Bilge Pump in Keel?

[Sneezewort]

Hi, sailors!
My wife and I are launching our P-18 again after a 7 year delay (we stored the boat when our first son was born). I want to install a bilge pump and place it as deep as possible in the hull of the boat where water collects. Any suggestions on how to set it up? I have a basic bilge pump with a float switch (can't remember the brand) I was planning to install just under the cockpit, but that isn't where most of the water collects. Hoping for some advice.
Thanks!

Bryan

 

[rgranger]

1. Coat a thin piece of plywood with epoxy and then glue it to the sole of your bilge.
2Then secure the bracket of your bilge pump to the plywood using SS machine screws… back the screw out and put a drop of gorilla glue in the hole. This will waterproof the wood in the screw hole… put the screws back in.
3. follow the wiring diagram/instructions to feed it power.
4Clip the pump into the bracket.

 

[JoeWhite]

Pour 1/2 gallon of water in the bilge and see where it accumulates.

 

[JBP-PA]

2Then secure the bracket of your bilge pump to the plywood using short SS machine screws that won't penetrate all the way through the plywood…

More than one person has used too long screws that resulted in a great volume of salty .....

language.

 

[rgranger]

More than one person has used too long screws that resulted in a great volume of salty .....

language.

Yup

Purchased an old boat with that issue once

 

[Dalliance]

I’m not familiar with your boat, so can’t help with exact pump location. Here are a couple points not yet mentioned that are pretty much universal though:
Make sure the discharge through hull is high enough on the hull that you can’t get in-flow on any tack.
There will be some normal back flow from the hose when the pump cycles off. How much depends on the length of the discharge hose. Back flow preventers on bilge pump hoses tend to get fouled up. Just keep your float switch slightly higher than the pump so that the back flow doesn’t result in perpetual on/off cycles.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Assuming you are talking about the Precision 18, manufacturing by Precision has ceased but parts are being sold by one of the owners still. I suggest giving him a call.

 

[Urban Hermit]

You didn't indicate what dimensions you have to use at the bottom of your keel. I had a boat with a deep but generous keel. I mounted both bilge pump and float switch on a piece of 1/8x2" aluminum stock bent at 90 degrees, using most of the stock as a vertical arm, dropped the assembly into the keel, was able to pull it up at will for cleaning/replacement. (Also had a brand new basic Rule float switch that shorted out to the bilge water in a stinkpot, drained the batteries, and nearly sank the boat from rainwater infiltration during a period of culpable neglect. I was punished with a $10,000 repair bill covering the complete replacement of a bow thruster system, AC water pump, yadda yadda.)

 

[JoeWhite]

To find out where the water collects, the boat should be places in the water. Testing it while on trailer is sure to produce inaccurate results.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

If a Precision 18, did you ever call Precision Sailboats? How about some pictures of the boat and bilge area. Are you talking about Precision sailboat which isn’t a stink potter.