A limber hole is a drain hole through a frame or other structural member of a boat designed to prevent water from accumulating against one side of the frame, and allowing it to drain toward the

bilge The bilge of a ship or boat is the part of the hull that would rest on the ground if the vessel were unsupported by water. The "turn of the bilge" is the transition from the bottom of a hull to the sides of a hull. Internally, the bilges (us ...

. Limber holes are common in the bilges of wooden boats. The term may be extended to cover drain holes in floors. Limber holes are created in between bulkheads so that one compartment does not fill with water. The limber holes allow water to drain into the lowest part of the bilge so that it can be pumped out by a single

bilge pump A bilge pump is a water pump used to remove bilge water. Since fuel can be present in the bilge, electric bilge pumps are designed to not cause sparks. Electric bilge pumps are often fitted with float switches which turn on the pump when the bilge ...

(or more usually, one electric and one manual pump). The term is also commonly applied to the holes in mid-20th century submarine upperworks, which allow drainage from the superstructure.

References

* Chapelle, Howard I. (1994, p252). ''Yacht Designing and Planning''. W.W. Norton. . * Brewer, Ted (1994, p139). ''Understanding Boat Design'' (4th ed.). International Marine, a division of McGraw Hill. . Shipbuilding Nautical terminology {{engineering-stub