Bilge pump

[Dglass71]

I have a new 195 DC docked at a pond in MA. All around we have pine trees and when the wind blows I am getting the little pine cone seedlings in the boat. I am not sure exactly what they are but they are soft pea sized things which come from the pines.

If I rinse these out down the drains will this screw up my bilge pump? Or should Sweep them out then rinse everything else down. At times there can be quite a few in the boat.

[PileDriver]

Sweep or use a shop vac, as they will end up plugging the drains and just remain in the bilge area, as the screen will prevent them from being picked up by the pump.

[cjgeek]

Use a shop vac prior to going out or cover the boat. These can mess with the bilge pump and also plug up your drain hole if enough crud builds up. I have pines all around my driveway and getting them out before going out is much much easier than after they have worked themselves into every crevice as they break down.

Its not a bad idea to take it out of the water every so often to rinse the bilge area out as a precaution. At least do a visual look every so often around the bilge pump at a minimum.