I have been pondering this exact thing for some time. And I want the simplest solution possible. I have an old boat that leaks at the rail stanchions and other places. As a result I get fresh water in the bilge when it rains. it also tends to collect in the stringers at various points. My solution is two fold (plus 1 more).
1) Bilge B dry 3 pickup system. It really is a nice piece of equipment. Its very quiet and very efficient. And the app to set the intervals or manual controls could not be easier or more stable. I had a single homemade dry bilge that worked great for several years. But the Bilge B dry is far superior. Far superior to the Sea Flo dry bilge as well. They also have 1,2,3 or 4 pickup systems (each pickup has its own pump). I cant recommend this item enough. The only thing I dont know is long term reliability.
2) to channel additional water from very small areas to larger areas (for the bilge B dry to handle) I have been slowly working on something that I have now tested, but not finalized. That is just wicking rope slid into some appropriately sized tubing. I have already tested this and it works great provided the rope is routed from high areas to lower areas much like a siphon. But the wicking action will start the siphoning. Wicking rope alone will do the job but I dont want wet, exposed, dirty wicking rope everywhere, so I will add the exterior tubing . Of course its slow, but its self starting and drains the cavities completely. The wicking rope/tube will be secured to look decent and not move in case I bump it.
3) keep working on the leaks...lol.
Right now my bilge is dusty dry. And the only stringers with water are the ones without wicking material. Granted, if you go in the engine room after a heavy rain there will be water. But within a day of the rain stopping its all gone
