My name is Bobby Banister and I own a 1996 reproduction of a GarWood from the 1930s. It is a high-performance wooden speedboat that requires specialized maintenance, and a major part of the maintenance regimen involves keeping the GarWood dry.You never run out of pockets on a wooden boat--you can never get all the water out. You can only take it so far, as the bilge pump takes it to an inch of water. The GarWood is very watertight but fresh water from rain or washing is likely to make its way into obscure areas, where it can cause dangerous wood rot.
People throw money at their boats left and right on unnecessary or unreliable stuff but this is a tool for the boat. You're buying a tool that's going to benefit the boat--and the equipment that goes with it--for its entire lifetime. Arid Bilge shouldn't be optional, especially for bigger boats. The system should even be built right into the boat from the start.