Articles

18 11, 2025

Wicked Tuna’s Captain Dave Carraro on Keeping His Bilges Dry

By Alfred Baurley|2026-10-11T20:42:25+00:00November 18, 2025|Articles, Blog, Boat Stories, Fishing Boats|

Captain Dave Carraro on Dry Bilges Aboard F/V Tuna.com

In this video, Wicked Tuna’s Captain Dave Carraro describes his first experience with an Arid Bilge System. Standing near the shaft at the back of the engine room, he points to the dry bilge and talks about the forward compartment and lazarette.

His account focuses on the result he can see aboard his own boat. The transcript below is lightly edited for readability and retains his acknowledgment of Arid’s sponsorship.

Watch the full Captain Dave testimonial on YouTube.

Beside Captain Dave is the installed Arid Series 2. The close view shows how the unit sits among the engine-room plumbing, adding useful installation context to his account of the boat’s dry bilges.

Captain Dave Carraro beside the installed Arid Series 2 in the engine room aboard F/V Tuna.com. — Captain Dave Carraro and the installed Arid Series 2 aboard F/V Tuna.com. Still from the original interview at 00:44.

Dave Carraro’s Testimonial

“Captain Dave here on the Tuna.com, way back here at the backside of my engine room here by my shaft.

I want to thank you guys at Arid—Arid Bilge Systems—for a great system.

This is the first time I’ve ever used one. I didn’t know anything about it.
I do now.

But I could not be happier.

We got our bilges to stay completely dry—that being up in the front, that being the engine room, and that being in the Lazarette.

This thing is absolutely incredible.

Just looking down there right now, there’s not a drop of water.

And rest assured, there’s not a drop of water up in the front or in the Lazarette.

Again—just a great system.

To me, it’s a new product. And again—I just could not be happier.

Again, thank you very much for your sponsorship.”

Dave Carraro Describes Three Dry Bilge Areas

Captain Dave describes three areas staying dry: the forward bilge, engine room and lazarette. For an owner considering a similar setup, those separate spaces are the useful starting point. Identify where residual water remains and which locations a pickup can reach.

How does Arid keep bilge zones dry?

Arid removes residual water from connected pickup locations using a centralized vacuum system. It complements the boat’s conventional bilge pumps; it does not replace emergency pumping equipment or repair the source of a leak.

See how the dry-bilge system works, explore more owner and captain testimonials, or find installation and maintenance resources.

17 11, 2025

Protecting Wooden Boats – The Power of a Dry Bilge

By Alfred Baurley|2026-10-15T19:57:28+00:00November 17, 2025|Articles, Blog, Boat Stories, Motor Yachts|

Wooden boat care starts below deck

We first met Jim Moores through the boat-show community and have known him for many years. He became a longtime personal friend as well as someone whose experience with wooden yachts we value. His story aboard Aurora II brings that experience down to a problem many owners recognize: water collecting out of sight beneath an otherwise beautiful boat.

A lifetime spent caring for classic wooden yachts

Jim founded Moores Marine in 1986, specializing in the restoration and repair of antique and classic wooden boats. His earlier work in Maine included commercial fishing vessels. The company’s restoration history includes Trumpy yachts, the presidential yacht Honey Fitz, and the schooner Summerwind. These are boats whose continued life depends on skilled work inside the hull as much as on the finish above deck.

Aurora II: a 1947 Trumpy and a recurring moisture problem

For wooden boats, lingering bilge water is a maintenance concern as well as a source of musty smells. In this testimonial, restoration specialist Jim Moores describes the mildew he found aboard his 1947 Trumpy, Aurora II, and the changes he noticed after installing an Arid Bilge System.

For a short overview, watch Why Dry Bilges Matter on Wooden Boats | Jim Moores.

Jim Moores’ Account of Aurora II

In the video, Jim explains what he found, what he cleaned and what changed once the system was working aboard his boat.

Jim recalls buying the boat in Florida and finding mildew throughout the interior. He discarded mattresses, cleaned the affected spaces and later repainted the ceiling. He also installed an Arid Bilge System to remove the small amounts of water that continued to collect below deck.

He reports a fresher-smelling interior after that work. During a later electrical interruption, he noticed the smell returning and checked the system. In the video, he shows an enclosed area where visible growth had appeared and explains how little ventilation the compartment had.

His experience connects three separate jobs: cleaning existing contamination, restoring affected finishes and managing recurring water. The water-removal system was one part of that work. His account is specific to Aurora II; it does not establish that removing bilge water alone eliminates mildew or produces a health benefit.

How persistent bilge moisture can damage wood from inside

A wooden yacht can look well cared for on deck while concealed timber stays wet below. Where repeated wetting, oxygen and suitable temperatures support decay fungi, the fungi consume parts of the wood and reduce its strength. The USDA Forest Products Laboratory’s Wood Handbook explains these conditions. Mold on a surface and structural decay are different problems; appearance or smell alone cannot establish how sound a timber remains.

