Bilge Pumps

[trsexton]

Ok I will admit that I am new to this boating world and I really have no idea about a lot of things. With that said I have no idea about bilge pumps, and do we need a pump o two in our boats. I just finished reading an article on bilge pumps and it recommends that a 16-20 foot boat have two pumps. My question is what is the best practice and what is it that most people equip there boats with.

Thanks
Tom

[Lootas1]

I put one electric pump and one hand pump in my 17 foot Larson. So far, I haven't used either. Hope I never will have to. If I were leaving my boat in the water, I would have a pump with a float switch in it so that it would start pumping when the water caused the switch to float. I operate on the theory that the water is best when it is outside the boat.
Jerry

[Helmar]

Hi Tom.
I would say they are about right.
In the 16 footer, I have only one pump. In the 20 footer, I have two pumps. One larger than the other.
No reason for one being larger other than, its what I picked up thinking pumping more water out faster is better
Also one of them is an automatic pump, the other is manual. The automatic one is on the main battery switch, once the battery is turned on, so is the pump.

I know some folks that have one electric pump and a backup hand pump.

Personally, Bigger is Better on bilge pumps.

[skagit 25]

My boat, 25 ft, is permanently moored; I have 2 bilge pumps both on automatic switches. Luckily, the only time I have had to use them is when I intentionally drain the engine, knock on FG. Redundant = good.

Considering that the boat spends 90% of the time unattended and in water I think it best to have as as many as possible. A lot cheaper than a salvage.

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

I have a good bilge pump story.

I have operated an assistance tow boat for 30 years. One if my boats is a 23 Glasply with diesel power. It HAD only one small electric bilge pump. The thought occured to me that it would be possible due to the use of the boat that it could take on a good deal of water quickly( a wave over the stern for example) and if that happened, I needed to get rid of that water quickly. Having a lot of water on board makes a boat unstable and vulnerable to swamping.

So I added a high capacity electric pump (Rule 2000) on a float switch. There was no switch at the panel......automatic only. I also refit the engine enclosure (box) so that it fit tightly down onto the deck and added a latch that held it closed.

About a year later, I was working a salvage operation at Reid Harbor on Stewart Island. A 38 foot trawler had hit a reef holing the boat. He managed to limp into the dock, where the boat sank in shallow water.

I set up one of my 3" dewatering pumps. Normally I would take the pump aboard the casualty, but I've lost a few pumps that way, so I set the pump up in the cockpit of my boat, on the engine box. 20 feet of three inch hard suction hose went into the casualty and the outlet hose was over the side of my boat. I tied down the pump, but neglected to tie down the discharge hose.

The owner of the casualty borrowed my cell phone and had signaled from the dock he was through with it. I stepped off my boat, across the casualty and was climbing the steel ladder to the top of the dock when I looked back and noticed my boat had a 30 degree list (only been 30 seconds!). I immediately knew what had happened and raced back over to my boat.

The 3" gasoline pump was discharging at 200 gallons per minute and there was already a foot of water in the cockpit and water was all the way to the front of the cabin. I grabbed the discharge line and threw it over the side, ran forward where I grabbed another 10 foot section of 3" hose, ran back and made the switch at the pump. Took about 30 seconds to pick up a prime again and two minutes later all was normal.

The emergency pump that I had added and the tight fitting engine box kept the engine compartment dry despite a foot of water outside the box. No damage other than my pride!!

The Skagit 31 has two water-tight bulkheads which makes for three compartments. Cabin compartment, engine compartment, lazarette compartment.

I have two electric pumps in the cabin compartment, one is a small Johnson pump that can squeeze into the narrow part of the keel. Above that a Rule 2000.

The engine compartment has three pumps, A large capacity Johnson electric, a semi-displacement electric pump designed to take the water level down to near nothing. Third pump is engine driven clutch pump, 1 1/4" Jabsco with a Pitts electric clutch. I added a bronze "Y" valve to the clutch pump so that I can add a section of hose and pump either of the other two compartments, pump out a dinghy or another boat alongside.

The lazarette has one Rule 2000 is a sump. Six bilge pumps total. Also have a float actuated alarm in the engine compartment...sounds a loud siren if water level reaches about a foot.

All of the bilge pump switches have LED's that indicate if the switch is off or in automatic (green) and a red LED that indicates the pump is running.

McSkagit

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Bilge Pumps Galore...

When I recently dragged a 1930, 33-foot project cruiser to the boatshop and started excavating through debris in the bilge, I discovered--one by one--a total of SEVEN various bilge pumps that had been crudely wired into a network, all trying their darndest to keep the boat afloat. Even all seven of them (assuming they actually worked, which was questionable) were not enough to keep the boat from sinking inside its Tacoma boathouse a few years ago.

- Marty

[trsexton]

Ok so I understand I should install 2 pumps to be safe. The picture of my Bell Boy is by my name where do I install these pumps. Do I cut into the floor ?

Thanks
Tom

[Steve_Kiesel]

Great story Tim. It's that kind of post that makes me glad I belong to a group like this. My 17ft Sedan did not have a bilge pump in it when I picked it up last spring. Still doesn't. But there will be one in there before the next outing.

I really do know better. It's one of those things you keep putting off until a disaster happens. It's better to read about one, than to have it happen too late.

[Lootas1]

Tom there are experts out there to give you good advice but I would say you want the pump down into the lowest part of the hull. I cut away floor and foam to get mine there. Then you want the hose to go well above the waterline as you might find your waterline is below water if you are taking on a lot of water.

[skagit 25]

All this talk of bilge pumps makes me want to add another, for good measure.

[Charlie]

I like two and one should be automatic for 16'-20' boats but the best bilge pump in the world is a crewmate who can't swim with a 5 gallon bucket!