well it took a while to get back to go-fast boating but finally pulled the trigger on my new to me 89 272 BBC/Bravo . Boat needs nothing but the normal end of the season maintenance here soon. I couldn't help but look down in the engine bay and notice that I can barely even see the sea pumps , is it even possible to change these things without being the size of a child?
also on a side note is the stock bilge pump automatic when the dash switch is in the off position, I noticed it's only a one way switch and I can't see a separate float switch in the bilge. I'm hoping to overnight here and there and would sleep much better reducing the risk of sinking in my sleep.

I have a 1991 272. Yes the sea water pumps are accessible. The hard part was getting the 1-1/4" hoses back on the pump. I attached 24" ty-wraps to the 1-1/4" lines with the tails left long so I could reach them. I also attached 3' drain lines to block drains when I had the engines out to make draining the block simpler. The inboard spark plugs are no simple task either.

I do love my 272.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]558910[/ATTACH]

1) Try laying across the top of the engines, with your feet aft, and reaching down.
2) You can always test the automatic bilge with a hose in your driveway (which is a good thing to do regardless regularly anyhow).

The bilge pump is hard wired through a float switch also, so should turn on once level is high enough. As stated, just put a hose in and make sure it turns on.

Regarding the sea pumps, yes they are tough to get to, and you may struggle. I had a 272 and would take the whole pump out and service it on a bench. I took the raw water hose off the transom assembly and tied a string/piece of rope to it. Then when you pull the sea pump out, it pulls the raw water hose with it so you can undo the clamp, take it off, and put it back on. After, just pull the string to get the hose back to the transom and reattach it.