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 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
I'm impressed with two things about the suggestion: The pump itself and the color of the double. I may steal that color scheme, as it gives the "dayglo" color effect when you need it most--when capsized. The pumps y'all use are probably similar to submersible pumps available as outdoor pond units. I've used them for other things, and they'd be useful for kayaks as well. They are available from places like Lowe's and Home Depot, as well as aquarium and garden supply sources. Be sure you're getting one that operates on DC power, rather than AC. I seem to remember they aren't too expensive. Get a 6-volt gel-cell battery (such as Yuasa brand). Your yellow pages will list "battery dealers, retail". $6 US. Your hardware store will sell silicone "milk tubing" for the drain, as well as an inline filter for the intake. Fine screen mesh should work well. Get some RTV or silicone to glob on the terminals of the battery and pump (as Andrew suggests) Wynne Americus, GA USA At 02:55 PM 4/28/98 +1000, you wrote: > >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 <snip> Wynne Americus, GA USA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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