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csharpatsea

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... can I add bilge pumps to the list?

When did a bilge pump ever save a GRP sailing yacht?

I cannot imagine any situation where a bilge pump would be more effective than a frightened man with bucket in saving a yacht. Why do we bother with these devices?
 
Depends what you mean by "save"............

Not a yacht, but mate had a small mobo and the shaft seal gaitor split - wouldn't have made it back without the bilge pump keeping pace with the inflow (bucket wouldn't have been that usable until water half way up the engine)............admittedly it probably wasn't very sensible knowingly setting off from France like that :rolleyes: so can't really say it "saved" us :p

But in any event bilge pump needed when moored to deal with the inflow - albeit at slower rate............but I take your point, won't cope with a significant hole - but might buy time (or an alarm warn before your feet get wet), especially if a hole or broken fitting can be at least partially blocked up.......and the bilge pump simply reaches parts that a bucket can't access.
 
Quick answer= all the time.

Sounding the bilge at the change of the watch might just be the first and only indication you get that you have a problem.. I can assure you that once the water is up to the floor and the boat that much heavier and wallowing, 'tis a brave man that doesn't panic..

Btw Who has actually tried manhandling buckets up to the companionway in rough weather ( with maybe water trying to splash down through the companionway at the same time)? It is pretty draining of energy, not necessarily of water.
 
Just a minute there, young man! I object to your disparaging reference to "useless" articles on a boat. I'll have you know that I have an umbrella on board Sea Rush, & it is very useful when I go ashore to the shops.

I wouldn't bother with the Naval Ociffer tho.:)
 
The "frightened man with a bucket" can't do anything but bail. ie; find and staunch the leak, call for help etc,etc. Plus he'll tire very quickly.

Is this a troll?
 
Probably not, just intended to start a lively discussion. And it is working innit?

I never get enough depth of water to be able to use a bucket, but use the bilge pump religiously very couple of months to drain the odd 1/2 gall that accumulates in the bilge.

I doubt that it, or I, could cope with a serious leak tho. :eek:
 
Bleboatman

have you read David Lewis's tale of his journey to Antarctica ?

He bailed his boat out with a bucket after his capsizes.

His harrowing and hair-raising account is in Ice Bird (publ Collins) which should be part of the RYA syllabus for anything above Competent Crew.
 
It was a serious question prompted by the dan buoy post. We following all these safety conventions but never seem to question them.

Pyrotechnics have been questionable on a yacht for 10 years but only now are folks prepared to question the requirement.

Same goes for a bilge pump, it dates from the days of sprung planks and swashbuckling movies. The nature of grp means a yacht hull will typically fail catastrophically in which case a sprint to the life raft is required.

If bilge pumps were removed from all UK yachts I doubt there would be a recorded death in the next 10 years as a result, but if all yacht booms had 2 inches of high density stuck to the sides over the cockpit I am pretty sure a life would be saved over the same period.
 
Blueboatman said:
Quick answer= all the time.

Sounding the bilge at the change of the watch might just be the first and only indication you get that you have a problem.. I can assure you that once the water is up to the floor and the boat that much heavier and wallowing, 'tis a brave man that doesn't panic..

Btw Who has actually tried manhandling buckets up to the companionway in rough weather ( with maybe water trying to splash down through the companionway at the same time)? It is pretty draining of energy, not necessarily of water.
Click to expand...

I've been on TWO boats where the "frightened man with a bucket" kept the boat afloat. One was an old converted lifeboat that had just been put back in the water - and the bung came out, because it had dried out and shrunk (ex-lifeboats, rarely seen these days, were commonplace then, and of course had bung-holes to ensure that they kept dry when on the davits of a ship). My Dad was the man with a bucket, and besides the bucket he managed to shift about half a ton of iron ballast to get at the bung-hole. The other was a plywood yacht crossing the Humber, which hit something and was taking water on rapidly. Fortunately we were in company, and managed to keep the leak under control until we reached shore - at North Ferriby, I think.

I was quite young at the time of both incidents - still at school - but in both cases a man with a bucket did a job that a bilge-pump certainly couldn't. In fact, AFAIR (and memory at this distance is uncertain) I was put on the bilge-pump in both cases, more to keep me from worrying than because I was doing anything useful! Neither incident would be likely with yachts in use these days; the nearest to the first would be catastrophic failure of a sea-cock. The second is perhaps an indication of how much stronger small yachts are these days.
 
Well, my boat was left unattended for 8 weeks whilst I was looking after Mum in hospital and after.

I returned to the boat to find about 200 gallons of Essex water slurry coming over the floorbaords.
The bilge pump wasnt on a separate circuit, and was switched off with the master battery switch.
The standard Jeanneau pump in a 1000gph, allegedly.
I switched on the pump immediately, and it spewed a little trickle up the pipe and out of the hull fitting. 30 minutes later it was still going (the tide was out, so no ingress). Pathetic thought I.

I now have a dedicated 110Ah battery, and 4 bilge pumps. 1 x 1000gph in the engine compartment, 2 x 3000gph mounted either side of the bilges and the standard Jeanneau in the bilge centrally. These are all auto and alarmed. This winter they will be supplemented with a GSM text alert system.
I also have a Plastimo manual pump and a Henderson dinghy pump, in addition to 3 sturdy buckets.

Probably most importantly, I have bungs and mallets near all the known holes in the hull, and materials to try and seal larger holes if they happen.

I have been in the Irish Sea in a sinking boat. Hmm.

Yours in paranoia.
 
I always have an umbrella on board. Not much use during the 10-20% of a cruise that is spent at sea but very handy at other times.

We did have a naval officer aboard for a while. The only person I have seen do the 'hands on moving boat, feet on shore...splash' trick.

A bilge pump is very handy when you have - leaking windows, dripping stern gland, collision damage causing a crack in the hull, water entering bilge through hawse pipe at sea, perished mast coat in keel-stepped rig, leaks around companionway, through vents etc in heavy weather and 101 other causes of low-volume leaks. And can you pump the bilge manually from above deck and below when hatches are shut?
 
My independent bilge pump gives me peace of mind and copes with any ingress when the boat is on the moring. The bilges aren't big enough to get a bucket into, and then it is awkward to get a full bucket out through the companionway.

I don't have any umberrellas aboard but my dad once had five minutes of fun with a guy who brought a spirit level aboard to do a job!

Rgds
Bob
 
csharpatsea;2306510 When did a bilge pump ever save a GRP sailing yacht? [/QUOTE said:
I was always taught that gas also needs to be pumped out. Periodically we pump just to get any heavier than air gas offboard. Maybe this has saved us from being blown up, we shall never know but it might have saved a GRP boat.

Also a night of some of the more robust ale can leave to all sorts of noxious gases infiltrating the bilges. A good pump out can prevent the gas solenoid from turning everything off whereby you will disconnect it and maybe blow yourselves up....parananoia is always good for longevity.
Click to expand...
 
A bilge pump is not just a safety feature. It's also a convenience for getting rid of the water resulting from all manner of non-boat-threatening leaks.

I'm not so sure about the use of the bilge pump for removing dregs of lpg gas.
1. No electrical equipment should be switched on or off when you suspect leaking gas.
2. Pumps designed for moving liquids are generally not much good at moving gas at atmospheric pressure.
 
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