bilge pumps

agprice22 · Feb 6, 2016

I wonder if you need to bother. What happened to the old pump? Do you slip the boat or trailer sail? How long do you leave it? Is it at a marina?
Do you get water in your bilge? If not, why go to the trouble? If so, fix it, and then you don't have a problem.
The most serious threat to sinking in a C22 is the volcano (if you have a swing keel). Keep the clamps tight and replace the hose every couple of seasons, and you are good. Mine had a pump wired in, and over the 3 seasons we owned her, it never ran once. I sold a replacement volcano and keel cable kit with her. Seems like a waste to wire in a pump. When I pulled her from the water for the new owners in the Fall after I sold her, that pump had still not ever run.
Be careful to keep the hatches closed, the scuppers clear (this is a more common problem than the volcano, but it won't sink your boat as fast), the windows sealed, and the volcano in good shape. That will do it.
I have an Oday 272 now, and I don't have an electric bilge pump. I have a solar fan to dry the condensation and a manual pump.
If a through-hull goes while you are away, the pump will run til the battery dies. Then your boat will sink! Close any through-hull valves when you leave the boat.
Maybe others will advise you to get a pump.
For a well cared-for C22, I wouldn't bother. Now if you wanna leave her alone for weeks at a time, a pump might buy you a couple hours to save your boat if someone notices it sinking. If the volcano goes while you are away... I don't think any pump you buy for a C22 will save you.

Additionally, will you install a manual pump? Why not if you would install an electric? If you are sinking, the manual pump will work long after the electric pump has died. Still, your best strategy is to prevent or stop leaks. Once you plug the leak, a bucket and then a sponge are the best tools.

Thanks,
Andrew

RussC · Feb 6, 2016

mark rocco said:
looking to buy a new bilge pump for my 22 catalina any suggestions and how to wire thank you in advance mark rocco

sending PM.

Benny17441 · Feb 6, 2016

There are some serious misconceptions about bilge pumps. The function of a small electrical bilge pump is one of convenience. It was designed for and is intended to discharge incidental or "nuisance" water that collects in the bilge. Some install a water level sensing switch to their pumps so this incidental water can be discharged automatically. What these bilge pumps are not, they are not safety items and lack the capacity of keeping a boat afloat in any significant water intrusion. The worst thing in considering a bilge pump as a safety fixture is that it can create a false sense of security causing less care in maintaining valves, hoses and clamps, fixing leaks or like Agprice says keeping the cockpit scuppers clear of debris. I agree that a pump might delay the sinking of a boat for a small period of time but whether someone comes to the rescue or not is a matter of chance or luck and nothing that could be relied on. There is no substitute for maintenance. I have one in our boat because I would hate having to get down in my knees to scoop up water into a bucket. Food for thought, if bilge pumps were intended to be a safety item then the smaller boats should be equipped with the larger pumps because their interior space is smaller and will fill up faster. Another piece of information is that pumps installed in boats will never achieve their rated performance due to inefficiency. A 500GPH might only discharge 100GPH on the average. Hope this helps.

agprice22 · Feb 7, 2016

mark rocco said:
thank you Agprice for the info...

You are welcome. Like I said, I remove far more water from my bilge with a sponge and bucket than anything else. The sponge also helps keep the bilge clean! I seem to get a condensation around my keel bolts when I launch the boat each Spring. I sponge it up, and the bilge stays dry all season. On my C22, I let more water in with the crib boards than anything else. Just sponged it up.

I don't know how well your scuppers work, but my boat sat beneath some pines that constantly clogged my flat, flush-mount scupper strainers. Ugh! A hard rain would leave 4 inches of water in the cockpit!
I went to Lowes and found some 1 1/2 inch wide sink strainers and installed them upside-down over the scupper holes by sticking them down with butyl rubber. That gave my strainers some height. Now, when the draining water swept the debris against the strainers, water would run up above the debris and drain! Yay!

By the way, I loved my C22! It was a sweet little boat! So easy to store and trailer. It sailed well too.
Thanks,
Andrew

agprice22 · Feb 7, 2016

No. I never have to bail. My boat is sealed well. I never had to bail my C22. If I got any water, it was a small puddle that was easily sponged up. It usually came from the crib boards on the C22.

