thompsondockside.com

Background: My 17' lapstrake takes in a small amount of water each outing. I trailer the boat so it is not sitting in water all the time. When I return home, I always raise the bow as high as it can go to get the water to the drain hole. Today, I had to remove the rear floor section and noticed that at each rib, there was a puddle of water. So, no matter how high I get the bow there is still water puddling at each rib.

Is this amount of water left in the bilge until it evaporates a problem?

And...where should a bilge pump be located? Seems to me the lowest part of the boat might not necessarily be at the transom but more mid-ship. Is this where the bilge pump should go?

Even with the bilge pump, seems there will always be a small amount of water caught between the ribs. I know damp wood equals dry rot. Or am I stressing over nothing?

Thank,
John

I a perfect world all water should be removed. Your limber holes may be clogged? An air hose should help open them up. Problem is all floor boards must be removed. If you remove floor boards and position a big box fan, to blow air over the bottom, it should be dry in a day or two.

There is no such thing as "dry rot." It is "wet rot."

Andreas

Limber holes are gaps or holes between the ribs and planking and keelson. They are parallel to the keelson. They are at the lowest point in the hull. In the case of Thompson Boat, the ribs are cut back at an angle before being installed so it leaves a gap.

Andreas