> The answer, I think, depends on the age of your boat. Those from my era
> are built such that the carpet on the sole covers the same "rough,
> unlined ... hull" that you mention. The hull surface bends to form the
> rudimentary skeg you can see (from the outside) running down the hull
> centerline from stern to keel trunk. In turn, a loose-weave piece of
> fibreglass mat was used to bridge that gap inside. Many of these boats
> had a weak-spot (or hole, take your pick) in this mat about 9" behind the
> keel trunk. The interior of the skeg is the "bilge" and the hole is the
> access thereto.
>
> The newer boats apparently have a liner which forms the cabin sole?? Of
> this I know nothing, but we can logically assume it covers a similar
> hollow space in the skeg. Access to that volume is another question.
>
> As I implied, I use a plastic grid to lift people and stuff above the
> sole. The water then collects in the skeg and on the floor, under the
> grid. The center area of the sole is bordered port and starboard by
> molded-in beams, which keeps the bilge water centered in most conditions.
> It does tend to slop over the similar beam which borders the sternmost
> edge of the V-berth, but those are the only two compartments which would
> routinely hold standing water.
>
It seems my boat has the worst features of all the various designs that people
have described. My boat has no pan, just the rough, leaky cloth over the skeg
keel. It has no molded-in beams to contain the water. The water just
sloshes where ever it wants to when we sail down the face of a wave or wake,
usually running forward under the v-berth.
The "opening" to this would-be bilge is a horizontal slit 1/4 inch high,
located about 2 inches behind the CB trunk. There's no way to use a pump. To
dry out the boat, I have to gradually lower the tongue jack at the front of
the trailer, mopping up water each time I lower it another inch. If I just
drop the bow all at once, the water runs forward under the V-berth.
It's a pain to get all the water out of the boat, and that makes it hard to
keep the mildew from growing. That's why I started this thread. I'm hoping
somebody out there has already solved my problem.
> I don't know how one would deal with the problem in a newer model with
> pan, but the reality is that sailing is a wet game. No matter how well
> you seal things or how religiously you close hatches or how
> conservatively you sail, you _will_ take on water -- sometimes a lot. The
> goal is to contain its spread and eliminate induced discomfort and damage
> until you can get around to pumping it out.
>
I wish I could pump it out. I even own a manual pump that's useless with my
Potter. Right now it's taking me a half hour to mop it up by hand with a
towel or sponge.
Judith Blumhorst, DC
WWP-#266 "Red Wing"
SF Bay, CA