Beneteau 473 - Help Bilge Pump Selection

Gunni · Mar 30, 2018

Did this surveyor have certification? Society of Accreditied Marine Surveyors or National Association of Marine Surveyors. Perhaps he got his start with the clipper ships during the gold rush? Is this boat sinking at the dock? You should have a diaphragm pump with remote pickup in your bilge sump along with a pump switch. You should also have a manual diaphragm bilge pump in the cockpit with a pickup in the bilge sump, above the electric pump.

Don S/V ILLusion · Mar 30, 2018

CharlesWashburn said:
He specified getting a pump that could handle 150 GPH per foot of vessel. That's over 7,000?

Thank you!

That's a pretty big leak!

It your boat is taking on over 100 gpm, you have bigger problems than selecting a bilge pump and appropriate hose size to handle that. Having said that, we have a similar size but it's in my garage as it produces a fire hose size flow rate and pressure which isn't practical on any recreational boat.

markwbird · Mar 30, 2018

Check out Capt Wayne Canning on YouTube. He's got a video on that very subject. Good stuff.

MitchM · Mar 30, 2018

if you don't have a lot of space in the bilge, fit a bilge pump switch and water inlet tube with screen in the bilge, running up to a remote big - capacity bilge pump like the par jabsco old diaphragm/ belt drive. bilge pump . my par jabsco belt drive bilge pump is located in a dry remote location and is now going on 36 years old (with one pump seals re - build.) i use the Ultra pump switch and have it hooked to a bilge pump counter and high water alarm. (which has never gone off...) I also have a 500 GPH Rule secondary, and a manual whale gusher pump with removable handle, operable from the cockpit.

NYSail · Mar 31, 2018

CharlesWashburn said:
Thanks for the good ideas. I was thinking the float switch on a 3 way switch at the nav panel would be good.

HAHA... No Gunni, the boat has no leaks (it better not after swapping thru hulls!)

What type thru hulls did you use?

SG · Apr 1, 2018

https://www.boatus.com/magazine/2014/december/bilge-pump-capacity.asp - This is from West Marine (for what it's worth).

I'd suggest TWO electric bilge pumps if you're focused on this. You'll need separate 20 amp breakers and a bunch of battery capacity. (Remember, if you really move thousands of gallons, it is going to a bunch of capacity.) I only have one electric Rule bilge pump in the deep bilge (we have one dedicated smaller one for the forward anchor/sail locker). I think the deep, main bilge is a Rule 2500 (though it may be bigger). It has a three-way switch and uses and electronic switch (not a float).

Does the Hunter you have have two sets of manual bilge pumps too? If the surveyor didn't deal with that, I don't think he was following any ABYC standard for offshore sailboats. (You should have one manual pump inside and one accessible from the cockpit.) I'm not sure the electric one is even required?)

150 gph/hour @ Foot is something I never heard of.

PeterBreit · Apr 2, 2018

I think there is some confusion in this email. A pump capacity of 150gal/hour would be useless in an emergency...
I have a similar yacht, a 2000 Beneteau Oceanis 461. Standard installation is an electric pump with a float switch and a capacity of at least 1500 gal/hour better would be 2000 gal/hour. In addition a manual pump in the cockpit with a similar capacity.
If you do any racing especially off shore you are required to carry a 2nd electrical bilge pump.
You can buy a fully automatic 1500g/h pump at West Marine for less then $ 200.00. But installation maybe a bit tricky. The second pump should not be plumped into the same drain hose as the primary one.

PeterBreit · Apr 2, 2018

A correction to me pervious email. I misread the original email because I have never heard of a pump capacity rating per foot ?! My recommended rating is 2000g/h for the whole boat.