how many bilge pumps?

[Tidewaiter2]

1 x hand in cockpit

1 x auto/manual options in saloon

1 x Rule big one (2700gph?)with battery clips and flat hose-BTW make sure you open the flat hose at least once a season, unless it's canvas fire hose type- otherwise the 'plastic' can 'set' flat when you use- not much flow then

1 x shower/heads unit small Rule-500gph electric.

 

[lw395]

similar to frankie-h----for a real powerful bilge pump its difficult to beat a jabsco belt driven off the engine-----and blowingoldboots a bucket is better than a pump in real life not magazine test conditions-----regards lentenrose

That's true if the engine is working, which may not be the case after a knockdown.

Like a lot of things, I think you can plan for the disaster you expect to have, then find yourself unprepared for something different.

 

[Robert Wilson]

Experience

That's true if the engine is working, which may not be the case after a knockdown.

Like a lot of things, I think you can plan for the disaster you expect to have, then find yourself unprepared for something different.

Remember:- "Experience is something you get just after you need it".
and another one I keep in mind:-
"If we learn by our mistakes, then I'm getting a fantastic education."

I don't pray, but I sure as heck say nice things about the waves, wind, my boat-builder, sailmaker etc etc.

 

[matelot]

Nothing moves water faster than a frightened woman (or man) with a bucket.

I've got 2 manual and 3 electric, strategically situate around my boat.

On a Parker 31!!!? Really? Do you have a bath wearing a life jacket?

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I don't have and certainly wouldn't rely on an electrical bilge-pump, as my batteries would probably flood pretty quickly in the event of a major ingress of water! But I do know that my bilge-pump (a Whale Gusher) can pump water out faster than I can get it in with a hose-pipe, and probably fast enough to keep up with a failed sea-cock or suchlike (which don't actually let water in all that fast; it is like cleaning the impeller of the log, which is scary the first time you do it, but actually lets in very little water).

That's reassuring. I have yet to experience it - but it will happen one day!

Just to clarify; I've never had a broken seacock either, but they did try that on the Crash Test boat, and the rate of inflow wan't that great. They found it quite easy to plug the hole with a variety of techniques. Of course, we all keep softwood plugs tied to seacocks, don't we?

 

[Robert Wilson]

Just to clarify; I've never had a broken seacock either, but they did try that on the Crash Test boat, and the rate of inflow wan't that great. They found it quite easy to plug the hole with a variety of techniques. Of course, we all keep softwood plugs tied to seacocks, don't we?

Er........................... Of COURSE

But I do keep very handy a tub of that "leak stuff" that looks very effective, in the video

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Er........................... Of COURSE

But I do keep very handy a tub of that "leak stuff" that looks very effective, in the video

Actually, TBH , I doubt I would have them if I hadn't had all the seacocks changed when I bought Capricious, and the yard put them on as a matter of course.

 

[lw395]

Every racing yacht I've been on seems to have the same bag of plugs to meet the rules, but I suspect they are actually hardwood.

 

[Robert Wilson]

Actually, TBH , I doubt I would have them if I hadn't had all the seacocks changed when I bought Capricious, and the yard put them on as a matter of course.

Now THERE's and honest man!

 

[prv]

I've never had a broken seacock either, but they did try that on the Crash Test boat,

Hmm, think I must have missed that one at the time. Presumably the video is on YouTube?

Of course, we all keep softwood plugs tied to seacocks, don't we?

Not a good idea in a wet bilge, of course, as they absorb water and swell up prematurely. But very sensible otherwise, and I've been on a boat that needed one in a hurry (and had it tied in place as should be).

Er........................... Of COURSE

But I do keep very handy a tub of that "leak stuff" that looks very effective, in the video

I've heard suggestions that it's really just cleverly-marketed plumber's putty . It looks effective in the video because they gave it some very easy leaks to plug.

Inspired by this, I have a tub of plumber's putty in my damage control kit. It cost a couple of quid for a kilo vs £25 for 400g of the other stuff

Every racing yacht I've been on seems to have the same bag of plugs to meet the rules, but I suspect they are actually hardwood.

Surely with hardwood being more expensive, you'd expect the "minimum to meet the rules" kit to be softwood?

Pete

 

[lw395]

....
Surely with hardwood being more expensive, you'd expect the "minimum to meet the rules" kit to be softwood?

Pete

They have the look and feel of something like Ramin to me, a bit like dowel.
You really want something soft that you can bash into the hole where it will swell up and seal the hole.

Maybe the wood is chosen for ease of turning?

 

[Robert Wilson]

I've heard suggestions that it's really just cleverly-marketed plumber's putty . It looks effective in the video because they gave it some very easy leaks to plug.

Inspired by this, I have a tub of plumber's putty in my damage control kit. It cost a couple of quid for a kilo vs £25 for 400g of the other stuff

Pete.

Hi Pete,
Don't spoil my party, please Bad enough knowing that their leak was "an easy one" but to hear how little you paid for yours makes me cry!!

