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

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.