Water trapped in front bilge compartment

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J876

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I have a 2004 Parker with cabin. The front bilge compartment is the lowest area on the boat and there is no bilge pump there. When the boat is in gear all the water drains to the back where the rear bilge compartment is located and the pump there pumps it out. However there isn't always enough water to be pumped, so it just sits in the front compartment when boat isn't in us. I've tried manually pumping it out with a handheld pump/tube setup through the drain in the cabin floor but there is always still some water left in there. I'm starting to see tiny brown specks and the water has a brownish hue to it. It's freshwater in there that leaks into the rear bilge compartment because the rear floor hatch doesn't have a great seal. I'm worried about the compartment rotting through the hull. Is this a realistic concern? Has anyone had this happen before or am I being paranoid? Appreciate any help.
 
I have a 2017 2120 sport cabin with the same issue. The anchor locker, and anchor windlass leak rainwater into the anchor locker, which drains into the bilge. I think that is a poor design. My boat stays in the water and when not used for a few weeks rainwater stays in the forward bilge. With severe rains a lot of water lays in the bilge. At the very least this will create a mold and musty condition. If the anchor locker cannot be drained overboard, Parker should certainly build the boat with a forward bilge pump. Because of the way the boat is built, now it’s very difficult to run wires and install a discharge hose for a forward bilge pump.
 
i have a 2003 2120 it has a pump in the front that where the water lays when the boat is sitting they put a 8" hatch in the floor and the pump sit right there the hose comes up into the storage on the starboard side and out the wires for the pump run inside the pipe that comes down from the dash
 
I'm not certain when the factory began installing forward bilge pumps in the 21 and 23 SC models, but I'm pretty sure most (if not all) of the 25's have them.
You have a couple of options...

If you don't have a forward bilge pump, you could install one similar to the photo below of an installation in a 2520.
Would would need to install a hatch in the cabin floor forward near the V-berth opening.
Once you have access, you would need to glass in a pad for mounting the pump. An 800 gph Rule is what I had.
Next, you would need to run a discharge hose through the starboard bulkhead and through the starboard hull just above the bottom paint line.
That might require another deck hatch to be installed in the floor of the V-berth to be able to connect your discharge hose to the through-hull fitting.
If you go this route, make sure you put a 'weather' loop in the discharge hose so wave action against the starboard side of the hull doesn't enter your bilge through the pump discharge hose.

In a nutshell, that is what is required to put a bilge pump in the mid-hull area.

Your other option?
Next time your wash your boat, take the excess wash water in your bucket and toss it in the bilge to 'sweeten' the water that is trapped.
or...
Pour some Simple Green and liquid bleach in a bucket, add 2.5 gals of water, and pour that in the bilge.

If you are in a wet slip, the wave action will gently agitate the solution and it will all be pumped out by the bilge pump(s) the next time you go out.
If you trailer... the solution will 'wash' your bilge as you drive and get pumped out when you accelerate or drive uphill.
 

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That is where the factory put it, so I'm sure there is a reason.
My guess is that they wanted to keep the discharge hose under the V-berth rather than on top of it.
 
This is what the weather loop looks like in the stern.
 

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The forward bilge pump on my 2017 2520 XLSC leaves a lot of water in the bilge that I remove with a plastic jug and a sponge. Don't like to have a constant puddle down there.
 
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