At Custom Marine, we carry primarily saltwater, in shore, and offshore boats. One of the major design features in a saltwater boat is that they are self bailing. This means that the boat is designed to remove water from the deck and cockpit area without the use of a pump.
This happens because the inside of the boat, where you are standing when driving, is higher than the waterline of the boat. The waterline on the side of the boat is where the water meets the hull.
For example, if you are tied up at the dock and it rains six inches on your boat, the vast majority of that water will hit your deck and run off the boat into the water, rather than down into the bilge of your boat where a pump would be required to prevent the water from weighing down the boat.
We believe this is very important because if you were to be offshore and take a wave over the side of your boat, the water would easily drain off through the various holes, drains, and tubes that you will see in the side of the boat. These elements work with the self-bailing feature.
You can see these drains keep the water from flowing into the bilge. It is important to identify the location of your seacock, which is located in the bilge. This is a lever which is located in this area. The seacock allows water from outside the boat to flow in to cool the engine, but can be closed if the boat is taking on too much water into the bilge. This is an important safety feature to be aware of.
We will now continue on to learn about the boat delivery process as it relates to your engine. Click the link below to learn more.