed the tray and put fresh non setting mastic around the edge and refitted. This appears to have solved the problem. Hope this helps. Kenny