how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

[capt sam]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

I'm talking a couple of ounces, not the titanic...lol.

 

[solar7647]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

I sure am glad they couldnt even think of imposing such rules on the Great lakes. They would have to shut down inbond shipping, that how they get in any ways. Every Time a Salty comes through the lakes they bring more species to pump int othe system.

I will admitt though the Zebra Mucle has really help clean the water.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

we aren't to the point of mandatory inspections yet, but within a couple years we probably will be... (Too close to minnesota!) And for good reasons, especially milfoil. It will destroy a lake in a hurry.

I do believe game wardens/law enforcement do have the ability to fine people now though if they see you unloading with any seaweed on your trailer/boat.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

They have those inspections on all the lakes I boat on in California. You basically can't afford to wash your boat the day before. If they find water in your bilge...even just a little, they put you on a 28 day ban list that keeps you out of all lakes in the area.

Definitely drive to the lake with the plug out. Most inspections expect you to be doing that.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

we aren't to the point of mandatory inspections yet, but within a couple years we probably will be... (Too close to minnesota!) And for good reasons, especially milfoil. It will destroy a lake in a hurry.

I do believe game wardens/law enforcement do have the ability to fine people now though if they see you unloading with any seaweed on your trailer/boat.

All the lakes I fish in have Eurasian Milfoil. It has not destroyed any of them. In fact, the fish populations are higher than ever before. Bass fishing has improved dramatically due to the milfoil, and so has northern pike and muskie fishing.

It's a nuisance in the shallows, but it doesn't harm the fish at all. The reality is that it has decreased in most of the lakes now, after a number of years, and native lake plants have replaced the milfoil in many areas.

Not every exotic spells the end of a lake. Eurasian milfoil certainly doesn't.

 

[cribber]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

I'm talking a couple of ounces, not the titanic...lol.

We live in Florida it rains... my boat always has some water in it from the rain working it's way in through the covers. I would love to have covered storage for it but my garage doors say otherwise.

 

[capt sam]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

yeah I saw that, I live in Fla too. My cockpit drains into my bilge, not a great design but common, there's very few truly self bailing hulls in the flats boat market.

 

[MRS]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

If you have wet bilge you have a leak some where plus we run to havasu alot and they do inspect at the inspection check coming back in to California. If you do not pass will inpound boat. Plus clean your anchor off also some check that to. Before going into any lake that checks I always stop before going in and open and make sure it is dri. This is why they check, pulled anchor up and had this on it

. Plus saw a fishing pole that was put in the water and retrieved a month later was covered tip to but with the mussels...

 

[QC]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

You guys with dry bilges don't have kids and/or swimmers . . .

 

[rjwoodrome]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

A dry bilge. in up state NY. heck it just snowed ...Again...Today!!! had to go do another quick pre-summer winterization sunday evening.and yes we are concerned about cross lake contamination between our finger lakes too. went fishing saturday and caught several zebra mussles all of which I may add were under weight and had to toss em back...

 

[jakeb]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

But my buddies boat is an 05 and he still has some water in there that just seems to appear.

You really need to get your facts straight man, I think your buddies boat is an 06.

 

[df909]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

I have to go through the inspections as well. Like many people have said, I lift ht ebow high so the water can drain, then I get me leaf blower and start blowing the boat out. I start at the bow and work my way aft, making sure to blow the storage compartments also. The shamwow is a good idea as a bildge pad too.

My local lakes offer a wristband type thing that is attached to the boat and trailer. If the boat stays on the trailer and the wristband is intact, I don't need an inspection- I can lauch with my boat full of water. The wristband is attached at the end of the day when I pull the boat from the water and is proof that I already passed the inspection. I'd see if your lakes can do something similar.

 

[Expidia]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

Good thread. Kind of a wake up call. Each lake I go to in the Adirondacks now has volunteers doing an inspection of your rig and asking where you used it last!

Just yesterday I was reading a thread on another boating site where the marine inspector suggested this boater get a "bilge sock". I never heard of that one and neither did the boater in the thread.

iboats sells them, it's sock that stays in your bilge and it saps up only the floating oil. Doesn't hold water though.

Some good tips so far though.

I might even now install a self bailing plug because I know when I pull the plug for trailering I would forget to put it back in.

My bilge pump leaves a little water in there anyway and the transom plug is mounted so there is always room for water to just hang out in there like after it rains.

I think I'll store one of those cheap walmart sham wow knock offs now in a locker so before I get to the launch I can check the bilge and sop up any water before the inspectors complain that the water may have bio critters in it.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

I might even now install a self bailing plug because I know when I pull the plug for trailering I would forget to put it back in.

