Re: [Paddlewise] FW: Foot pumps

John C. Winskill wrote:
 

  "Anyone who
> feels they can empty a boat with a hand pump in severe conditions as
> well as with a foot pump is wrong. Period.  Remember, if the conditions
> are bad enough that a person has been knocked over, then those
> conditions are still there while they are trying to get back into and
> empty their boats.  And, no matter what anyone says, it is much harder
> to re-enter and empty a boat than it is to not fall over in the first
> place.  I doubt there was anyone described in the book 'Deep Trouble',
> for instance, who expected to be fighting for their lives while
> emparking on their paddle.  Why do people persist in advocating
> mediocrity?  Sure, work on your braces but also perfect your roll, both
> sides, bombproof and in combat conditions and then choose whether or not
> to even carry a pump,....."
_______________________________________________________________________________

John,

I most certainly respect your observations and experience and consequently
I would ask of you, that in light of Laurie Ford's experiences as well
as yours, why is it that an electric bilge pump fails to find popularity
amongst North American Kayakers as it does in Australia, New Zealand and 
Tasmania? 


Laurie Ford writes in his article on Electric Bilge Pumps  http://www.tassie.net.au/~lford/epumps.htm

"Back in 1979 it seemed to me that I needed some means of getting water out of a kayak, without taking my
hands off my
paddle. Back in those days there weren't many options of any sorts of pumps for kayaks. There was a hand pump
which was
fitted behind the cockpit, but which I considered fairly useless. I used to read about people demonstrating
this sort of pump in a
swimming pool - but that's not where I intended to do all my paddling. If conditions were so bad that I'd
capsize in the first place,
then I hardly thought I was going to get back in the kayak and start pumping out with one hand - I'd need both
hands for
supporting. I dismissed hand pumps as out of the question - despite world wide acceptance of them. There were
some foot
pumps about at that time - but they were only designed to remove dribbles of water that might get in through a
spray deck....." 


(From my Bass Strait Trip report)
"Slept in and missed the last of the tide, so walked the full length of the beach to Stackies Bight, till
2.00pm when the tide was
again in the right direction. Not that the tide would be much help, but at least it wouldn't be assisting the
25 - 30 knot winds
that were still whipping up big seas from the west. Alf was a little doubtful that it was really suitable
weather for rounding Cape
Frankland, but after two nights in the caravan I felt I would get fat and lazy if I stayed another night. A
couple of hours later I was
regretting this decision, particularly as the forecast for the next day had been for moderating conditions.
The seas off Cape
Frankland were huge, there is no other word to describe it. I have been out in big seas off the south-west
coast before, and tried
out a 50 knot gale in Bass Strait off Low Head - but this was terrifying. The westerly gale was meeting a
shallow bottom and a 6
knot tide, and it took all my concentration to hang in there. At the bottom of the swells I was looking up a
60 degree mountain, a
good 40 feet high, taking 8 to 10 paddle strokes to reach the top, then having the bow drop about 8 feet down
the other side
before hitting the water again. Usually about half-way up the slope the top would topple and a wall of white
water would come
careering down to check your upward rise, often flattening you along the rear deck. Progress was slow, it was
imperative to
keep at least half a mile off shore - any closer and the Longboat would have been fibreglass splinters amongst
the breakers in
the shallow water. I was sort of ferry-gliding along the shore, rounding up into the worst breakers, then
bearing away again. I
would have dearly loved to whip out the camera to photograph the conditions, but for three hours was not game
to even take
one hand off the paddle for more than a second, and then only to flick the pump switch on or off."

Try using a hand pump in these conditions!
Laurie Ford


John, knowing that a foot pump would serve as great back up, why would an 
electric pump system not be considered the more right thing and more
popular thing to do? Curious to know given the severity of conditions
the ocean can dish out.

Best Regards,

Philip
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