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From: Dana A. Dickson <danaadickson_at_unn.unisys.com>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Electric Bilge Pump Question
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 1998 12:17:18 -0400
I bought a Rule 1100 pump.  1100 gph nominal flow, 3.3 amp draw.  I plan on
using either a 4 AH gel cell battery that I already have for a depth finder
power source or purchasing a 2 AH gell cell battery for dedicated service.
I also bought a marine grade switch, waterproof fuse holder. When I
discovered the potential problem with the lack of a check valve, I
considered putting the hose in with a couple of bends to form a trap.  I
may still do that.  What are you using for a battery?

Thanks for the prompt reply.

Dana
Colin wrote:

Dana

I fitted an electric pump without a one-way valve to my Capella a couple of
months ago, and I have had no problems - not a drop of water in the cockpit
via the pump even rolling/surf. The outlet pipe from my pump isn't as big
as
1 1/8 inch, and I fitted the outlet port to the side of the hull at the
back
of the cockpit, just under the deck line with the outlet pipe running up
the
inside of the hull to the mid point under the peak of the rear deck and
then
down to the keel line, then up to the pump body. Inevitably the outlet port
gets washed by waves almost continuously, but I think that any water which
splashes in just runs  back out again, and the small amount that doesn't
just sits in the pipe without reaching the pump.

I would avoid mounting the outlet anywhere on the deck - water will be much
more likely to run in .... and depending on the wind .... when you switch
on
your pump you will get a shower!

What type of pump did you go for ?

Cheers

Colin Calder

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From: Scott Ives <ssives_at_erols.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Electric Bilge Pump Question
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 1998 17:35:21 -0400
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.

  I do note, however, that I had a Nordkapp that had an exist hole on
the side of the boat above the waterline.  This was an awful Chimp
handpump that was next to impossible to use.  The handle was short and
located right behind the middle of your back.  Valley said another
padddler was supposed to use it to bail you out!

   Anyway, I would give the batter operated, portable pump a try.  It is
also handy to bail out water in anything you left uncovered after a
downpour!

    Personally, I don't see what's wrong with a small bucket or scoop -
it will take out enough water to get you home, and it will never break
down!  As they say, no pump is faster than a scared man (or woman) with
a bucket!

  -  Scott

Dana A. Dickson wrote:
> 
> I bought a Rule 1100 pump.  1100 gph nominal flow, 3.3 amp draw.  I plan on
> using either a 4 AH gel cell battery that I already have for a depth finder
> power source or purchasing a 2 AH gell cell battery for dedicated service.
> I also bought a marine grade switch, waterproof fuse holder. When I
> discovered the potential problem with the lack of a check valve, I
> considered putting the hose in with a couple of bends to form a trap.  I
> may still do that.  What are you using for a battery?
> 
> Thanks for the prompt reply.
> 
> Dana
> Colin wrote:
> 
> Dana
> 
> I fitted an electric pump without a one-way valve to my Capella a couple of
> months ago, and I have had no problems - not a drop of water in the cockpit
> via the pump even rolling/surf. The outlet pipe from my pump isn't as big
> as
> 1 1/8 inch, and I fitted the outlet port to the side of the hull at the
> back
> of the cockpit, just under the deck line with the outlet pipe running up
> the
> inside of the hull to the mid point under the peak of the rear deck and
> then
> down to the keel line, then up to the pump body. Inevitably the outlet port
> gets washed by waves almost continuously, but I think that any water which
> splashes in just runs  back out again, and the small amount that doesn't
> just sits in the pipe without reaching the pump.
> 
> I would avoid mounting the outlet anywhere on the deck - water will be much
> more likely to run in .... and depending on the wind .... when you switch
> on
> your pump you will get a shower!
> 
> What type of pump did you go for ?
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Colin Calder
> 
> ********************
> 
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From: Julio MacWilliams <juliom_at_cisco.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Electric Bilge Pump Question
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 1998 16:47:42 -0700 (PDT)
> 
> 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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From: Scott Ives <ssives_at_erols.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Electric Bilge Pump Question
Date: Tue, 23 Jun 1998 00:42:16 -0400
Julio,

  Sounds like your pump is much more powerful than the small portable
one I used to have.  But you said the pump I described wasn't that small
(you are right about the approximate size).  However, aren't two 6 volt
batteries much larger and heavier?

  The pump I mentioned IS relatively light (running only on 3 C or D
batteries).  I would hate to have the weight of 2 6 volt batteries with
me at all times.  More troublesome is the possibility of an acid leak if
the boat flipped or was rocking alot.  The pump I described is made to
be totally submersible - not the same with your batteries.

  Anyway, I hope your system works.  For now, I'm just using a scoop and
a hand pump - low tech, but the batteries never fail!

  - Scott

 MacWilliams wrote:
> 
> >
> > 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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From: Colin Calder <c.j.calder_at_abdn.ac.uk>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Electric Bilge Pump Question
Date: Tue, 23 Jun 1998 10:07:44 +0100
> I bought a Rule 1100 pump.  1100 gph nominal flow, 3.3 amp draw.
> I plan on
> using either a 4 AH gel cell battery that I already have for a
> depth finder
> power source or purchasing a 2 AH gell cell battery for dedicated service.
> I also bought a marine grade switch, waterproof fuse holder. When I
> discovered the potential problem with the lack of a check valve, I
> considered putting the hose in with a couple of bends to form a trap.  I
> may still do that.  What are you using for a battery?
>
> Thanks for the prompt reply.
>

Wow - Powerful pump! I just have a self contained attwood portable, mounted
behind the seat, with the outlet pipe on the pump plumbed in to a fitting in
the hull. It runs from three D-cells contained in the pump body, and pumps ~
200 gallons an hour. Drains my cockpit in a couple of minutes. Only great
drawback is the switch is on the pump body which is difficult to switch off
through a neoprene skirt. In extremis I reckon that I wouldn't be too
concerned about leaving the pump running until I could pop the skirt to
switch it off.

I suspect that with your pump a trap in the outlet pipe is unlikely to make
any significant difference to performance. My pump throws a horizontal jet
about a foot and a half from the outlet port, and the outlet pipe  is about
a meter and a half long - most of which is wound around the pump body.

I highly recommend electric pumps. Even my cheap little attwood portable is
quick and pain free - paddle and brace while your boat empties. I think in
water likely to throw a proficient paddler out of their boat, that unless
you have someone to raft up with (in which case my choice would be the
T-rescue I described a while ago - **much quicker than any pump**) then
using a portable hand pump is unlikely to be very successful, and bailing a
boat with a bucket is utterly ridiculous. A fixed hand pump is more
realistic, but still has the drawbacks that you can't paddle and brace and
is slower than even my cheap and simple electric pump set up.

.... just my thoughts.

Cheers

Colin Calder
57º19'N  2º10'W

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