Bilge access on 42DS

[spraggini]

Does anyone have tips for accessing the bilge beneath the aft head in our 2012 42DS? we have removed the head and all hoses and see that there was some sort of 'spill' that has collected in the bilge. We have cleaned it as much as we can reach but there is more to do. Very hard to get to it. And we are battling an odor that we think is coming from there. thanks for any suggestions!

[Tafika II]

We have the same model (2008) and I don't know of any access to the lower aft head bilge. We also had a spill from a broken discharge hose from the toilet. We removed the toilet and flush out the entire underside with dock hose pressure and lots of detergent & ammonia. Water traveled to the bilges for pump out with no more smell or incidents. I have contemplated putting a watertight access door in the floor, but have not done so...yet.
Where are you located in the US?

[Spritz]

I have a 2011 42DS and I can 7nfortunately confirm that there’s is no possibility to have access under toilet floor.

[spraggini]

Tafika II and Spritz - Many thanks for your replies. We just purchased our 42DS in November and are so excited and have so much to learn. Appreciate having you out there for support. We've got to get rid of this odor! It's killing the whole thing for me. Kinda hard with 3 degrees temperature these days. We will try what you did with Tafika. again, many many thanks. Dilly Dally is located in Rock Hall, MD and we live in Malvern, PA.

[Tafika II]

3 degrees and 50mph wind with snow...that's why I moved from Huntingdon Valley, PA to SoCal! You're in my childhood stomping grounds from Bohemia River to Annapolis!
Have a short winter and hope you can get rid of this problem soon!

[Spritz]

I believe the only possibility is to cut the fiberglass in the bathroom:....

Good luck!!

[Pyrat]

Perhaps my experience will be of help. I undid the screw in the center of the shower drain in error. This of course caused the the plastic drain pot to drop away. I thought I was faced with having to drill an access hatch close by. Further investigation revealed that it was possible to remove the stainless ring. After removing the screws, carefully wedge a knife blade under the ring to cut as much of the sealant as possible. Once the ring is removed by pulling and prying, it should be possible to access the area you seek, either with your hand or perhaps a flexible hose from a wet/dry vac. When complete lift the drain pot through the hole, ensure the rubber gasket is in place, seal the underside of the ss ring. Insert the screw into the center of the pot and reinstall. A little messy but doable, certainly better than drilling an access hole without knowing what else you may be cutting into.

[Spritz]

Well you do not cut anything else, my suggestion is to cut all around the shower tray clean and then reseal

[spraggini]

Still struggling with this issue. We are trying to flush the area via the access hatch in the floor next to the aft head as Tatiana II did, but cannot figure out where this water is going. It is not visibily draining in to the main bilge. Where does it go? Do we have to pump it out? Help!!!!

[Spritz]

Yes Spraggini, unfortunately I believe the water will stay there..... you will have to pump it out.....

[sailor666]

It is very awkward but this area can be accessed via the cupboard below the sink. A camera (don’t drop it) will give you a visual inspection and a pump with a moveable hose will allow flush out. Our boat had all kinds of detritus in this area both from the original build and previous owner/other user mishaps that couldn’t be moved with a pump and had to first be fished out with improvised tools (wire coat hangers, cord and rag).

[Spritz]

Again, sorry, but why do not cut a large inspection on the floor, than re-seal? Is not that difficult, is fiberglass! 
I would suggest to cut a LARGE piece which should be bigger than the part used for the shower.

[iancymru]

May not be the bilge smelling as I had a strong odour in the heads which came from the actual toilet I flushed it with white vinegar (enough to fill the hose between toilet landholding tank) and left it for a day. Touch wood smell gone completely for over 12 months now and counting it was constantly there before.

[spraggini]

Very sad to report that we are still struggling with this odor in the aft head. As mentioned, we replaced the heads, hoses, EVERYTHING to do with the toilet, so that is not the source of the odor. It’s very hard to describe the odor - does not smell sewery. Smells bilgey I guess. But it is still gross and so frustrating that we can’t figure out where it’s coming from. Thanks for any ideas.

[Bijoux]

We just had the same problem and took out about 4 gallons of water that had been accumulating in the bilge right under the aft shower in our 49DS.   There is no path to drain to the bilge from this area on our boat.  We started the search for the same reason, there was a bad smell in the boat as the stagnate water started to mold and affected the wood bulkhead of the bathroom.  We cut a 2" hole in the wood adjacent to the bilge and used a small pump.

To clean it up we poured water and chlorine down the side of the hull and then purpled it out.  Still trying to resolve a way to get the water to naturally drain back to the bilge.