Bilge pump help please

Mavric

Mavric

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Hi im refurbishing a 14 foot fletcher speedboat and need to add a bilge pump do i pump one of the thru hulls on it or just put the pipe into the splash well thanks
 
I had a fletcher like speed boat many years ago and it went into the outboard well.

Now being older and wiser (?) I would just check that the well can drain as fast as the pump can pump.

The rated pump capacity is meaningless and you will be lucky to achieve half of it so try it on a bucket or two of water and see what happens.
 
Hi mate thanks for the reply , quick question would i be better off outting one of them thru hulls in the side of my boat at the rear or just leave it as standard into the welll area
 
In a pretty small boat I would keep it as it is.

You don't have much freeboard anyway, and you need to be 100% that water cannot flow in from waves on the side or in a tight turn. The height of the boat probably makes a decent swan neck type loop tricky.

Others will be along with a view, but as long as it can cope with the bilge pump flow I don't really see any point in drilling more holes.
 
If you're going to use the usual cheap centrifugal pump, make very sure it cannot syphon back into the boat. The discharge needs to be well above waterline, even when the boat is at any angle like on the slip or something.
 
My splash well has no out let hole from the bilge �� also my boat is white but the dash is chocolate brown ��
 
My fletcher arrowflyte has no hole in the outboard well though isn’t that strange , it’s also strange that there was no holes for speedo and other clocks in the dash either the dash is brown and boat is red and white don’t know if you could shed any light on it dill ?
 
Anti syphon valve that’s a new one to me what is it without sounding stupid because ive not seen ine in the bilge area i bought a bare hull no interia nothing mate .
 
This gives you a good position for both pump and outlet... if you don’t have a fitting in the hull or deck already
https://youtu.be/o1yhebXFMDk

The anti siphon valve prevents the water that will still be in the pipe draining back into the bilge when the pump stops.

It also allows you to fit the, outlet lower, but I would not recommend that on a small speedboat.

And yes I did realize you had outboard power but the pump really needs to be mounted under the outboard well as this will most probably be the lowest point when the boat is at rest so you will need a fairly slimline pump, which the Whale is..
Plus you would have the advantage of not requiring a float switch, which in my eyes is just another thing on a small speedboat that could easily become broken or disconnected..
 
Would i have an anti syphon pipe mate because ive not seen one in the bilge area and the only hole i have in my hull is the the where drain bung is fitted . Also where he has fitted his thru hull is that ok to fit mine on my 14 foot fletcher arrowflyte?
 
Sorry there are 2 holes 1 at the bottom of the transomand one at the top of rhe transom at rhe front of rhe splash well but no hole into the splashwell from the bilge area underneath so do i fit what’s in rhat video and ion the same place or drill a hole in the splaswell for rhe outlet pipe from rhe bilge hope you understand me sirry .
 
I suggested the pump as it includes an anti siphon valve. So no need to look for one.

As a project a Fletcher is ideal but as with most old speed boats it will have had several different engines in its lifetime.
Before I upset anyone who has a really reliable Mercury redband ... Two stroke outboards did have a relatively short lifespan if not maintained an regularly used.
This often means a number of different holes have been bored into your boat at various times in its life
Research and looking at what other people have done is key here, and also a vision of what you want to eventually achieve.
The expert on Fletchers here was or is rbcoomer. Rob has posted numerous times on his various projects and has posted numerous pictures as well.
I am sure that if you private messaged him he would pass on his vast knowledge on the subject to you.
Also you need to look at a few boats to see how you would like your project to turn out.
Posting pictures on this forum is also an excellent way of gaining knowledge as it will speak 1000 words
I hope you see this as a useful response to your query.
 
Yes mate , this is my second refurb on a speed boat , but this one seens strange in that it doesn’t holes that in all honesty should be there and like i mentioned before the dash is brown and had no holes either im ivwr half way through it now and it’s looking good and made every panel ftom scratch , can’t upload photos on here for some reason .
 
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