Where is your water coming from? Fix that, and you won't be bailing! You should not be getting water in the boat besides a few drips from the crib boards. It is ironic that more trouble is caused by water coming from above the boat than from below!

If you did not get a title or registration for your trailer, you can try creating your own MCO. I have done that in the past when I bought trailers which the PO did not register. The MCO is a certificate issued by the manufacturer to the first purchaser. It is used by the DMV to issue the first registration or title. People often avoid registering the trailers to save money and avoid taxes. It screws up the next owner. I bought a trailer once that had been sold 3 times without anyone registering it! I gave up trying to straighten it out and just created my own MCO. You can get blank MCOs. Put your own serial number on the trailer if you need to, and create an MCO. The DMV will issue a title or registration with an MCO. Check your state laws to determine what size trailer gets a title.
You can message me for more info on the MCO of you like.
Good luck,
Andrew

Benny17441 · Feb 7, 2016

Mark the point is that if you have leaks the solutions is to trace them down and fix them. I understand that in heavy downpours most boats will take in some water and that is a perfect reason to install a bilge pump. In this day and age no one should have to manually bail rain water from a boat. As long as we understand that a bilge pump will not replace visits to check up on the boat and will not replace tinely maintenance there is little downside to installing one, they make our life easier.

agprice22 · Feb 8, 2016

I think the way I would mount a pump in a C22 would be to epoxy a mounting plate beneath the step in the companionway. Mount the pump to that plate and plumb it to the cockpit drain thru-hull. Put a good loop in the hose, so you don't get any back-flow. Or you could run it to a new thru-hull along the waterline. Wire it in before the breakers, so it stays powered even when you shut down the breakers!

Thanks,
Andrew

Davidasailor26 · Feb 8, 2016

agprice22 said:
Wire it in before the breakers, so it stays powered even when you shut down the breakers!

True, but do put a fuse on the supply wire close to the battery, to protect the boat in case of any shorts.

Barnacle Bill · Feb 8, 2016

There are a couple different types of pumps you can buy. Rule makes a small pump with an electronic sensor in it that senses the presence of water, by cycling on a regular basis. If there is enough water to pump, it will pump until the water reaches a low level and then it turns off and starts to recycle again until the water is at a level where it will pump again. Very convenient, but because it cycles eventually it will kill your battery if you leave it unattended for too long. If you visit your boat regularly, or have shore power where a battery charger is always keeping your battery topped off, then it is just fine. I believe the pump is designated as a 25-A (the A means automatic). They make the same pump without the A and that means it needs to be switched on, or a remote float switch has to also be wired in, which is my preference. It doesn't matter what type of pump manufacturer you choose, really, I just wanted to mention that technology from Rule. Everyone wants to epoxy everything, but if you ever want to separate whatever you are epoxying, it becomes difficult or impossible. Simple silicone will keep a pump in place and most pumps come with screws and so they can be attached that way, as long as you don't drill holes through your hull. As far as wiring, if you use the Rule 25-A,you just need to run a 12v source to the pump (which is two wires - one positive and one negative). It is a good idea to put a fuse in line to protect it from an overload. The pump manufacturer usually suggests the fuse size based on the pump you buy. If you are going to use a float switch, then you need to bring a negative lead and attach it to the negative side of the pump, which is usually black and the positive side should go to the positive side of the pump (usually brown or red) and then you would put the float switch in line on the positive side. There are two wires coming out of the float switch and the positive lead is attached to one of those wires from the battery and the other wire from the float switch goes to the positive wire on the pump. Of course the float switch has to be secured just like the pump does. There are some other pumps on the market that also have float switches inside the pump that is not electric. In that case you just run the positive and negative wires to the appropriate wires on the pump. When dealing with 12v, polarity is not important with a simple light bulb. Switch the wires around and the light will still light when the switch is thrown. But anything with a motor needs to have the right polarity noted. If you wire it backwards, the motor will run backwards.