Look beyond the central puddle. Joints, low pockets and enclosed spaces can remain damp after the easily reached water is removed. The maintenance goal is to shorten that repeated wetting, preserve access and investigate changes early. On a traditional wooden hull, a boatwright should guide the care of planking and seams; managing standing bilge water does not mean trying to dry the entire hull indiscriminately.

Jim’s experience illustrates why water removal belongs alongside ventilation, cleaning and repairs. It also connects with Barry Delk’s wooden Gillikin sportfisher, Longer Hours, where Arid personally installed a Series 4×8 in 2008 and the system is still running about 18 years later.

A practical starting point for wooden boats

Begin with an inspection of the spaces you can reach. Record standing water, staining and changes in odor. Then work through the causes and the access needed to maintain those areas:

Identify where water enters and where air-conditioning condensate collects.
Have timber, coatings and ventilation assessed as part of the maintenance plan.
Clean existing contamination using guidance appropriate to the materials and condition.
Discuss pickup placement and service access with an installer familiar with the vessel.

A drier baseline can make a new wet patch easier to notice. It does not repair damaged timber or remove the need to investigate a leak. Follow up on changes rather than relying on a fresh smell as proof that every compartment is sound.

Keep the Roles Clear

Arid removes residual water from connected pickup locations. Conventional bilge pumps remain in place for higher-volume pumping. Our wet-zone guide can help organize the inspection before discussing a system.

Watch Jim’s full video for his firsthand account aboard Aurora II.

14 11, 2025

How Arid Bilge Systems Began: The Thirsty Lady V Story

By Alfred Baurley|2026-10-15T22:39:33+00:00November 14, 2025|Articles|

Before Arid Bilge Systems, there was a boat Al Baurley Sr. and his son Al Baurley spent years building: Thirsty Lady V. Her story begins with an unfinished hull in Hollywood, Florida, and runs through a family workshop, a launch at Merritt’s Shipyard in Pompano Beach and a stubborn problem below deck. The boat brought the Baurley family’s boatbuilding experience and the idea for Arid together.

Al Baurley developed Arid’s first Dry Bilge Machine to remove water that remained aboard Thirsty Lady V. The earliest experiment lasted only about ten days. Making it dependable took roughly two more years of work. The story begins with the family boat and the practical problem that prompted the first prototype.

Thirsty Lady V at anchor on calm blue water, with her name visible across the stern. — Thirsty Lady V at anchor

Thirsty Lady V passing the lighthouse in the original Liberator archive film. — The complete family archive recording, with original footage and audio. Exact filming date unrecorded. Watch on YouTube

Explore the complete Arid company history, with archive photographs and the product timeline.

An unfinished hull beside I-95

Al Baurley Sr. owned a chain of warehouses and had the determination to take on a substantial boatbuilding project. In the 1980s, he found an unfinished hull in Hollywood, Florida. As the family remembers it, the hull was visible from I-95. Its long, narrow, racing-style lines caught his attention, and he bought it.

Not everyone encouraged the idea. The family remembers Allen Pinnell of Merritt advising Al Sr. against taking it on because the hull was narrow for its length. Al Sr. wanted to build it anyway. The unfinished hull became the starting point for a custom boat, with years of work still ahead.

Al Baurley Sr. and his son Al took that unfinished hull and turned it into the 62-foot boat that became Thirsty Lady V.

Six years of building, wiring and plumbing

Arid’s company history records construction beginning in 1986 and the boat going into the water in 1992. Those dates represent about six years of work. Al Baurley handled the plumbing and electrical wiring, building the systems that would make the bare hull a working boat.

He brought a lifelong involvement in the marine industry to the project, alongside his technical education. The work meant understanding the boat as a complete system: where equipment would fit, how it would be connected and how someone could reach it again for maintenance.

The breaker panel below is a particularly personal part of that history. Its labels read “Liberator” and “Baurley Marine Works Inc.” It is a physical record of the family’s work, with the AC and DC distribution laid out for the equipment aboard the boat.

Electrical distribution panel marked Liberator and Baurley Marine Works Inc., with labeled AC and DC circuits. — The boat’s electrical distribution panel, part of the wiring and systems work Al Baurley completed during the build.

Mack engines, Hamilton jets and a shallow draft

Al Baurley Sr. wanted jet propulsion. The boat was built with Mack truck-engine marine conversions paired with Hamilton jet drives. Shallow draft and fuel efficiency were important goals for the project.

The family reports an operating draft of approximately two feet three inches for Thirsty Lady V—a distinctive feature for a 62-foot boat. That figure describes the family’s experience with this vessel.

