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we recently bought a narrowboat, she's 30ft, built by eastern caravans and narrowboats ltd. the boat came with a folder & all the pamphlets for all the appliances etc, there's one for a bulge pump, so we know there is a pump somewhere on the boat, it's hooked up to the 12v battery, and the wires for it run under the floor, the switch is on, etc. there's defo a pump down there somewhere, but how the heck do we get to it to check it's working & in good condition? short of taking the floor up? there's no hatches for the main bilge of the boat. most articles about bilge pump maintenance assume you're installing one for the first time, or that it's easily accessible (eg in the engine bay). the bilge is divided into three segments (the two outside ones are fuel & gas lockers) and dont have pumps in them any advice would be gratefully appreciated

Hi peeps. Some advice needed please. I'm in the midst of the first full service our Isuzu 42. I'm endeavouring to do it all, and to do it properly, as the previous owners seem to have done nothing. Ever! I need to drain the coolant from the system, as it certainly hasn't been done for three or more years. The tank on the swim has two hoses, but both are at the top, at either end. (I'd have thought that one would be at the bottom, from what I've read here.) There is no obvious drainage point, but quite a few bleed valves. There is also a calorifier circuit. We are trying to not spend lots of cash, so I can see three options: The brass hand pump that's set up for pumping oil from the sump. Modify an old bilge pump that I have recently replaced. Use the engine's coolant pump to push everything out. The bilge is clearly the better solution, in terms of time and energy. I figure I can dismantle it, and then attach an intake hose, which can be placed into the keel tank/radiator, once the top half of the system has been drained (either by gravity or by the pump.) If I were to use the engine pump, I imagine I'd disconnect the hose that sends coolant into the engine. The problem I can foresee is that the pump might need to be primed, or might be damaged by pumping air? I don't think that the engine could be damaged by such a short run... but am uncertain. The brass hand pump would be laborious, and also, I would have to find a way of fitting a tube to the thread at its base. In any of these scenarios, I would of course store the coolant in a suitable container, and dispose of it properly. Thanks for suggestions!

Hello all, As usual I need to pick your brains on something. This week its electrickery. I am in the process of installing an automatic bilge pump I have wired up the manual cables (pos and neg) to a on/off switch (from the previous none automatic pump) and am thinking about wiring up the 'auto' cable (pos) to the starter battery with an in line fuse between the two. I have seen an in line water proof crimp on fuse holder online. It is listed as 30A but I need a 7A fuse. Am I correct in thinking that if I just shove a 7A fuse in there it will be fine as 30A is its maximum rating? or do I need to hunt out a specific 7 A fuse holder? Thanks in advance for any replies.

Hello, I have a 30' cruiser with a BMC engine and a bit of a problem with the raw water cooling system. The mudbox is a 6" long plastic tube, 3" diameter, threaded on both ends, with plastic caps. The line to the gearbox cooler comes out of one cap, the other one is removable to access the strainer. The cylinder is horizontal, it is bolted at the middle to the hole in the hull, and right opposite that, i.e, on the top of the cylinder, there is a plastic hose connection with a valve. I wanted to upload a photo, but that is not possible, hence the lengthy description. When I bought the boat, there was suction on that hose connection at the top of the mudbox, and it worked as a bilge pump. Very handy, because the channel for the prop shaft is narrow, with less than inch of clearance either side of the shaft, so no bilge pumos fit in there. Today the suction stopped and I noticed that there was some rubbish in the hose leading to the top of the box. Then removed the whole hose connection and could see the strainer being very dirty. I then opened the mud box and was very surprised by the amount of water that came out, I barely managed to screw the cap back in. Now that the strainer is clean, there is no way I could remove the top and look inside, water gushes in. And when I run the engine there is no suction from that hose connection, on the contrary, water comes out of it at all times. So my questions are: -Is it normal to have a vacuum port out of the mud box? -Now I am thinking that maybe the inlet to the mud box was dirty and that created the suction, could that be the case? -Maybe there is some part that came out when I removed the strainer and I lost it? If the mudbox does not have a vacuum port, would it be a good idea to connect a hose to the suction side of the raw water pump (Jabsco) to work as a bilge pump? I get a lot of water in when the prop is turning, 20-30 litres per hour. The electric bilge pump can cope with that, but the level doesn't go below the shaft and thus the pulleys are submerged and the belts slip. Thanks in advance Nestor

So we are at the stage of fitting some bilge pumps in the preperation for travelling down the seven eastury. Im looking for a good reliable and trustworthy bilge pump. Can anyone recommend a good pump? the boat is a 68 by 10 ft X-trip boat springer that we have taken right back to bare metal and started the task of refitting everything. I am planning on putting 2 at the stern of the boat one eather side of the I-beam that runs the length of the boat just before the engine room bulkhead and having hatches big enough to drop a spare pump in should the worst happen up the rest of the boat. Good plan or a waste of time and money?

Hi, Purchasing this boat and just wanted a second opinion on water in the engine bilge. I’ve attached some pictures and wondered if anyone had any advice comments as to the amount of water of the general condition of the area. its a 30ft steel hull narrow boat 1995 with a beta marine engine. The brokerage say it’s just rain water and I tend to accept then but still as a first time buyer it’s slightly concerning. cheers!