In California, it is pretty much mandatory to pull your plug once you leave a body of water. They don't want any transfer of the water that is in your bilge somewhere else.

The one thing I don't understand though is what about all the water that is still in your engine, exhaust and cooling systems.

 

[Expidia]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

In California, it is pretty much mandatory to pull your plug once you leave a body of water. They don't want any transfer of the water that is in your bilge somewhere else.

The one thing I don't understand though is what about all the water that is still in your engine, exhaust and cooling systems.

Ya, one thing you don't want to do is pull up to the ramp with a full live well of water or worse invasive baitfish around the lakes in the Adirondack region of NY.

Zebra Mussels, Eurasian Water Milfoil, Waterchestnut, Alewife

A tip of my hat goes out to those who "volunteer" their time on llike a 90 degree weekend to sit in the hot sun, so they can give your rig a quick inspection and ask you some questions on where your boat has been.

Good article on the types of critters they are trying to stop getting into our lakes:

http://www.fundforlakegeorge.org/assets/pdf_files/Fact Sheet 24 Alewife.pdf

 

[nlain]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

My boat is always stored with pulg out, bow high so all water will drain to the back, I cover with a canvas, 2 vents in canvas, when I uncover bilge is dry. Now if I was in your area I would also pull my bow anchor out of its small locker and let it dry, carpet in the anchor locker, wet rope, wet carpet takes a long time to dry closed up.

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

I know this is not my idea exclusively but to dry up that list bit of water that does not drain out of the bilge while sitting on the trailer I stick a cotton dishtowel or rag into the drain hole from the outside ...get about 2 " or so inside the boat laying in the little puddle of water and the rest of the rag outside the boat blowing in the breeze...it wicks the water up into the rag and air drys....keeps the billge dry as a bone.

Of course I do this while covered because if not covered the towel in the hole will not let large amounts of water out in a rainstorm.

 

[rjwoodrome]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

There was a good point brought up about the water left in the cooling system. what do we do about that? Or is it possable the temp of the system will kill off the bio hazards?

 

[marlboro180]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

There was a good point brought up about the water left in the cooling system. what do we do about that? Or is it possable the temp of the system will kill off the bio hazards?

That , my friend, is a very good point. Guess I missed it >:redface:

One would hope that the internal temps of a motor would make a nice clam bake in our motors, but I am doubtful that it would kill off everything. Anybody up for a test? How about running a boat at regular temps, then letting it idle and then shut it down. Then drain , say, a raw water cooled manifold after a few minutes, and see what the temperature is. ?

 

[MrBigStuff]

Re: how do you get a dry bilge for the quagga inspection?

All the lakes I fish in have Eurasian Milfoil. It has not destroyed any of them. In fact, the fish populations are higher than ever before. Bass fishing has improved dramatically due to the milfoil, and so has northern pike and muskie fishing.

It's a nuisance in the shallows, but it doesn't harm the fish at all. The reality is that it has decreased in most of the lakes now, after a number of years, and native lake plants have replaced the milfoil in many areas.

Not every exotic spells the end of a lake. Eurasian milfoil certainly doesn't.

Interesting. Every one of the ponds here that has been infested with Milfoil is declining or destroyed as far as fishing is concerned. Perhaps the effect is dependant on the conditions prior to the infestation? At any rate, ponds that used to have healthy populations of lily pads and large bass are completely choked with milfoil and the fish are either stunted or gone. In most cases, you almost would need an airboat to cross vast expanses of dense milfoil growing right to the surface. Most of the ponds I fish are typically 5-8 ft with some areas going to 15 ft. One lake, like those I am used to in the Midwest, is also infested but due to the depth, only about 10% of it is nearly impenetrable. Trouble is, the fish have a hard time excavating shallow areas to spawn so the populations there are also down.

When I lived in WI, they would either treat with herbicides or harvest the plants and dump them on shore. Both operations had a measureable impact on fishing for a prolonged time. Out this way, they have only begun to explore herbicides and manually harvesting just the milfoil by hand!

What really got my attention is your comment about them closing off access altogether unless you reside on the lake. I suppose one option is this banding process that insures you've not boated on other waters. That would mess me up pretty good because we go to a lot of different ponds and lakes depending on the season or what we want to fish for. We currently have a mainly self-regulating inspection for plants but formal inspections cannot be far off.

One only need look at the Caulerpa problem in the Mediterranean to see the devastating effect of invasive plant species...