These machinery photographs show the boat during maintenance. One engine has its cylinder head removed, and the separate stern photograph shows the jet-drive equipment out of the water. This is the hands-on side of owning a custom boat: knowing what is installed, how it fits together and what it takes to keep it working.

Two red marine engines aboard Thirsty Lady V during maintenance, with one cylinder head removed. — The Mack marine conversions during engine maintenance.

Hamilton jet-drive equipment at the stern of Thirsty Lady V while the boat is ashore. — The jet-drive installation that forms part of the boat’s shallow-draft design.

Launched at Merritt’s—and kept in the family

Thirsty Lady V splashed in 1992 at Merritt’s Shipyard in Pompano Beach, Florida. After years of building, the boat was ready for life on the water.

The original intention was to sell the finished boat. The family remembers Al Sr.’s wife wanting to keep her after the years they had put into the project and their life together. They decided to keep the boat and enjoy her as a family.

The family returned to Merritt’s for hands-on maintenance in the years that followed. The photograph of Thirsty Lady V ashore later in this story was taken there—the same shipyard where she first went into the water.

The water left behind

For all the work that went into Thirsty Lady V, water still sat in the bilge. The smell was persistent, and damp areas were deteriorating from the inside. Al Baurley Sr. would bundle newspapers and put them into low compartments to soak up the water. That was a temporary response to a problem that kept coming back.

Al Baurley wanted a way to remove that last accumulation automatically, including the water in compartments that were awkward to reach by hand.

That distinction shaped the idea. Conventional bilge pumps have an essential job moving larger amounts of water, but residual fluid can remain after they stop. The first Arid experiment addressed that remaining water aboard a boat the family knew well.

The technical background behind the idea

Al Baurley brought a background in computer engineering to his work on boats. At FSU, he learned multiple programming languages and was at the top of his class. Alongside that technical education, years spent working with boats gave him firsthand experience of the problems owners faced below deck.

The Broward incident that sparked an idea

An accidental diesel release aboard a 100-foot Broward yacht gave Al a different way to think about the problem. A small polyethylene tube had carried a significant amount of fluid into the yacht’s interior.

The damage required cleanup, but one detail stayed with Al: how much fluid had moved through such a small tube. Could tubing and controlled vacuum be used deliberately to remove the water left in a boat’s bilge?

That question connected the Broward incident to the recurring problem aboard Thirsty Lady V. Al began experimenting in his garage, developing a system that could collect fluid from low, difficult-to-reach compartments and bring it to a central unit.

Al installed his prototype aboard the boat. The next day, his father called with a result that was difficult to overlook.

An unexpected first result

The smell had initially become worse.

The engine-room water had been removed, and the growth it had covered was drying out. For the first time in eight years, the engine room was dry. Removing the water had exposed what had been underneath it.

The trial showed that the machine could remove the residual water, but the first unit was short-lived. It held together for around ten days. Turning that early result into a system that could continue working aboard a boat required further development.

Two years of refining the design

Al spent roughly the next two years making changes and testing the system. As the machine was refined and reengineered, its operating life increased. That work became the foundation of the modern Arid Bilge System.

The archive also preserves the original Series 9 prototype installed aboard Thirsty Lady V. This early hardware belongs to the system’s development, before the product line reached the range of sizes offered today.

The original Series 9 prototype cabinet installed aboard Thirsty Lady V. — The original Series 9 prototype aboard Thirsty Lady V

A man beside three early Arid system cabinets on a garage workbench. — Early Arid systems in the garage

From two zones to six

The installation aboard Thirsty Lady V developed as well. Its original two-zone arrangement eventually became a six-zone system, reaching from the anchor-windlass compartment all the way aft to the engine room.

Those locations reflect a practical consideration in choosing an Arid system: water can collect in more than one place. Separate compartments may need their own pickup locations, connected by tubing to the central unit.

The family boat’s progression from two zones to six is one example of that approach taking shape. The installation grew to address individual areas across the vessel, extending the work beyond one part of the bilge.

Thirsty Lady V supported ashore at Merritt’s Shipyard in Pompano Beach, viewed from the bow. — Thirsty Lady V during a later visit to Merritt’s Shipyard in Pompano Beach, where she was launched in 1992.

Bow view from the Thirsty Lady V archive, with birds perched along the rail. — Bow view from the Thirsty Lady V archive

A family tradition of hands-on maintenance

The family’s involvement with Thirsty Lady V extended beyond construction and the development of Arid. Working on the boat became a family tradition, connecting generations through inspection, maintenance and the work below deck that visitors rarely see.

That hands-on experience is central to Arid’s company history. The electrical panel, the engines, the jets and the hours spent in the bilge all contributed to a practical understanding of the problem the system was developed to address.

