[Paddlewise] Pump systems

At 12:29 27/04/98 +0000, you wrote:
>> > Cheater way: electrically powered bilge pump with float
>> > trip switch.  Possible with careful insulation I think.
>> > 
>> up to your belly button with sea water and electrical components
>> floating down around your crotch area?  That sounds exciting.  :-)
>
>Like I said, this is an "I think".  I know I can properly insulte
>the battery and fuse it for safety, I do it with a GPS and cell
>phone right now.  What I *don't* know is how good the insulation
>is on one of the submersible bilge pumps.  With the fuse, and
>probably a little emergency cut off above deck just in case it
>stings me, I may give it a try later this year.  2amps below 
>the waste won't kill you, but it'd certainly sting, I'll tell
>you what!

The Tasmanians have been using electric bilge pumps for decades. They only
insulate one terminal of the battery, with BluTak (or however you spell
it). Seawater is not sufficiently conductive to pose the threat of electric
shock. The pumps are _designed_ to be submersible in seawater. The switch
is usually the weak link. Buy a good marine switch from a  marine electrician.

The Rule pumps are available up to 1100 (US) gallons per hour - that's 3700
litres per hour - enough to empty your cockpit in less than two minutes!
The 350 gph (100 litre per hour) model is the most popular. People most
usually power them from a 3 Ah 12 V gel-cell. That's enough stored charge
to empty your cockpit about two dozen times over.

Through-the-hull fittings and spiral tubing are available from your nearest
ships chandler, anywhere in the world. Weight of a complete pump system is
about a kilogram (35 ounces).

I saw one in action in a tide rip last year. There was five knots of tide
opposed by 25 knots of wind. The pump was truly impressive in such hairy
conditions! We just slipped the paddler back in his boat (could not empty
the boat because of the weight of the load and because of 1.5 metre - five
foot - standing waves), put his skirt on and flipped the switch. He was out
of trouble in under two minutes.

See Jeff Jennings' picture of a typical installation at:
http://www.vision.net.au/~jennings/gear/gear.html

At the NSW Sea Kayak Club's last Rock'n'Roll (social and instructional)
weekend we had a workshop on pump systems. Members are evenly divided
between foot pumps, like the Henderson Chimp and its clones, and the
electric pumps, like the Rule. I personally lean towards the foot pump. I
have removed my silly sliding rudder pedal arrangement (which I believe is
ubiquitous in North America) and built a marine-ply and fibre-glass
footplate with flipper-type rudder pedals and a built-in foot pump. From
the capsize and wet-exit, re-entry and roll, to attaching skirt and paddle
and pump-out, to a dry cockpit takes about three minutes, in turbulent
conditions. That's tolerable, and equivalent to an electric pump system.

When our club's web-site is up and going again, on a new server, we will
post the contents of our newsletter. The current issue goes into pump
systems in detail. 

Andrew
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