in the NSW club in australia we insist in pumps. We use a variety of foot and electric pumps. Hand pumps only are not seen as sufficient. You'd be failed on your board of canoe education proficiency award, for example, if that's all you had - pumping may mean things are bad, you want your paddle and you don't want to be a burden to your companions in rough conditons. I've had foot pumps ( marine stores and suppliers will have everything from cheapies to good ones such as henderson/whale) and was happy but thought I'd try electric. I also carry a big sponge i've recently got one of the attwood waterbusters powered by d cells. Relatively slow compared to 12v pumps but ok and completely self contained. Takes about 12-15 mins to completely empty a full-to-the-brim cockpit - most capsizes don't result in such a full cockpit. It is fitted into my boat behind my seat using shock cord (bungee) and olive cleats, and has a deck outlet. It has a switch on the pump body which means you have to reach into the cockpit to turn it on/off - not good - but it doesn't look like it would be hard to install a deck mounted marine switch, by drilling holes into the pump, sealing with araldite and sikaflex, and rewiring - that's my plan see for examples from the NSW club newsletter http://203.147.209.230/mag/35/pumps1.html http://203.147.209.230/mag/35/pumps2.html nick Note new email address Nicholas Gill School of Geography and Oceanography University of NSW Australian Defence Force Academy Canberra ACT 2600 Ph. 02 6268 8317 Mob. 041 7659440 Fax 02 6268 8313 Email: nicholas.gill_at_adfa.edu.au ---------- > From: VajraT_at_aol.com > To: clyde_sisler_at_email.msn.com; PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subject: [Paddlewise] Current Info on Electric or Foot Pumps? > Date: Tuesday, 11 May 1999 0:47 > > Clyde's recent test of the hand pump carried by myself and 90% of paddlers I > see: > > Well, I could pump water. However, my right (pump) hand was hitting the > > bottom of the PFD and would have been pretty raw in short order. Secondly, > > in that awkward position I couldn't keep control or put any weight on the > > paddle float so I would have been swimming again in any kind of lumpy > water. > > Sea conditions severe enough to capsize an experienced paddler will require > full use of the paddle to stay upright after the paddler re-enters. > Companions can help brace while the capsizee pumps by hand, but this can be > hazardous to body parts and gear as the boats crash together and pull apart > in the swell, and if wind or current is pushing toward a hazard, the whole > group could get into worse trouble. Of course, solo paddlers don't even have > this option. So, what's the latest word on electric or foot-operated pumps? > > I use a small boat for multi-day trips, often pack dry bags into the cockpit, > and I'm hesitant to give over any cockpit space. But it seems like the best > location for the pump would be between or beyond the feet, with the outlet > port on the front deck, within easy reach to open/close the outlet cover. > Short outlet and inlet hoses would probably be good, to speed pump action by > reducing friction between water and hose. Is there any reason to run the > outlet hose to a port behind the cockpit rim? > > Does anyone have a set-up which they've used awhile and: > 1) Easily available for purchase > 2) Can be installed by a non-engineer > 3) Won't take up a large amount of space > 4) Reasonable price (under $50) > > And what about the deck port, with a cover? Is there a kit which has all the > needed components, designed to work together? > > Does anyone have experience with both electric and foot-operated pumps? I > have the impression that electric would be the way to go: less expensive, > lighter, more compact, does not require a complicated, beefy attachment to > the hull. Allows full use of the feet, for bracing or operating rudder > pedals. Probably slower to empty the cockpit, but since even a fully-swamped > kayak can be braced upright and paddled forward, this seems acceptable. I > think I'd rather keep my feet on the pegs and get my boat moving toward > safety, even if it took, say, 20 minutes to empty the cockpit vs. 5 minutes > with a foot pump. > > (Hand pumps are so light, compact and inexpensive (plus we all own them!) > that it would be sensible to carry one as a back-up). > > Thanks in advance for information on your experiences. > > > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ > *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon May 10 1999 - 16:59:26 PDT
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