A 59-second look at the family’s hands-on jet-drive maintenance, from removing external components to refitting them. This time-lapse documents the work; it is not a step-by-step service guide. Watch on YouTube · Full original time-lapse (3:11)
Music: “Ultralounge” by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Edited to length; fades and level adjustments applied.

Hands-on maintenance at the stern of Thirsty Lady V with the boat ashore. — The family working aboard Thirsty Lady V.

Bringing the system to other boats

By 2004–2005, Al was producing a small number of large early systems for friends with large yachts. The next stage was to make the equipment smaller and more affordable, opening the approach to a wider range of boats.

The product milestones followed that development:

2006: Series 9 sales began at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.
March 2007: Series 4 was introduced at the Palm Beach Boat Show.
February 2009: Series 2 joined the line.
2015: Series 1 followed.

The sequence moved from large early installations toward more compact systems. A wider choice of sizes made it possible to consider different mounting spaces and numbers of wet areas while keeping the same basic purpose: removing residual fluid from the locations where it collects.

See how the system works today

In the video below, Alfred Baurley introduces Arid’s product line and demonstrates the approach to removing residual fluid.

Arid works alongside the boat’s conventional bilge pumps; it does not replace emergency pumping equipment. Removing accumulated water also does not repair a leak, so identifying and correcting the source remains part of caring for the boat.

Explore Arid’s company background, or read how Arid works to learn about the current system. For an installation discussion, contact the Arid team with the locations where water collects aboard the boat.

14 11, 2025

EC Ruff Marine and the Arid Bilge System: A Testimonial by Ed Ruff

By Alfred Baurley|2026-10-13T20:12:38+00:00November 14, 2025|Articles|

EC Ruff Marine on Keeping Equipment Spaces Drier

Ed Ruff of EC Ruff Marine approaches dry bilges from a service technician’s perspective. His South Florida work includes thrusters, stabilizers and marine electronics: equipment whose surrounding spaces need regular inspection.

In this interview, he and Alfred discuss zone hour meters, hose routing and a centralized approach to residual-water removal. Ed explains how differences in zone activity can prompt a closer look at a leak or overflowing condensate pan.

The conversation also distinguishes Arid’s role from conventional bilge pumps. Both remain part of the boat’s equipment; they perform different jobs.

For a short overview, watch Why Ed Ruff Installs Arid Bilge Systems | Marine Installer Review.

What EC Ruff Marine Looks for in an Installation

This is an edited overview of the interview, not a verbatim transcript.

Use zone activity as an inspection clue

Ed describes a useful service habit: compare a zone’s activity with its usual pattern. An overflowing air-conditioning pan or a new leak can send more water to one pickup. An hour meter can prompt an inspection, but its reading alone does not identify the cause.

Plan the route as well as the pickup

The discussion follows water from separate collection points back to a central unit and discharge. Ed emphasizes hose routing and securing the lines. The appropriate distances, electrical protection and wire size depend on the selected model and installation; use the current instructions rather than treating a figure mentioned in the interview as universal.

Check the spaces around machinery

Thrusters and stabilizers are the practical examples in the visit. Ed describes equipment sitting within structural boundaries that can retain water. Inspect those pockets directly and make sure the selected pickup can reach the water. Removing a pool does not repair an existing fault or establish that moisture caused every equipment failure.

Distinguish water removal from optional treatment

The interview also discusses separate discharge-treatment and alarm equipment. Confirm which components are included in the proposed installation and the limits of each one. The broad treatment and reliability statements in the conversation should not be read as a guarantee that every contaminant is removed, every discharge is compliant or the system needs no service.

Arid’s residual-water pickups work alongside conventional bilge pumps. Keep the boat’s required pumping equipment in place and investigate the source of recurring water.

Put the Observations to Work

When inspecting your own boat, note which zones run more often and whether that pattern changes. Our owner resources provide model-specific manuals and troubleshooting guidance. Investigate the source of recurring water, keep pickups accessible and clean, and have tubing and electrical installation checked against the instructions for your system.

Equipment details and prices in the interview reflect that discussion. Confirm the current configuration with your installer, including any separate discharge-treatment and alarm equipment. Residual-water removal complements regular maintenance and conventional bilge pumps.

Visit EC Ruff Marine’s Arid Bilge Systems page to discuss your boat’s installation and current service options.

Arid Bilge Systems – Dry. Fresh. Protected.

Watch the Full Video

13 11, 2025

Thomas Marine on Condensate and Bilge Moisture

By Alfred Baurley|2026-10-13T20:10:19+00:00November 13, 2025|Articles|

Thomas Marine on Condensate and Bilge Moisture

Air conditioning removes moisture from cabin air, but the resulting water still needs a route out of the boat. That is the practical connection John at Thomas Marine discusses with Alfred in this short interview.

John describes the team’s air-conditioning, refrigeration and custom installation work. He explains how residual-water removal can complement that work by collecting water below deck. Watch his account, then use the questions below to review your own condensate path.

