No Electronics? / No Bilge Pump?

[jwv630]

Hi Everyone

I am seriously considering not installing a battery/electronics system on my Pocketship. Of course, this means no battery operated bilge pump - which makes me (and my wife) just a little nervous. Trying hard to get the boat finished - before I'm either buried in it or it becomes a multigenerational project! I'll be using the boat in the Chesapeake Bay, never out of site of land or VHF signal.

There are battery operated bilge pumps available but they seem light duty; there are high capacity manual bilge pumps available. Fairly big decision actually. (I had a small motorboat almost sink from under me when I anchored in shallow water and forgot to pull it up when we got underway; anchor beat a hole into the hull (college days) .....

Wanted to get your opinions before I make a final decision. Many thanks.
Jimmy V
'Miss Jen II'

[craig]

I carry a bilge pump every time I leave the dock:

image_7527.jpg (21.55 KiB) Viewed 9256 times

Joking aside, I don't have a battery or bilge pump on my boat. Holes in the bottom let in a LOT of water, anyway. You would need a serious pump to keep up with the damage. A more likely problem is rainwater or failing to close the centerboard inspection port, which both let in a lot of water. In that case, I have a kayak hand-operated pump to quickly clear out whatever water gets in there.

EDIT: In case you are curious, my goal was to keep it very simple on Titania. I have a handheld battery-powered VHF radio (with AAA battery backup adapter), AA-powered bow and stern lights, and two cabin battery powered lights on the cabin roof. I also have two kerosene lanterns which provide excellent mood lighting but very little else. A portable solar panel provides power to my phone and can recharge the AA and AAA batteries.

[jwv630]

Hi Craig:

I got the joke....the best bilge pump is a scared man with a bucket! Thanks for your reply and advice. Unless there are any strong dissenters out there I'm gonna follow your lead.........

Jimmy V

[truenorth]

I'm probably on the other extreme. Building out the electronics was one of the more fun parts of the project (caveat: I haven't finished my boat, partly because of all the electronics )

I took inspiration from a couple of the legacy builders out there like Jon and Sean and have a couple solar panels, running/mast lights, radio(s), a bilge pump, and a GPS/fish finder. To that, I added another bilge pump and 12v "cigarette lighters" placed in convenient areas like the seatback lockers. Just before I temporarily shuttered the project, I was contemplating shore power and wrapping my mast around an 8' VHF antenna. I'd planned on making overnight crossings so needed something a little more robust.

Obviously, a bailing bucket and a flashlight are all you really need, but it was still fun to dream a little bigger.

[ddemasie]

I am about half way between no electronics and a full powered cabin.

My priority has been just the main boat construction (the maiden voyage of 'El Sea Bien" is this Sunday - I'll post pictures in the forum next week).

For my first year of use, I am going with a 12v battery stored in far-forward storage compartment - in a Newport Vessels battery holder. The battery holder has a car 'cigarette lighter' outlet, and a USB charging port for small on board electronics (on a 10amp fuse) and a more robust 60 amp fuse and battery posts to run a fairly powerful trolling motor - as well as power a decent marine GPS. With the battery case and fuses, I will not initially need to have a power distribution panel, and only plan to use LED battery powered lighting for the first year or so onboard - I will not be doing any night navigation.

I did pre-wire both 16 and 10 gauge wire through the bilge using the precut wiring holes in the kit floor supports - exiting at the back of the and brought up through the both side seat back storage compartments - with one wire ending at the bilge for a future bilge pump (for year 1 I will have a manual pump on board for emergency use).

So I have easy access to connect a 65lb thrust Newport Vessels transom mount trolling motor - just to get me in and out of marinas (I left off the transom skirt so I can directly mount the trolling motor to the transom and have it reach straight down into the water off the stern with its 40 inch shaft). I really don't want to add a gas engine unless I find I have to. The the other options I looked at (the Torqueedo, and the Lehr propane motors) are too expensive, and the short shafts require a low transom mmotor mount I just dont' want to deal with year 1.

With Cellphone and IPOD technology I felt I did not need a sound system, and I will be using a hand held UHF radio.

After season 1, I will consider adding some solar panels on top of the companionway cover, maybe some wired internal lights, assess the auxiliary power requirements and any issues I may have with the trolling motor setup, and decide if I need to add a bilge pump.

[craig]

How's the job coming along? Any plans on picking up the project again in the near future?

[truenorth]

The job is going along alright, as much as you'd expect living and working in Nigeria

I got my follow on assignment yesterday: Shanghai, with an arrival date July 2018 after a year in DC for training including Mandarin. There appears to be a yacht club there with familiar Hobies, but it also looks like they're trying to build out a keel class.

In a few months, I'll be looking for garage space in the DC area to haul my boat out to finish it. I'll have almost two summers to get it done!

[craig]

Nigeria! Sounds like an adventure for sure. I'm jealous about your next assignment, I've always wanted to live there for a while. Chinese is fun to study and of course you'll need plenty of mental relaxation time in the evenings for boatbuilding...