bildge pumps - how many have them -

[Rich27028]

i have 2 -a 500 gph on a float switch and a 750 on a toggle on the console--

16ft lowe 30 yamaha-

 

[PSG-1]

4 bilge pumps on board the jetboat, with a combined pumping ability of roughly 2600 GPH.

One thing you have to consider is the possibility of being outright swamped. If that happens, you need to get water out of the boat ASAP. Calculating the length, width, and approximate depth of just the deck area of my jetboat, it's about 275 gallons.

The deck mounted bilge is a 500GPH automatic, electronic, self-contained pump. This handles any water on the deck, although, as I just mentioned, the capacity of a full deck would take this pump about 1/2 hour to pump off.

The engine compartment is relatively well-sealed from the deck, the water has to be about 10 inches deep on deck before it could possibly flow into the engine well, and even then, it's going to be a slow leak.

But, if any water DID make it into the engine compartment, the 3 bilge pumps in there will handle that.

One is a siphon-fed bilge, hooked to the jet pump, like you see used in jet skis. It's at least a 300 GPH flow, depending on the speed of the pump, slower speeds equal less suction.

Another is a rule 1100 GPH with 1 1/8" discharge hose, it is hooked to an electronic float switch.

The third and final pump in the engine well, is a rule 800 GPH, this one is wired to the console, controlled by a toggle switch.

Paranoid....yes. But after the POS so-called "Captain" aboard the "Eagle One" parasailing boat swamped my jetboat last year with a 3 foot wake and took out my Tigershark 1000 cc engine, and I had to spend 3 grand and a lot of hours to install the 4 stroke, I decided to make the damn thing un-swampable...at least as far as the engine is concerned. And it is, even if the engine compartment were full of water, the design of the FXHO engine puts the intakes on the very top of the engine, water would essentially have to be over the gunwales of my boat to kill this engine...not that I want to find out, and hopefully, with all those bilge pumps, the water wouldn't get this high to begin with!

 

[fool4fish1226]

I also have two one 500 on a float in the bilge and one 500 up front on a three way switch on/off/auto

 

[Rich27028]

i think the condenses is - the guys around saltwater have bilge pumps - the river and lakes guys not so much--

 

[crazymanme2]

I have a 500gph in my 1240V but only because it gets quite rough in the lake sometimes & I'm too lazy to bail :lol:

 

[bcbouy]

i also have a 500 gph in my 14.5 lake boat.i haven't pulled out the drain plug since i got the boat. the way mine's decked i couldn't hand bail much water out even if i had to. its nice to pull up on the ramp and flip the switch.

 

[New River Rat]

PolarKraft wasn't sure where the drain plug should go, so they put it on the highest point they could. I have a bilge by necessity.

 

[KevinWI]

Absolutely. have a 500gph Rule on a switch for my Jon boat. Rain, leaks, wet dog when hunting...many many reasons to have one...also have a thru pump for my livewell on my jon boat...

 

[Loggerhead Mike]

Mine has saved me before

 

[CodyPomeroy]

I have one that operates on good ole man power.
https://www.cabelas.com/bilge-pumps-hand-bilge-pump-1.shtml?WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=00048807&rid=40&mr:trackingCode=D55E84C8-958E-DF11-A0C8-002219318F67&mr:referralID=NA&mr:adType=pla&mr:filter=43601101631&mr:match={matchtype}&mr:ad=19135902671&mr:keyword={keyword}

 

[PSG-1]

I have one that operates on good ole man power.
https://www.cabelas.com/bilge-pumps-hand-bilge-pump-1.shtml?WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=00048807&rid=40&mr:trackingCode=D55E84C8-958E-DF11-A0C8-002219318F67&mr:referralID=NA&mr:adType=pla&mr:filter=43601101631&mr:match={matchtype}&mr:ad=19135902671&mr:keyword={keyword}

Yep, that's a good one to have, especially if the battery goes dead, or if it goes underwater, no electric bilge pump will save you. I carry a model similar to yours, inside the engine compartment of my jet ski, just in case the pressure-fed bilge system fails to get the water out.

 

[jigngrub]

I have 1 (500 gph) but don't really need it because my boat floats a little better than this one when I forget to put the plg in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M30nDtZ4iys

I have fished all day with the bilge plug out and not even noticed it until I pull the boat out of the water on the trailer and see water gushing out of the bilge plug hole.

There's a lot to be said for the proper amount of floatation foam in a boat.

 

[nomowork]

Only a manual bilge pump in my tin, as I can see the bilge plug while on the water.

