Unsinkable?????????

[manny3]

My 170dc will be moored for the Summer. I'm relying on my bilge pump to protect the boat from sinking. The boat is not a self bailer, which confuses me when they say it's unsinkable.
What will happen if the bilge pump fails? does any one had any problems? Thanks.

[fridaysoff]

Manny3,
I think the term unsinkable means that you would have something to hold onto if you would capsize in the water.It does not mean that it will not fill up with water and ruin all of your wiring,motor ,etc. at the dock. The ideal boat to moor is a self bailing one where most of your rain water and washing water would flow out and the bilge pump would remove the small amount that gets in the bilge. The 170CC that I owned had a bilge pump that would come on every few minutes and "sniff" for water. The battery would run down every couple of weeks even on the trailer. The best kind of bilge pump would have a float switch and even they can hang up if you have a lot of debris in your bilge area. If you have an on board charger and electricity at the dock you could keep the battery maintained. That will give you some peace of mind. If it is close enough to home that you can check on it often you should be OK. Good luck.
John D.

[rscott]

You can by an automatic bilge pump that has no moving parts. It uses contacts on the switch that use the water to complete the circuit. Once it switches on it runs the pump for an additional 30 seconds after the water drops below the contacts. I had one on a boat I kept docked on a river 150 miles from my house. In 9 years it never failed me, and I never had a dead battery when I went to use the boat. Here is a link to there web sight : waterwitch 257 dual system high water alarm support

And there online store: Bilge Switches : Water Witch Inc., High quality bilge products

[NCangler]

You will also want to give thought to what marine life will attach itself to the hull over an extended period of time unless the boat has anti-foul paint on the hull below the waterline.

[rscott]

After reviewing the Water Witch websight I see they are running a special on a bilge switch and pannel mount switch counter for $70 that sounds like a good idea for boats left at the dock.
http://waterwitchinc.com/online_cart...index&cPath=14

[cagrove]

You might also consider a good cover to help shed some (hopefully most) of the rain water. Also, if it were me, I would add another independent battery and bilge pump...redundant systems. Hook both batteries up to shore power though a trickle charger and you should be good to go.

Good luck.

[HighTechRedneck]

I Would add a second pump and battery.

[wschapinjr]

Guess I have two comments......the Triumph is sooooo easy to launch and retrieve I would leave it on a trailer and launch it when you got there, No worry about sinking or fouling. If that is not an option then look into a cheap solar powered charger, For about $100 you make sure your battery is fully charged when you want to use it and also ensure that the pump will have juice to run.

Just some thoughts.

[manny3]

I have the boat cover that came with the boat from covers inc. can that be used when the boat is moored.

[pamarine]

The other option is to make it self-bailing. I'm working on this now with my 170 CC and if it turns out right I'll post it.

Frank Dixon