"Venting" Deck Plates

[DaleH]

Guys:

Here's what I do to keep condensation from building up in my bilge ... which makes for a LONG life of that aluminum fuel tank.

Buy an extra deck plate/inspection port to "match" what you already have on the boat. Buy some 1.5" PVC tube plus a 180-degree "U" fitting and a screw-type fitting for PVC to bulkheads. Then get a piece of f'glass screen material.

I took the extra deck plate cover and bored a hole in it to match the screw fitting used to attach PVC pipes to a bulkhead fitting. This was glued in place with 3M 5200. Onto that was placed a tube of PVC and then the 180-degree "U" fitting. But ... before the fitting was placed on, I glued in some screen material onto the top of the tube so bugs can't make a nest in the bilge.

When I leave the boat for the week ... I unscrew the flush deck plate and screw this one into it's place. It vents the bilge and keeps it nice and dry! I used to do this on my old Pro-Line and that thinner (than Parker) aluminum fuel tank was perfectly fine when I sold it ... at the ripe ol' age of 25 years old that boat was!

Remember ... a dry bilge is a happy bilge!

 

[Themis]

That is very cool, Dale. Some guys read the manual. And some guys stay up at night thinking how to improve things!





And... there are guys like me who leave the rear hatch of the SUV open in the garage, and close the garage door wthout checking.

 

[96TL]

Nice! Slick idea!

Dom

 

[Megabyte]

Dale, If you have another extra pie-plate laying around, mount a solar powered vent fan attached to another pie-plate, and you'll have a forced ventillation system.

http://www.boatersworld.com/webapp/wcs/ ... r+vent+fan

 

[DaleH]

... mount a solar powered vent fan attached to another pie-plate and you'll have a forced ventillation system ...

Believe me ... have considered that option! Would need to stick a "flag" off the top so I didn't kill myself when entering the boat in the early am though. As is, I put the vent one up near the cabin door so I don't trip over it and then as a reminder ... I can't open the cabn door without removing it :roll: ...

 

[Megabyte]

I've been considering putting one of those fans in the center of my Bowmar hatch to keep the cabin vented in the summer.
I'm waffling though, as I'm not sure if I really want to cut a hole in that hatch. :roll:

 

[Megabyte]

Good to know Daniel.
Thanks :!: