A Tru-Plug (orange pliable foamy cone shaped bung) and an Edson 18gpm manual 
pump on a board emergency pump are standard for most folks tackling offshore 
passagemaking.  If you have the room for the bigger Edson pump (30Gpm), that’s 
even better.  Keep in mind that once the water level gets above your batteries, 
having any high capacity Electric Bilge Pump won’t mean a thing.

Chuck Gilchrest

S/V Half Magic

1983 LF 35

Padanaram, MA

 

From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Josh Muckley 
via CnC-List
Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2016 4:21 PM
To: C&C List cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> 
Cc: Josh Muckley <muckl...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Stus-List Bilge pump capacity?

 

You'll have a shockingly hard time keeping up with a 1.5 inch hole no matter 
what size bilge pump you have.  Plugging the hole is always better.  Its gonna 
sink if the seacock disintegrates while you're not there.

Josh Muckley
S/V Sea Hawk
1989 C&C 37+
Solomons, MD 

On Apr 14, 2016 3:41 PM, "Patrick Davin via CnC-List" <cnc-list@cnc-list.com 
<mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > wrote:

I've been debating my bilge pump plan for a few months now, and having trouble 
deciding. What have others here decided is sufficient pump capacity?  

 

I have two Rule 800s now and am considering upgrading one to an 1100 or 2000 
gph, as a high water alarm. That will require upgrading the hose from 3/4" to 1 
1/8", and enlarging the thruhull at the toerail. One of the bilge hoses runs 
through the stbd head (into the head cubbies) and the other runs through the 
hanging locker fwd of the head. Upgrading will require enlarging some of the 
hose holes in the boat's liner (below the cabin sole) probably, and of course 
hole sawing a larger thru hull. So it's a good deal more work than just 
replacing bilge pumps, their wiring, and adding a float switch + alarm. 

 

>From Wally's page I know he installed a Rule 2000. 
>http://www.wbryant.com/StellaBoat/Projects/bilgepmp/bilgepmp.htm

However it sounds like Wally's LF38 had his hoses run differently - to the 
stern quarter - while mine are to stbd mid-ships. 

 

With two 800's I'm at the low end of the 1600-2000 gph capacity range 
recommended by West Marine (and yes I've read all about how actual capacity may 
be much lower, due to voltage drop, head pressure, etc). I've also heard it 
doesn't make much sense to say that bigger boats need bigger bilge pumps - a 
20' boat will sink just as fast (or faster) with a 1.5" hole as a 38' one will.

 

I'm more concerned with having the capacity to prevent the boat from sinking at 
dock if say a 1.5" thruhull disintegrated somehow. Less concerned with 
emergency pumping while onboard, because I'm not going far offshore and I have 
a lot of emergency hole plugging options to try (putty, foam, wood bungs, 
carrots, etc). 

 

-Patrick

1984 C&C Landfall 38

Seattle, WA

 

 


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