My glass boat has a 500 g/h under the fish box and I also carry the manual one too.

 

[Captain Ahab]

I have an electric and a manual pump - I also have no (read that none) flotation so I need the pump

never had a problem but I am a Boy Scout

 

[RivRunR]

I have a 1000 on a console switch, a 500 float (also on a console switch), plus a manual hand pump.
Overkill? Maybe.
Peace of mind? Yep.

 

[PSG-1]

I have a 1000 on a console switch, a 500 float (also on a console switch), plus a manual hand pump.
Overkill? Maybe.
Peace of mind? Yep.

I don't think it's overkill.

If anyone has ever had the pleasure of being aboard a boat that was swamped, you would agree with my statement that "you can't get the water out of the boat quick enough for comfort" If you've ever been in a boat that was swamped so heavily, when you tried to plane off, the water drained across the top of the transom....you know what fear is.

Especially if you're in rough water, where taking on water equals being lower in the water, which means breaking waves keep flooding in.

Been there a couple of times myself, the only time there was any catastrophic damage, was from the para-sailing boat that swamped me. Every other time, it was a good scare, but no damage.


If anyone is curious about whether or not they have an adequate system....here's how you find out.

Measure the length, width, and depth of the inside of your boat, then calculate cubic feet.

Then, determine the number of gallons per cubic ft. (I forget what it is) and multiply by the number you came up with from your boat's dimensions. This is the amount of gallons of water your boat could hold after being swamped.

Then determine your bilge pump's GPH (don't forget to account for pressure/volume loss from pumping head height....roughy 1 ft for a johnboat)

I think most folks will realize that with their pumps, they're looking at 1/2 hour or more, to completely pump out the boat. That's a long time.

My 16' Triton only has 1 bilge pump, a 500 GPH. After this discussion, I believe I'm going to add another one, or at least upgrade to something around twice the GPH, like an 1100.

 

[bigwave]

I have a rule 1100 gph and a couple of 5 gallon buckets......I also cary a spare 1600gph with 10' wires and aligator clips for an emergency, in the case that my main bilge pump fails. I carry that pump in my spare flare box.

 

[lovedr79]

i have a 500 on a toggle. that was the first thing i put on my boat when i got it.

 

[jigngrub]

If anyone is curious about whether or not they have an adequate system....here's how you find out.

Measure the length, width, and depth of the inside of your boat, then calculate cubic feet.

Then, determine the number of gallons per cubic ft. (I forget what it is) and multiply by the number you came up with from your boat's dimensions. This is the amount of gallons of water your boat could hold after being swamped.

Then determine your bilge pump's GPH (don't forget to account for pressure/volume loss from pumping head height....roughy 1 ft for a johnboat)

I've found that things that look good on paper don't always work in real life, and there's no way in hell I would depend on an electric motor to keep my boat afloat! Motors fail and batteries drain and die.

The best way to find out what your boat is going to do if swamped or the hull is breached is to try it out in real life.

Take your boat out to the shallows on a warm summer day when the water is warm and pull the plug, then if you want to check your bilge pump turn it on and see if it'll keep up with the water coming in... but a bilge pump should only be secondary to the correct amount of floatation foam in your boat.

I recommend pulling the plug in your boat and don't run the bilge, let the boat fill with water until it stops taking on water and see how much water your boat will take on until the foam takes over. If you think your boat is taking on too much water or your get scared you can abort the test and put the plug back in. Then run your bilge to empty the boat and take it home and figure out where and how you can add more floatation foam to your boat to keep it afloat correctly.

I figure most people won't do this because they don't trust their boat, and if you don't trust it now... how are you going to trust it in an emergency.

The smart folks will do this test on their boat because they'll want to know just exactly what will happen should an emergency ever arise.

 

[Zum]

I guess I'm not a smart person then...no way I'm pulling the plug to see if the floatation works.
Fills up all the compartments,water will probably never drain totally....seems like way overkill.

I guess I'll be the first to say that I don't have a bilge pump...After seeing buddies(sry forgot name)jet boat sink in the river,it did get me thinking I should get one but with holes that big,probably not going to remove the water anyways.

When fishing in the rain,I often pull the plug and motor around the lake,to drain the water.Afew times I've slowed up to see how fast the water comes in and it's crazy how fast it is.Not sure how big a bilge pump would have be to keep up to it but I doubt a 500 would keep up...guess it would depend how big the hole is.

Again now knowing(pretty sure I knew before but then again how would I know until now?) that I'm not smart,I seriously wouldn't do what I do..