For the shorter clip, watch Thomas Marine on Bilge Moisture & Onboard Comfort.

John Thomas and Alfred Baurley holding the dealer certificate, with Thomas Marine’s Arid tabletop demonstration display behind them — John Thomas and Alfred Baurley with the dealer certificate. Thomas Marine’s Arid dummy display sits on the table behind them.

Follow the Water After It Leaves the Air

A dehumidified cabin does not tell you whether a drip pan, drain or sump below it is clear. Inspect those parts as a connected path: where does condensate collect, how does it leave, and what remains after the air conditioner stops?

Record an overflow or recurring pool before choosing equipment. A blocked drain needs attention at the source. A pickup may serve a selected collection point, but it cannot reach every compartment simply because a central unit is installed.

A Focused Conversation with Thomas Marine

Bring photographs of the collection points and describe when water appears. Ask how the proposed arrangement will be inspected, cleaned and serviced. Our wet-zone guide can help organize those observations.

Residual-water removal addresses liquid water at connected pickup locations. It does not remove existing mildew, repair corrosion or replace conventional bilge pumps. Those distinctions matter when turning a general conversation about a drier boat into a specific installation plan.

Visit Thomas Marine’s Arid Bilge landing page to discuss the layout and confirm current service arrangements.

Related Boat-Builder Interviews

For additional perspectives on dry bilges, these separate Arid interviews feature:

This article is an edited overview of the Thomas Marine conversation, not a verbatim transcript. Watch the full video.

13 11, 2025

See Arid Bilge Systems at Tuppen’s Marine

By Alfred Baurley|2026-10-13T20:12:00+00:00November 13, 2025|Articles|

See Arid Bilge Systems at Tuppen’s Marine

In this short visit, Tuppen’s Marine introduces its Arid Bilge Systems dealership and invites boaters to see the display inside the store. The conversation is a starting point for understanding residual-water removal and asking how it could fit a particular boat.

The Tuppen’s representative describes the business as serving local boating customers since 1956. Watch the visit for the team’s own introduction and invitation.

For the shorter clip, watch Tuppen’s Marine on Arid Bilge | Cleaner, Drier Bilges.

Arid Bilge Systems counter display inside Tuppen’s Marine — The Arid counter display at Tuppen’s Marine. This photograph shows an earlier display edition; contact the store to confirm the current display and available models.

Make a Visit to Tuppen’s Marine Useful

Before visiting, take photographs of the places where water remains after ordinary pumping. Include the nearby structure and access opening so the conversation can cover placement and service, not just the size of the main unit.

Ask which pickup suits each space, where tubing would run and how the owner would reach the pickup for cleaning. Visit Tuppen’s Marine’s Arid Bilge collection to confirm the current equipment on display and the installation support available. The video does not establish today’s stock or every included component.

Our bilge pickup guide explains why compartment shape and model compatibility matter. Bring that information together with your wet-zone notes when discussing a system.

Keep the Job of Each Pump Clear

Arid removes residual water from connected pickup locations. Conventional bilge pumps still handle the job for which the boat is equipped. Neither a showroom demonstration nor a dry patch establishes that a leak has been repaired or that every compartment is covered.

For a useful installation discussion, identify the water source, the collection point and the planned discharge route. Those details are more informative than choosing from boat length alone.

Related Builder Perspectives

These separate interviews show how boat builders discuss dry bilges in their own vessels:

This article is an edited overview of the Tuppen’s Marine visit, not a verbatim transcript. Watch the full video.

23 10, 2025

Midnight Express: Eric Glaser on Arid Pickup Locations

By Al|2026-10-13T16:59:44+00:00October 23, 2025|Articles, Blog, Boat Builders, Boat Stories, Center Consoles, Performance Boats|

Where does the water remain after the bilge pump stops? On a boat with several separate compartments, that question needs more than one answer. Arid supplies Midnight Express, and Eric Glaser’s conversation with Alfred Baurley explains how the builder approaches collection points below deck.

Midnight Express builds performance center consoles in Miami and emphasizes customization. The interview brings that idea into an area an owner may see only through an access hatch: the placement of a central drying unit and the lines serving it.

Start with the compartments

Glaser describes mounting the central unit in the rear bilge, with pickups in the rear and mid-bilge. Depending on the customer’s needs, he says, a collection point may also be fitted near the bow thruster where water can remain.

At the time of the interview, Glaser described Arid as an option offered across the builder’s models. The conversation does not identify one particular Midnight Express model, and a buyer should confirm the equipment and pickup plan for the boat being ordered. The useful detail is the approach: choose collection points for the spaces that need them.

