Electric bildge pump . .

[tattoo]

I wanted a electric powered bilge pump as well as a reliable hand operated one. So, close to the lowest point (ahead of the centerboard well) I installed one. The exhaust hose is passed thru the holes already drilled in the floors for wiring. I've sent the exhaust up into the foot well. The pictures pretty much show it all.

So far (two seasons of sailing) the bildge has remained dry except for some rain that came into the cabin over the campanionway hatch. That was solved by gluing a "skirt" of vinal on the leading edge of the hatch so that it overlapped the forward sill of the companionway opening itself.

[DanaDCole]

I propose a change to Pete McCrary's excellent design for installation of an electric bilge pump. In his third picture I noticed the exhaust line sags in three places (between floor joists). Water will collect in those areas and conceivably grow algae, which could clog the line. The chances of this happening are admittedly pretty small, but still I would rather not have to remove the floorboards in order to replace or clean out the line.

My proposal is to run the exhaust line through Floor 4 only, and immediately up through the floorboard, then back to the footwell. The line could lie flat across the floor until it reaches BH7 and curves up to the footwell, but best practice would have it always slanting slightly upward fore-to-aft. Plumbing code calls for a minimum of 1/4" slant for per foot, so the line would only have to rise about 1 to 1 1/2 inches. The code calls for the slope (1/4" minimum and 3" maximum per foot) mainly to facilitate removal of solids (poop), but the algae problem I mentioned has been known to occur in things like air-conditioner drains that drain water only. I plan to slant mine up 3 or 4 inches fore-to-aft because the floor won't always be sitting level on a trailer. A long, narrow wooden trough will be glued to the CB trunk to facilitate the slant and eliminate sags.

This modification will not look as pretty as Mr. McCrary's design, but I believe it should be more practical. After the pump stops running, a small amount of water will flow back down and out through the pump, but I think this will be negligible and will eventually evaporate in the well-ventilated cuddy.

[craig]

Here's a question for people who are already on the water. How necessary do you think a bilge pump is? I purchased a pump but haven't installed it yet. Has anybody gotten any bilge water? I am GUESSING the only real way would be a rainstorm coming through the deadlights or hatch. Any breech in the hull will quickly overwhelm the small pumps we are installing.

[Shudoman]

I agonized over installing a bilge pump on my PocketShip. I've had some rainwater get into my bilges after some really severe florida multi-day rain episodes. The deal is that it was never enough water to even activate a float switch on one of these small bilge pumps (less than 1/4"). In the end I'm glad I didn't. I like it that my boat is minimalist when it comes to add-on electronics. Just a battery and nav-lights (I almost went with battery operated removable ones) and a host of 12VDC receptacles so I can run whatever portable doo-dad my heart desires.

Bill

[DanaDCole]

You both make some valid points. I'm planning to install one because I put a drain plug in BH8. If I do get any water back there (transom compartment), when I drain it it might be enough to run the pump. We'll see.

[mtsailor]

Hi. Carlyn J has an electric bilge pump. Even though she lives outside in the water all summer, I've never seen water in her bilge and the pump has never run. Jer http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtsailor95/

[DanaDCole]

Good to know. Maybe I won't install one after all, but wait and see whether I need to later. In the meantime though, I think it is prudent to have a manual pump on hand.

[JonLee]

I found a really great way to get a ton of water in the bilge. Back when my centerboard (which I am finally ready to replace next sunny day, so July 5th) was only mildly obstinately stuck, I would open the inspection ports and push the board down before going out sailing. Well, let's just say that if forget to close up the ports before you go sailing, you will have a need to pump your bilge. I used my handy kayak pump out.

[DanaDCole]

Good idea. I have one of those but was thinking I needed one with an outlet tube. I assume you just pump into a bucket and toss it.

[tattoo]

Fellow builders:
Tattoo here. If I had to build another PocketShip I wouldn't bother with a bilge pump. The only water I've had in the bilge was from rain water -- slight leakage (before I put a vinyl flap over the lower front edge of the sliding hatch) or simply from an open hatch. What small amount has gathered was easily removed with a sponge. The space under the foot well was sealed off from the aft hatches, in which I put removable drain plugs allowing rain water (in the hatches) to be drained into the bilges. However, I've never removed the plugs. Originally, significant rain water would gather in the hatches even though the hatch covers were tightly closed. They are not water proof to a deluge! That problem was solved by installing a 1/2" combing (under the edges of the hatch covers) around each hatch. Very little water coming in now, probably thru the hatch latches. What rain water does come thru can be removed with just a few dips of a sponge. The combings were a subject of an earlier posting.