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From: PJ Rattenbury <ratten_at_uow.edu.au>
subject: [Paddlewise] Electric Pumps
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2000 10:08:53 +1100
	 To Gabriel, Peter and others interested in the electric pumps issue.....
	I have used my set-up [ 7AH sealed lead acid battery, 1000 gph Rule pump ]
 for the past year in my single Klepper and have been pleased with its
reliability.
	I paddle mostly in open sea conditions, so the boat tends to take a
pounding, but the pump gear has stood up well.
	I have not had to use the pump 'in anger' yet, so have resorted to regular
wet exit exercises in realistically rough conditions to try to keep my self
rescue skills up and check my gear out. So far things have held together.
I agree that weight is an issue with a 7AH battery, but by my reckoning it
is the weight of water sloshing around in a Klepper in rough weather that
is a more serious problem.  I use air bag floatation bow and stern when not
carrying camping gear etc. but still , the potential, repeat, potential
volume of water in a Klepper demands a high pump out rate.  
	I have found that even with the Klepper as flooded as I can make it in a
practice rescue exercise, this set up makes quick work of the volume of
water.  To me, the ease with which the water is cleared out of the boat,
beats the weight disadvantage of the battery. 
	[Of course, a non-electric hydrodynamic Mark One baler is still carried as
compulsory item of safety gear. ]
	But all this is still a compromise because these Rule pumps are bilge
pumps, and of course bilge pumps are not designed for kayaks.  Does anyone
know of a 12volt electric pump designed for kayaks, or which can be adapted
for kayaks and which scavenge better than a Rule?  Peter Rattenbury

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From: Peter Treby <ptreby_at_ozemail.com.au>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Electric Pumps
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2000 10:35:48 +1100
Peter R writes:
>Does anyone know of a 12volt electric pump designed for kayaks, or which
can be adapted for kayaks and which scavenge better than a Rule?
This last point is an issue. I have mounted the Rule pump as close as
possible to the bottom of the shallow V hull of my boat. The pump starts
pumping air when about 1.5 cm of water is still in the boat. I can get a bit
more with the foot pump, but the last mop-up is with a sponge, or later on
the beach. Does anyone have a pump system which gets down to the last drop?
Regards, Peter T.


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From: Steve Cramer <cramer_at_coe.uga.edu>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Electric Pumps
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2000 09:55:59 -0500
Peter Treby wrote:
> 
> Peter R writes:
> >Does anyone know of a 12volt electric pump designed for kayaks, or which
> can be adapted for kayaks and which scavenge better than a Rule?
> This last point is an issue. I have mounted the Rule pump as close as
> possible to the bottom of the shallow V hull of my boat. The pump starts
> pumping air when about 1.5 cm of water is still in the boat. I can get a bit
> more with the foot pump, but the last mop-up is with a sponge, or later on
> the beach. Does anyone have a pump system which gets down to the last drop?

Why would it be important to? 1.5 cm of water isn't much. You'll drip
that much off your clothing when you reenter the boat. When I paddle
white water canoe, there is routinely an inch or two (2.5-5 cm) of water
in the bottom of the boat. When it gets to be over 4 inches (10 cm) I
start to think about bailing.

Rememebr the adage: the first 80% of the job takes 20% of the effort;
the last 20% takes 80% of the effort. And the last 1% takes the other
30%.

Steve
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From: Peter Treby <ptreby_at_ozemail.com.au>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Electric Pumps
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 09:08:38 +1100
Original Message -----
From: Steve Cramer
| Peter Treby wrote:
Why would it be important to? 1.5 cm of water isn't much. You'll drip that
much off your clothing when you reenter the boat. When I paddle white water
canoe, there is routinely an inch or two (2.5-5 cm) of water in the bottom
of the boat. When it gets to be over 4 inches (10 cm) I  start to think
about bailing.
 Remember the adage: the first 80% of the job takes 20% of the effort; the
last 20% takes 80% of the effort. And the last 1% takes the other 30%.
Steve

Yes, of course. I was hoping though, that someone else had taken care of the
1% and 30%!
Regards, Peter T.

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From: Steve Holtzman <sh_at_actglobal.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Electric Pumps
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 14:41:05 -0700
Lee wrote:

But after looking through the comments there seem to be too many
variables preventing reliability.  That being said, I came across an
automatic bilge pump which can turn on by itself after sensing a certain
level of water.  This sounds like the most elegant solution with no
switches, wires, etc to deal with.  Anyone install something like this in
their kayak?


I haven't used one of these in a kayak (my boats are all SOT's), but I did
install one of these many years ago in an old wooden runabout that I had
that always leaked from the rope calking around the shaft. The boat needed
to have the bilge pumped every other day or the water would be in areas that
were never designed to see water.

The pump worked extremely well, but there are wires and switches. There is a
manual on/off as well as the float which activates an internal switch.
Additionally, the entire unit had to be wired to the 12 volt system in the
boat.

Steve



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