Make the pickup plan easy to follow

When reviewing a build or an existing installation, ask for a simple compartment map. Mark the central unit, each pickup and the access point used to inspect it. If the bow-thruster compartment is included, identify its line rather than assuming it is covered because a system is fitted elsewhere.

Then consider service access. Can someone reach the pickup to inspect it? Can the tubing route be followed without moving unrelated equipment? A short walkthrough with the installer can turn an equipment list into something the owner and service team can use.

The Phenom 34 walkthrough offers another example of why separate bilge areas deserve individual attention. The Hylas H57 conversation adds another consideration: where operating equipment sits in relation to the living space. Both are useful comparisons, rather than specifications for a Midnight Express.

See the water-routing animation

Illustrative Arid water-routing animation. Actual equipment placement and pickup locations vary by vessel and installation.

This silent animation shows pickups in separate low areas connected by tubing to a central Arid unit, with collected water moving through a discharge line.

Keep the jobs of the two systems clear

Arid addresses residual water through pickups connected to a central unit. Conventional bilge pumps retain their own job, and a new source of water still needs investigation. Our guide to how Arid works shows the collection and discharge process.

For the owner, the takeaway from Glaser’s account is concrete: understand which compartments are served, how to reach the equipment and what was specified for this boat. Those details belong in the handover as much as the controls at the helm.

For a brief introduction, watch the Midnight Express interview Short.

The Midnight Express interview

Alfred: Eric, can you tell me a little about your experience—how the Arid Bilge System has worked across your Midnight Express boats?

Eric: Yeah, absolutely. We offer Arid Bilge Systems across all of our models. It helps keep the bilges dry and clean, so you’re not worried about all the corrosion and the mess you’d normally find down there. It’s a great option. You guys have a bunch of different versions—some different power supply options—and it works for us depending on which way we’re powering the boat.

Alfred: Where is the system mounted on the boat?

Eric: We mount them in the rear bilge of the boat on every model.

Alfred: What locations does it vacuum from?

Eric: So we do one in the rear bilge, one in the mid-bilge, and then depending on what the customer asks for, sometimes we do one up by a bow thruster, where it might catch a little bit of water—just to help keep everything dry in those areas too.

Alfred: And this has improved your boats by keeping everything nice and dry versus having a wet, moldy environment—especially when you think about protecting your Seakeeper, your generator, and all the sensitive components that are down in those compartments.

Eric: Of course. It’s all good things. Water messes everything up, and we’re in a wet environment on a boat—so it just makes sense to dry it out.

Alfred: Eric, I really appreciate your time.

Eric: No problem. Thanks for making a great product. Keep it up.

Why builders choose Arid: explore the benefits for builders and owners, and read our boat-building story.

22 10, 2025

Everglades Boats and Arid: Aboard the 395

By Alfred Baurley|2026-10-13T16:59:44+00:00October 22, 2025|Articles, Blog, Boat Builders, Boat Stories, Center Consoles|

Arid supplies Everglades Boats. A conversation aboard the 395 puts that relationship in practical terms: what happens in the bilge while a boat is being used, and how does that affect the spaces around its equipment?

In the interview published with our 2025 story, David Brown speaks as Everglades’ Vice President of Product Development and Engineering. He describes Arid as standard equipment on the 395 at that time. Captain Sean Hickey, speaking as a regional manager and company captain, brings an extended-trip perspective to the discussion.

A captain’s account from an extended trip

Hickey recalls roughly 2,500 miles over three months and reports finding the bilge dry when the boat came out of the water. He connects the condition of that space with the generators, stabilization equipment and other systems carried below deck.

That is his account of a particular trip. For another owner, it suggests a useful habit: make the condition of accessible bilge spaces part of regular checks, including after a trip. Record where water returns, and have its source investigated instead of assuming the same result on every boat.

The 395 combines fishing equipment with cabin systems

Everglades’ current 395CC description shows why access matters. The builder lists a finished hull liner, oversized rigging troughs and a cabin-floor bilge hatch. Its equipment list also includes conventional bilge pumps and a high-water alarm.

Arid’s contribution is residual-water collection at connected pickup locations. The conventional pumps and alarm retain their jobs. Brown’s interview explains the fitment described then; confirm the equipment specification for a new build or a different model year with Everglades.

A separate Everglades installation in our archive

Our original archive photographs show another Everglades: a blue-hulled center console with four outboards, paired with its installed Series 2 cabinet. They are not presented as photographs of the 395 interview boat. Our original installation feature keeps those two views together.

Blue-hulled Everglades center console with four outboards underway near a breakwater. — An Everglades center console featured in Arid’s installation archive.

Arid Series 2 cabinet installed among hoses and wiring aboard an Everglades center console. — Arid Series 2 installed aboard an Everglades center console.

Plan for coverage and future access

The cabinet photograph shows one part of the installation. Planning also needs to identify the separate areas where residual water collects and the route between those pickups and the unit. Bring photographs of the low points and access hatches to that discussion.

