Re: [Paddlewise] Electric Bilge Pump Question

> 
> Why don't you all just get the portable little pump sold at Boat U.S.
> and others for about $30.  It is pretty quick at dumping water and runs
> off of three D batteries (if I recall correctly).  The best thing about
> it is that it is compact,removable and has a long hose which you can
> hang outside the kayak.  I would be very hesistant to make any holes
> through the bottom of my kayak.

That pump is not that compact. Its footprint is about the size of a
hand with fingers spread appart. It only pumps 200 Gallons per Hour.
 
Another drawback I found is that if you have a dry top and a neoprene
spray skirt there is not any place through which you can pass the outlet
hose.
 
You have to remove your spray skirt to get to the switch and turn the
pump off.
 
The system I am installing uses a 500GPH Rule pump, since it is the
only one that is reported not to break. I use two of those square 6v
batteries for emergency lights connected in series; the idea of having
a gel battery like big boats have, full of 
sulfuric acid gel, inside the hull was not appealing. I connected it
to a float switch which I can strap down when I practice rolls (otherwise
the float would fall back an turn on the pump every time the kayak is
upside down).
 
I tried using a bucket, which turned out to be a lot faster than
the hand pump in a kayak with a large cockpit. Unfortunately is it
useless if you have a Greenland style 20 inch cockpit.
 
An electric pump for sea kayaking that is easy to install an operate,
is one of the items that belong to the list of things that for
some strange reason are missing from the sea kayak market, yet they
are extremely useful.
That list includes: airbags large enough to fill a sea kayak's for
and aft hulls, liferaft with rigging and hydrodinamic shape, solid
paddlefloat with rigging, spray skirt with pocket for radio and flares,
etc, etc.

- Julio

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