ive got an electric bilge pump in the keel that works well. I also have a manual good quality bilge pump but it's so cumbersome I don't really wanna take it with me. It's not mounted anywhere and really should be to be effective. What are people's opinions on having a manual bilge pump? Should it stay or should it go...

Question you might ask yourself when the electric one gives up the ghost suddenly without any warning ...... and you have a leak ! Do you have engine powered pump .....as well?

I'd fit one, they don't cost much and once its fitted you don't worry about it except for testing

Yes, should be mandatory for me. Kinda like having bungs tied to each seacock.

I am pretty sure a manual pump is actually mandatory not an option.

Yep a mandatory item. Apparently Australia is dragging the chain everywhere else in the regulated world a manual pump needs to be operatable from the cockpit, makes sense to me, can't imagine it would be much fun cranking a pump handle below deck up to waist in water !
I've heard it said nothing moves water like a frightened man

Installation it is!"2 steps forward one step back

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woko said..
Yep a mandatory item.
I've heard it said nothing moves water like a frightened man.

Does a 2 gallon bucket in the hands of aforementioned frightened man qualify as a "manual bilge pump"?

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cisco said..

woko said..
Yep a mandatory item.
I've heard it said nothing moves water like a frightened man.

Does a 2 gallon bucket in the hands of aforementioned frightened man qualify as a "manual bilge pump"?

Yeah well that's what i think too.

Mount the manual pump Steve, means you can always find it when you really need it or its convenient for that quick pump out.

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nswsailor said..
Mount the manual pump Steve, means you can always find it when you really need it or its convenient for that quick pump out.

Foe sure. No question now!

It's always better to have safety equipment and not need it than to need that safety equipment and not have it. Be a boy scout and be prepared.

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Bruski068 said..
It's always better to have safety equipment and not need it than to need that safety equipment and not have it. Be a boy scout and be prepared.

true. i thought maybe to mount it on a board big enough to stand on with one foot so it can be moved about the boat and stowed in a locker if needed...or "sigh" bolt it into the cockpit where it can get in the way!

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Sectorsteve said..

Bruski068 said..
It's always better to have safety equipment and not need it than to need that safety equipment and not have it. Be a boy scout and be prepared.

true. i thought maybe to mount it on a board big enough to stand on with one foot so it can be moved about the boat and stowed in a locker if needed...or "sigh" bolt it into the cockpit where it can get in the way!

Steve, if you bolt it in the cockpit, and its in the way, you have installed it wrong...
The only part in the cockpit is where the handle goes, the handle can be stored in a cockpit locker nearby, use a couple of clips to keep it handy. A quick vid of an even easier install / use.

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Sectorsteve said..

Bruski068 said..
It's always better to have safety equipment and not need it than to need that safety equipment and not have it. Be a boy scout and be prepared.

true. i thought maybe to mount it on a board big enough to stand on with one foot so it can be moved about the boat and stowed in a locker if needed...or "sigh" bolt it into the cockpit where it can get in the way!

Search "sea kayak foot pump" for some more ideas on this line of thought..

A

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Andrew68 said..

Sectorsteve said..

Bruski068 said..
It's always better to have safety equipment and not need it than to need that safety equipment and not have it. Be a boy scout and be prepared.

true. i thought maybe to mount it on a board big enough to stand on with one foot so it can be moved about the boat and stowed in a locker if needed...or "sigh" bolt it into the cockpit where it can get in the way!

Search "sea kayak foot pump" for some more ideas on this line of thought..

A

Ha! I've gotten t one of those. It has in and out air flow. So would work also as a bilge pump. Not as good as my manual bilge pump though.

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morningsun said..

Sectorsteve said..

Bruski068 said..
It's always better to have safety equipment and not need it than to need that safety equipment and not have it. Be a boy scout and be prepared.

true. i thought maybe to mount it on a board big enough to stand on with one foot so it can be moved about the boat and stowed in a locker if needed...or "sigh" bolt it into the cockpit where it can get in the way!

Steve, if you bolt it in the cockpit, and its in the way, you have installed it wrong...
The only part in the cockpit is where the handle goes, the handle can be stored in a cockpit locker nearby, use a couple of clips to keep it handy. A quick vid of an even easier install / use.

You Opened up my mind , although I'm no keen on massive hole sin the cockpit (yet) my bilge pump, which is a good one is designed to be outside .
actually youre right. i can mount this one in the locker and make a hole for the handle. im gonna do it! another job to add to the list that doesnt go down!

Watch out for the old "Whale Gusher" pumps, they look fine on outside but can be corroded away on the inside. especially under the hose nozzles.
I had 2 in my boat but because the bilge in my boat is always dry, I never had to use them. It wasn't until I pulled them apart to put new kits in them I got a shock at the condition of the alloy from water sitting in them over the years. The one down in the cabin was the worse because the pipe on the pump exhaust is all up hill and stores water.

