JohnHuth Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 I've been thinking of installing either a foot-pump, or perhaps an electric bilge pump. Any thoughts/comments/experiences?Reason: after practicing reentries in windy/wavey conditions, I found that stabilizing the kayak while hand pumping was the hairiest part. Being able to flip a switch and "take care of it" is tempting to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard N Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 Below are installation details on a very lightweight and extremely reliable foot pump. http://www.seakayakermag.com/2003/03Feb/pump01.htm Check the following page for details on the Bosworth, Guzzler pump: http://www.thebosworthco.com/pumps_3.htm .......Method of articulation: see drawing "D" .......Model #: 450 .......Weight: <1 lb. .......Rated: 10 gal. per. min. Richard N Living to learn. Romany, White with Blue trim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee Hall Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 I did a lot of research into foot and electric pumps. Here is a summary of what I learned about each:Foot pumps:Provided you have enough extra space in front of your feet, these are easy to install in most boats. They can be tricky to fit in low volume boats. In my boat, there is a gallon or two of water that wouldn't be picked up at the front of my cockpit, so I would have had to route the hose to behind my seat.Electric pumps:I designed a system that would have allowed me to turn the pump on an off with my sprayskirt on and without taking my hands off my paddle. The pump and battery would have been behind my seat, with the battery in a sealed drybox. The drybox could be taken out of the boat for recharging the battery. The switch would have been a knee or foot operated pneumatic device.The reasons why I decided not to implement these pumps where primarily weight, and in the case of the electric pump, expense. The batteries are expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_f Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 I installed an electric pump in my plastic Capella that I sold. It was an entertaining project, and it was fun to watch the pump work, but I probably wouldn't bother with an electric pump in the future, mainly due to the weight. The pump project cost about $120 with a few false starts, mainly with waterproof switches. I put the battery in the rear hatch, the pump behind the seat, and the switch just ahead of the seat. Sealed lead acid batteries aren't all that expensive, but they are heavy. I trimmed off the bottom of a Rule 500 bilge pump so that it would leave less of a puddle. An electric pump may make the most sense for someone who paddles alone in rough conditions and wants some back-up. (Doesn't sound like something I'm planning on.) However, I always carried a back-up hand pump.I have some photos if anyone is interested.Parts: battery, battery case, waterproof connector, bilge pump, waterproof switch, check valve, tubing, tubing clamps, through-hull fitting, waterproofing coating for wires, wires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Gwynn Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 Here is an easy inexpensive alternative. I used a small battery operated pump behind my seat called the "Attwood Water Buster". It is available from West Marine [http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=39703] I just stuck it behind my seat and put a couple bungies around it to hold it in. It comes with a nice long piece of tubing for the discharge that you can route under your spray skirt. It uses regular d-cell batteries. It will pump your cockpit out in about 5 minutes as you continue to paddle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Nystrom Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 The cost depends largely on what type of battery you want to use. Gel cells are relatively cheap. A 1.2Ah - 2.3Ah cell would be all that's necessary for a kayak pumps system and they can be had for as little as $9 and weigh between 1.3 and 2 pounds. Here's one source for them: http://www.zbattery.com/zbattery/sla-12v.html A charger with the proper leads runs $15 from the same source. NiCd and NiMH batteries get progressively lighter and more expensive, but still aren't prohibitive. A pair of 6V/1500 MAh NiMh battery packs (for RC cars) and a charger costs $54 at Radio Shack. http://www.radioshack.com/category.asp?cat...00%5F000&Page=1 A bit of online shopping produced these at a better price: http://www.all-battery.com/index.asp?PageA...ATS&Category=47 The $27 pair of 7.2V/3000 MAh battery packs would increase the output of a pump significantly. The chargers are cheap, too: http://www.all-battery.com/index.asp?PageA...ATS&Category=54 If you prefer to buy locally, these items should be available at most hobby shops. One other option is these custom NiMH battery packs and a universal charger: http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?Page...TS&Category=269 A little exploring on these sites will yield information on everything from selecting battery types to making your own battery packs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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