Well, whatever, I think of it as just something else to have handy, just in case the dreadful thing happens. I'm not going to tempt fate by saying anything about the odds etc

Fingers well and truly crossed,
Robert

 

[William_H]

Bilge pumps

It seems to me that you have to ask the question as to what nature of water ingestion you are likely to get.
A small boat like mine has no sea cocks etc and with a strong hull flooding is only likely to come from above ie open hatches.
Boats with sea cocks and other hull holes for inboard engines seem more susceptible to leaks of slow or medium flow. So auto bilge pumps and powerful hand bilge pumps seem advisable.
My best advice would be to follow the requirements of Yachting organisations RYA etc for safety equipment for ocean racing. It is presumably a result of experience and compliance must be valuable in terms of showing you have taken the subject seriously. (shift the blame if it is not adequate).
Obviously good maintenance is the first defence against flooding. olewill

 

[charles_reed]

On a Parker 31!!!? Really? Do you have a bath wearing a life jacket?

No!

But I've sailed single-handed for 22 years, in the same boat, in all conditions averaging >3000 nm pa.

All those pumps have been found to be necessary at one time or another - I'd suggest that when you've had a little experience you too might have learnt what is necessary.

 

[Graham_Wright]

As a self build, it was fairly straightforward to arrange watertight compartments especially in the bow. There are no limber holes and each opening can be closed with a bespoke panel about two feet high. Thus a hole in the bow (e.g. from collision) would flood that compartment up to equilibrium. It should then be possible to find and close the leak although a very uncomfortable experience.

Sealing the saloon from the the after compartments was more difficult.

Thus, I have one electric pump in each of the three compartments plus a manual in the bow which can suck from the bow or the saloon by a valve arrangement, a manual in the saloon by the nav seat and a manual in the cockpit valved to the saloon and the engine space / "master cabin".

It shouldn't be forgotten that a pump in the saloon is great for ensuring there is no gas there before lighting the cooker.

 

[Nicholas123]

How many bilge pumps?Three,none of them working.

 

[Iliade]

If in doubt, run about and scream & shout.

...
I actually think that the bucket had more to do with us staying afloat than my pumping; I think our friend was shifting far more water that way than I was with a manual bilge-pump. It is an ancient piece of wisdom that the fastest way of miving water is a frightened person with a bucket!

+1

Keel hanging half off, cushions rammed into gaps allowed scared bucket wielder to maintain buoyancy while lifeboat towed us into ...


Bembridge :0(



Transpired that someone had previously done something similar on the Charpentiers and had stuck the keel back with chopped strand body filler! A fairly gentle bump and the 'repair' fell off.

Bodged it with grp to get home then fixed properly with new floors, epoxy and kevlar later.

Next time I'll get a proper survey done first. Oops, forgot that again...

 

[lw395]

...
It shouldn't be forgotten that a pump in the saloon is great for ensuring there is no gas there before lighting the cooker.

Not true unfortunately.
Diaphragm bilge pumps often pump air at a very low efficiency especially when dry.
Some will completely fail to prime with the slightest bit of dust in the valves.
Even if they work perfectly, to reduce the amount of gas below the explosive limit you would have to pump an enormous amount of air out of the bilge, like emptying the cabin several times over.

 

[testmonkey]

Nothing moves water faster than a frightened woman (or man) with a bucket.

but for how long can you do it?
interesting story behind this: http://goo.gl/ybOs8
GRP yacht on west-to-east Atlantic crossing, ran into bad weather after Azores, two knockdowns, lost the mast, suspected collision with a floating object. Crew had been bailing water for 48 hours and was exhausted when making a distress call with their satellite phone. Water ingress apparently came from keel bolt area and couldn't be stopped. At this stage boat was in blackout stage and rescue co-ordination had to account for a language barrier and limited juicy left in at sat phone internal battery. No lifes lost, crew successfully picked up by a diverted cargo ship, boat sunk.

 

[ghostlymoron]

Having discovered my manual bilge pump, a whale ? 15 was obsolete in 1989 and no longer sucks anything, I got thinking about a replacement and the chap in the chandlery asked how many I have for a 32 footer, is one enough or should I have two, in the cockpit and in the cabin or to pump to both port and starboard in case the boat is heeling? I usually sail single handed and can only pump one at a time or is redundancy good in case one blocks or by that stage are you scuppered anyway?

How many have used a bilge pump in anger in an emergency rather than just clearing the bit of water that always seems to come fom somewhere, perhaps when I clear the log impellor.

I usually clear the bilge with the electric pump and have never used the manual one in anger.

An ancillary question is how many electric pumps and are they automatic and left on, on the basis you would rather a flat batery than sunk boat, indeed if you had a sunk boat you woulf have knackered the batteries anyway! With a starting and twin domestic battery system the worst I could do is the flaten one domestic battery?

Wthout some means of battery charging, you'll only delay the inevitable with an electric bilge pump on an unoccupied boat. It'll pump till the battery's flat and then sink.
The sensible answer to your question is 'as many as possible'.