Manual Diaphragm mounted bilge pump

kaelc

Our surveyor has recommended a Manual Diaphragm mounted bilge pump. Has anyone mounted one successfully on a modern 2006 or newer 25 or 22 Cruiser? Or any C-Dory. I found one intake photo but no pictures of the pump mounted in my C-brats search. https://www.westmarine.com/buy/whale-pumps--gusher-urchin-on-deck-manual-bilge-pump-with-fixed-handle--168567?recordNum=6

Thanks!

smckean (Tosca) · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 3:15 pm Post subject:

This might be bad advise (if so, someone say something), but for a small boat like a CD, and a boat that has a self-bailing cockpit like the CD25, a bucket to move water from the cabin to the cockpit might do just as well.

CDs are usually near land and float if swamped I believe.

kaelc · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 4:00 pm Post subject:

Yeah I argued with him! Old guy set in his ways, I'll never do another survey with him.

thataway · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 7:13 pm Post subject:

I would disagree with your surveyor. Double electric pumps are far more effective.

I have owned and used several manual Whale pumps. The old aluminum double diaphragm which would open with a couple of toggle dogs on each side was very effective and would move a gallon with each double stroke. The modern equivalent is plastic and certainly not as effective.

Those boats where the foam was removed, or whose boat has no foam, probably will probably not float if fully filled with water. However the chance of this happening is extremely remote.

I agree a frightened man with a bucket will move more water than any of these diaphragm pumps...

kaelc · Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2021 7:23 pm Post subject:

Love it! Frightened man with a bucket.

Law in Canada says a bailing bucket or a manual bilge and man can you move water with those.

The issue is when you lose power which does happen on boats. Running downriggers, two mfd, radar, radio and then take a massive wave over the back you are up s....t creek without a paddle.

Appreciate the feedback on those pumps.

kaelc · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2021 5:43 pm Post subject:

Thanks so much for your input. After fighting with the surveyor he revised this recommendation, left others that were wrong. Which was a good thing as the bilge in our 25 is not continuous so the pump would not drain the fuel tank area or of course the cabin. The hull is well designed and if the floor is well sealed the bilge area should have minimal water that can be removed with a portable bilge pump on a backup battery pretty easily or a hand pump with a lot of pumping!

thataway · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2021 7:12 pm Post subject:

To get the last few drops of water which collects around the bilge pump in the center, we use a water squirt gun: Which is about 2' long and 2" diameter, with a plunger which sucks up water thru the relatively "sharp" (narrow and will get almost all of the water out around from the pump) Tip. Then expel the water over the transom. If necessary we do use a sponge.

There is also a small pump which one can make an electrical pump pulling thru a sponge with Scotch pad on the end..

Here is the thread about the dry bilge/arid bilge type system

T.R. Bauer · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2021 10:00 pm Post subject:

A bucket will do amazing things. And the rectangular prism shaped ones get the floor very dry.