See how Arid collects residual water, then compare the service-access discussion in HCB’s Estrella interview and the attention to finished equipment spaces in our Bahama Boat Works story. The layouts differ; planning around the actual boat is the common starting point.

A shorter cut of the Everglades interview is also available.

See the water-routing animation

Illustrative Arid water-routing animation. Actual equipment placement and pickup locations vary by vessel and installation.

This silent animation shows pickups in separate low areas connected by tubing to a central Arid unit, with collected water moving through a discharge line.

The Everglades Boats interview

Alfred: Here to go and talk about the Arid Bilge System on the 395, and how the Arid Bilge System makes the Everglades a better boating dry experience. Here to talk about it with David.

David: Yeah, thanks for being here. You’re on the 395. I’m David Brown, the Vice President of Product Development and Engineering. We partnered with Arid Bilge Systems, and it is now a standard feature on this boat. It really helps keep all of the below deck bilges nice and bone dry.

David: It’s been a huge customer satisfaction item—especially for people who keep their boats in the water. Everglades has been building center consoles for years. We offer a full range of boats from our 245 up to our 455, packed full of technology and patented features. So, we’re really proud to be a partner here with Arid Bilge Systems.

Sean: Hi, I’m Captain Sean Hickey with Everglades Boats. I’m one of their regional managers as well as the captain of the company. At Everglades, our philosophy is using nothing but the best parts we can find on the marketplace.

Sean: The last trip I did was a long trip—over about 2,500 miles over the course of three months. We pulled the boat out of the water at the end of that, and there wasn’t a drop of water in the bilge. And that’s imperative these days with Helm Master systems down there—Seakeepers, generators, you name it.

Sean: The Arid Bilge System delivers as promised. It keeps your bilge dry and keeps your electronics safe.

Why builders choose Arid: explore the benefits for builders and owners, and read our boat-building story.

22 10, 2025

Scout Boats and Arid: Josh Slayton on Dry Bilges

By Alfred Baurley|2026-10-13T16:59:44+00:00October 22, 2025|Articles, Blog, Boat Builders, Boat Stories|

The deck is clean, the bilge has been attended to, and a shallow puddle remains. Josh Slayton of Scout Boats describes that small unfinished part of the job in our interview: a conventional bilge pump can leave water at the bottom after cleaning.

Arid supplies Scout Boats. Slayton’s account, published in October 2025, makes the relationship tangible. He talks about crews responsible for cleaning below-deck areas on boats used as yacht tenders, and about an Arid installation serving two wet areas. Those details explain a use for residual-water removal without making every Scout installation identical.

Fit and finish includes the spaces you open

Scout’s own history traces the company’s beginnings through Steve Potts and his family. In the interview, Slayton connects that background with the builder’s attention to fit and finish. His example moves the conversation from how a boat looks at delivery to the work involved in keeping its compartments presentable.

That distinction matters to an owner or crew. Cleaning deals with the surfaces; a pickup serves the residual liquid that reaches it. A drying system does not remove the need to inspect the space, investigate returning water or follow the boat’s cleaning instructions.

Understand the two-area example

Slayton describes wet bilge areas containing seacocks and sea strainers. In the conversation, the collection arrangement serves the lazarette and cabin area. The useful point is that separate spaces need to be considered separately when planning the pickups.

For your boat, ask the builder or installer to identify which low points are served, where the central unit sits, and how the pickups can be reached. Confirm the arrangement for the particular model and hull. The interview’s two-area description should not be treated as a current equipment list for the entire Scout range.

Watch the original conversation with Josh Slayton, or see the short washdown explanation.

Finish the job with a clear routine

Arid removes residual fluid from connected pickup locations while the boat’s conventional bilge pumps remain operational. Our guide to how Arid works explains that division of work. Keep the installed system’s maintenance instructions with the rest of the boat’s equipment information so the person cleaning or checking the bilge knows what to inspect.

The Midnight Express interview offers another builder’s view of choosing pickup locations. Albemarle’s Keith Privott discusses finished bilges and owner care. Together, these conversations give an owner useful questions about the spaces below deck and the attention they will need over time.

Transcript: Onboard With Scout Boats

Alfred:
Josh Slayton is going to go ahead and tell us a little about his personal experience, a little bit of the company history, how they’ve been in business for so long—and you get, obviously, the high quality and keen detail on all these boats. They are sharp, they are beautiful, and they last for a long time.

We’re an American-made system, keeping that boating experience nice, fresh, and clean. Josh?

Josh:
Yeah, thanks Alfred. Appreciate the opportunity.

Scout is a family-run business. It was founded in 1989 by Steve Potts, and from then until now, it is still owned and operated by the Potts family. Whether you’re talking about Steve Potts, his son, his two daughters, his son-in-law, his other son-in-law—they’re all part of the family-run company.

