WATER LEVEL

STANDAEID STREET EL THREADED INTO

Select piping in accordance with your location, and the size of your boat. Galvanized pipe is suitable for fresh water; copper pipe should be used in salt water. l-Jse Vz" pipe for boats in the 16, to 20, range, and 3/+" at larger for cruisers.

t4j' aleeoen xoue

BOTTOM PLANKING

WATER LEVEL

WATER LEVEL BOTTOM

Li'to34'.
ABOVE BILGE

STANDARD STREET EL THREADED INTO

BOTTOM PLANKING

Fis. Home-Mode Self Boilers

165

One way to avoid the expense of installing a commercial self-bailer is to rig your own, using standard pipe and pipe fittings. For a simple bailer, bore a hole through the bottom at the point of the bilge that's lowest when the boat is underway. Over the hole mount a standard pipe floor flange in bedding compound on the inner side of the bilge planking. A standard pipe plug screwed in finger tight will prevent a reverse flow of water into the hull when the boat is not under way (Fis. 166). Through the bottom hole, thread a standard pipe street ell with the open end pointing aft. Suction created by the boat when it's moving at speeds above 5 mph will draw out bilge water. If the bottom planking is not too thick, this ell can be screwed directly into the inside pipe flange. With this rig, it's important to remember
to replace the pipe plug when the boat is stopped. You can make a more sophisticated bailJiby eliminating the inside pipe plug and substituting a vertical pipe nipple that will rise 4'to 6" above the static water

Fis. Home-Mqde Jomb Cleot

167

line (Fig. 166, bottom). Then, return this gooseneck via two pipe elbows and nipples, so the open end is aboul Vq" above the lowest part of the bilge when the
boat is under way. To prevent reverse siphon action while the boat is docked or anchored, drill a r/16,, bleeder hole in the upper side of the horizontal nipple at the highest point in the gooseneck. This will permit water to drain to the outside water level. When selecting the length for the vertical nipple above the pipe flange, be sure to consider your boai's waterline when a full load is aboard, because the nipple should reach 4" to 61' above the waterline at maximum draft. Because of the bleeder hole and the extra height of this rig, you'll need a speed of at least 10 mph to ireate

Although most deck hardware is out of the do-ityourself category, John F. Dillon shows how a simple jamb cleat can be cut from a suitable chunk of teak. Fig. 167 shows the cleat laid out on a block of scrap teak. The size of the cleat will depend on what you need, of course, but the angle of rise is important, and should be no more than 15 degrees. Cut out the cleat with a saber saw. Round off all edges with a wood rasp, sand smooth, and drill for the mounting bolts as shown in Fig. 168. Be sure to countersink for the bolt heads.

the siphoning action, The action is completely automatic, however, and you can locate the rig in any convenient spot as long as the intake reaches into the lowest part of the bilge.

Fig.

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