It's all about maintenance. When I cleaned out my Vega, I got a soup bowl full of sh** out of the bilge and Whale Gusher. A 1/2 inch length of 3/4 dowel was lodged in the Whale Gusher inlet valve area, compromising efficiency. Multiple screws, bolts, cut-off electrical connectors etc in the bilge. Worst of all were cable ties. Excess cut off tie ends, split open ties with ragged ends and a middle connector. All able to jam a manual or electric bilge pump.

This is was a boat that had just sailed Sweden to Australia. No Whale strikes, Container hits, or roll overs. Just lucky. I now take care to keep the bilge clean and catch the odds and ends of any maintenance work. And a cockpit based manual bilge pump is essential.

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morningsun said..

Sectorsteve said..

Bruski068 said..
It's always better to have safety equipment and not need it than to need that safety equipment and not have it. Be a boy scout and be prepared.

true. i thought maybe to mount it on a board big enough to stand on with one foot so it can be moved about the boat and stowed in a locker if needed...or "sigh" bolt it into the cockpit where it can get in the way!

Steve, if you bolt it in the cockpit, and its in the way, you have installed it wrong...
The only part in the cockpit is where the handle goes, the handle can be stored in a cockpit locker nearby, use a couple of clips to keep it handy. A quick vid of an even easier install / use.

Pretty much standard design on new yachts these days.

I would have thought it and interesting chat with insurance companies if you don't have one.

A bit of a brush with the sandblaster and all is revealed. I was able to save one of the pumps and I replaced the other with a new plastic version. I was very lucky that I had never needed to use them.

This one of mine that came with my boat looks very good. All plastic. Uscg approved made it northern ireland. Installing it tomorrow for easy use. Thanks for the tips people.

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Sectorsteve said..
This one of mine that came with my boat looks very good. All plastic. Uscg approved made it northern ireland. Installing it tomorrow for easy use. Thanks for the tips people.

It'd be worthwhile taking it apart to check diaphragms before fitting, if you haven't already done so.

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Bushdog said..

Sectorsteve said..
This one of mine that came with my boat looks very good. All plastic. Uscg approved made it northern ireland. Installing it tomorrow for easy use. Thanks for the tips people.

It'd be worthwhile taking it apart to check diaphragms before fitting, if you haven't already done so.

Thanks bush dog just did that after your post. All sweet ready to go.

I have both electric and manual. I've always thought that for the effort involved and time away from fixing the boat in an emergency, the manual pump doesn't shift much water.

It would seem that the electric would deal with most stuff. If it stopped or there was a major problem, a bucket would be way faster.

What do you think?

Cheers

Bristle

I carry a spare uninstalled electric one on a long hose, clip it onto the engine starter pack when needed. Worked a treat a couple of times over the years and it's much faster than a hand operated one.

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PhoenixStar said..
I carry a spare uninstalled electric one on a long hose, clip it onto the engine starter pack when needed. Worked a treat a couple of times over the years and it's much faster than a hand operated one.

Yep, I have an old water pump I can use as a backup if the 2 electric & 1 manual bilge pumps fail. I can also turn a tap & use the motor to pump bilge water instead of sea water if it all goes pear shaped.

Motor and electric pumps are definitely the way to go... as long as you have power.

That one there of mine pumps a lot of water so i reckon its worthwhile. Touch wood my boat is very dry with an electric bilge pump in the bilge/bottom of keel. Its quite a ways down and to do it with a bucket would be hard if you had to .with the manual bilge pump installed right it wouldn't be hard to use. I have non electric back ups (even the stereo!) for everything so the boat can operate regardless of power so, might as well ??

Just as a matter of interest if your boat was in survey in NSW you have to have a manual pump. You can have electric, 240v or 415v but 12volt pumps don't count!
For amateur mariners the 12v pumps are handy as a backup for a decent manual pump. If your solo then the 12v pump lets you get on with other things like stopping the ingress of water. For pumping out the bilge a 500gph is fine and pumps slow enough to allow the water to run through the limber holes. 1500/2000gph pump is more suitable for more serious bilge pumping.

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Sectorsteve said..
This one of mine that came with my boat looks very good. All plastic. Uscg approved made it northern ireland. Installing it tomorrow for easy use. Thanks for the tips people.

That is a Henderson Pump. If you have one of these, the spares you need to carry are the inlet and outlet valves which from memory are reversible and the diaphragm.

If you do not have a spare diaphragm you may get away with a piece of thin neoprene or inflatable boat material with holes punched to fit. However that will result in a severely limited stroke of the pump but still work.

This is what is described as a "positive displacement pump" which is why it does not need priming.

The Henderson pump is what is supplied with "La Vac Marine Head" whereby the sealing lip of the head seat and lid close the suction line of the pump.

So, therefore this pump could serve the dual purpose if fitted with a Y cock on it's suction side of being a head pump and a bilge pump.

A bit of a weight saving for you and ensures the pump gets regular use.

Tinkabowtit.