Originally founded with high fit and finish, high performance, and high styling. And with the fit and finish, we really appreciate the opportunity to have partnered with Arid Bilge to help enhance that feature of the Scout boats—the fit and finish.

Alfred:
It’s not easy producing a boat, and with the Arid Bilge System, we go ahead and keep that boating experience fresh and clean, just like it came out from the box.

That’s what the Arid Bilge System does. It gets rid of your odor, it gets rid of your mold, it gets rid of your corrosion—the rust, potentially, as well. All that stuff gets sucked out at the source, as opposed to just sitting down there.

We suck it out. A bilge pump doesn’t have to run anymore—only for the emergency. That’s what the Arid Bilge System does, and that’s what the Arid Bilge System experience is. We just vacuum it up and throw it overboard.

Josh:
Right now, our largest boat in the fleet—soon to be 67′ in the fleet—both of those are wet bilges because they have seacocks and sea strainers in them.

And in both of those sections, we utilize the two-ported Arid Bilge System.

Alfred:
So the Arid Bilge System sits in the lazarette of that boat right over there, and it goes and vacuums the fluid from that zone and the cabin zone—is that correct?

Josh:
Yeah, both zones get vacuumed together into the collection box, and then discharged overboard once the collection box is full.

Alfred:
So the Arid Bilge System sits on the aft of your boat. You’ve got some expensive equipment down there. You’ve got your generator, you’ve got your gyro, and just everything in the local environment.

Josh:
Yeah, your ice machines.

Alfred:
So you like to go and see the boat having a nice, dry, clean experience—because as opposed to that water sitting down there, it’s just causing a little bit of mold.

Josh:
Oh, it’s fantastic. And particularly on our quality of boats, we get a lot of boats as tenders to yachts. The crew are responsible for cleaning the top deck, but are actually responsible for also washing and cleaning the bilge areas.

So when they do wash and clean the bilge areas, the bilge pump itself leaves a little bit of water at the bottom that it can’t suck out—but the Arid Bilge is utilized perfectly in that situation to completely dry it out.

Alfred:
Yeah. Thank you so much for your testimonial. Appreciate having business with you.

Josh:
Yeah. Thanks, Alfred.

Alfred:
Thank you.

See the water-routing animation

Illustrative Arid water-routing animation. Actual equipment placement and pickup locations vary by vessel and installation.

This silent animation shows pickups in separate low areas connected by tubing to a central Arid unit, with collected water moving through a discharge line.

Why builders choose Arid: explore the benefits for builders and owners, and read our boat-building story.

22 10, 2025

Regulator Bilge Drying: Planning an Arid Installation

By Alfred Baurley|2026-10-13T16:59:44+00:00October 22, 2025|Articles, Blog, Boat Builders, Boat Stories|

A useful bilge-drying conversation starts with an open hatch. Where does water remain? Can you reach that spot? What else shares the compartment? Those questions give a Regulator owner a clearer installation brief than boat length alone.

Arid supplies Regulator Marine. The builder’s own history begins in Edenton, North Carolina, where Joan and Owen Maxwell developed the first Regulator in a former grocery store. Its account of the company’s beginnings emphasizes the testing and attention to detail behind the boat. Planning equipment below deck deserves that same close look.

Map the water before choosing the system

A conventional bilge pump can leave shallow water below its intake. Water can also settle in a separate low area that does not drain toward that pump. Arid collects residual fluid through connected pickups, so the first job is to identify the areas an installation needs to serve.

Make a simple record of what you find during normal use: the compartment, where water sits, and when you notice it. A photograph taken from the access hatch can help explain both the low point and the space available around it. Unexpected or recurring water also needs investigation; drying the compartment does not repair its source.

Make access part of the plan

Ask the installer to walk through the proposed pickup locations, central-unit position, tubing route and discharge arrangement. Then ask how each part will be reached for inspection and maintenance. The practical question is whether someone can service the installation after the surrounding equipment is in place.

Confirm the current equipment specification for your particular Regulator with the builder, dealer or installer. The existing Regulator and Arid video introduces the subject; it is not a specification for every model or hull. A short version is also available.

Keep the rest of the bilge routine

Arid supplements the boat’s bilge pumps. Keep those pumps operational, follow the instructions for the installed drying system, and leave time for routine inspection. Our explanation of how Arid works follows the collection and discharge process and explains its limits.

Two other builder conversations help sharpen the questions. Scout’s Josh Slayton discusses water left after bilge cleaning, while Albemarle’s Keith Privott considers the care of finished bilges. Each describes its own boats and practices. Use those perspectives to prepare a better conversation about your Regulator’s actual layout.

Why builders choose Arid: explore the benefits for builders and owners, and read our boat-building story.

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