Dog hair

J

Jeanie P

New member
For those that have dogs that shed and take them on their boats, how do you keep the dog hair from clogging the bilge pump?

Allan
 
Preventative maintenance. Sometimes you have to "de-fur" the problem. We use a hand vac and a rubber brush (works especially good on the Sunbrella and the carpet in the cabin). The bilge pumps in the 25 are under the cockpit sole and the interior step; the interior one doesn't get used. I clean the bilge pump under the cockpit every so often. We've never had a problem with fur, but occasionally grass and grit get in there. The base is slotted and there is an internal screen; pop the pump out of the base and clean out the crud with your fingers.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Like Jim, we also carry a small hand vac on the boat. Not knowing what type/size dog you have this might not work for you but I think the thing that really keeps the dog hair down with us is keeping our small dog's hair cut short. She is a Pomeranian and a short hair cut keeps her more comfortable and we haven't noticed any real problem with dog hair on the boat. I think any longer hair floating around is probably coming from me!
Rich.
 
Hello from Iowa,

Trust the recommendation, just dialled up ebay and ordered an "Furminator".

Thank You.

Regards,

Ron Fisher
 
Get a poodle...We boated with multiple dogs, and a brush similar to the furminator worked fine. We also kept the boat's floor and upholstery vacuumed regularly. Plus, kept a mesh screen around the sump which we cleaned regularly. There are some bilge pumps (such as Whale gusher manual pump which will handle the hair and larger debris).
 
This isn't bilge-pump specific, but I've found that a good way to gather up pet hair from a surface such as a settee or carpet (when you don't have a vacuum) is to don rubber dishwashing gloves and "swirl" your hand(s) around. The hair just gathers up into strings and you can pick them up and toss them.
 
Bottom line is you're better off w/o a dog on most boats.

If the dog is a 'must', drop the bilge pump and paddle.

Aye.
Grandpa used to say, "Man's best friend does not apply on boats."
 
Re: the Furminator. That stuff coming off the Furminator while in use is dog hair
and lots of it.

Unless you plan on doing this onboard with both you and your dog in a closed
bag, you'll have a wad of it clogging up your bilge pump sooner rather than later.

Aye.
 
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