‘72 16’ Fiberform Columbia (?) Bilge Pump

[beckham79]

I recently bought a 1972 16’ Fiberform outboard boat. A Columbia, I think. I’m handy, but a newb with boats. The problem is that the boat taking on water when left in the water. I’m sealing up the drain plugs and attending to how the water is getting in, but I wanted to ask the forum if it is normal that this boat wouldn’t have a bulge pump? My thought is that I would like to install one. I started to mess around near the transom looking for a hatch or some other way to get into the bilge but no such luck so far. Any advice on how to get down there and where to do it? Or is there a reason not to have a bilge pump on a boat like this? Thank you!

 

[Grub54891]

Step one. Install a bilge pump. Step two. Find the leak, but I see you are trying to.

 

[beckham79]

Thanks Grub. That definitely sounds like the plan. The problem I'm running into is trying to figure out how to get into the bilge to install the pump without tearing up too much stuff. I'd like to keep the project as targetted as possible and get this boat back in the water.

My fear is that I'd rip up the whole floor looking for a hatch or an opening. And then, it may have been boarded over and then I'd have to start taking out all the boards as well and pretty soon I'd be redoing the whole deck.

Additionally, the drain plug for the bilge is only about an inch below the drain plug for the deck, which is about an inch lower than the floor in a well in the transom. So that leads me to believe there isn't much space down there for a pump in the first place. Basically, this is all why I'm questioning if there is a possible reason for there not being a bilge pump in this particular boat.

Just putting a pump in that well would give me some reassurance, but I'd much rather get one down below. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

 

[Grub54891]

Slap some pics of the boat/ interior areas, don't take the pics to close up or to far away. We'd like to see what we are working with.