Skipper 20 Missing Bilge Pump. Suggestions?

[SRM]

Greetings, folks.

I'm a first time boat owner and bought a Skipper 20 at the end of the last season.

It's a fixer-upper, to be sure, but the price was right and much of that can be done once it's back in the water. The biggest thing I need to address before putting it in aside from some new bottom paint is the bilge pump. There isn't one, only a short, obviously distressed hose leading to the discharge port in the stern. Unfortunately that was overlooked when I picked up the boat since I had a broken foot and couldn't go aboard.

So, I plan on installing a low-profile 12v pump and then also a manual backup. It may be overkill but a manual backup saved my bacon some years ago so it'll provide some peace of mind, especially if the battery runs low.

What I don't know and can't seem to tell is where the original pump would have been located. Does anybody here have any info/ suggestions on the right placement in this particular boat? Any other tips would be much appreciated, too.

Thanks!

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Welcome to the site.

And no, you're not guilty of overkill.

I plan on installing a low-profile 12v pump and then also a manual backup. It may be overkill

The 12V automatic pump is just a nicety . The manual pump is a mandatory .

Sorry I can't help you with pump locations on this one but if anyone knows, they're lurching around here, somewhere. They'll show up eventually .

 

[Will Gilmore]

Welcome to SBO, SRM. You are embarking on an amazing voyage onto the sea of sailboat ownership and you've joined the right crew to help you weather the storms ahead.

Congratulations on your find, she's a real beauty. I am unfamiliar with that make, but boy is she a salty looking little sailer. In my limited experience, a boat of that size doesn't often come with a factory installed bilge pump. Chances are that's an addition installed by the P.O. (previous owner). Is it not possible to call the guy you bought her from and ask?

There really shouldn't be any wrong place. Go over the boat, get familiar with her, pick out a pump and install it in a convenient location that makes sense to you. Chances are good that you will actually find the old mounting, if it was actually mounted in place.

I agree with Ralph, the manual pump is a necessity. Even much bigger boats have a manual emergency pump. If you are leaving her in a slip or on a mooring, the electric pump with a float switch is also mandatory.

Good luck and enjoy that gorgeous boat of yours. We here at SBO, love pictures. I hope when you get her sail's up and out on the water, you remember that.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[rgranger]

I agree with Will... that is a salty looking little bug. Nice find.
A thought I had regarding location would be to spill about a half gallon of water in the boat, rock her back and forth and yaw her fore and aft and see where the water settles the most.. then install the pump there.

 

[SRM]

Thank you, folks. I'm glad I'm not being overly-paranoid, then.

The PO isn't available, unfortunately. The only info I got from him on the boat's history is that he trailered it up from Florida this past spring, realized he was no longer able to sail for health reasons, then sold it to me in early fall. He said the pump was seized, but never mentioned anything about it being gone.

I'll be keeping it in a slip on Lake St. Clair, so having an electric monitoring water levels is a must since I won't be there every day. There is 0 room between the floor of the cabin and the hull, so it makes some sense that it wouldn't have had an OEM pump. The boat I've sailed previously - an Ericson 27 - had room between the cabin floor and the hull so there was an obvious place for the pump. This boat has a hatch to nowhere on the floor just behind the companionway steps that appears to be as low as it gets. I can stare at what looks like the ballast about an inch below the lip. I'll find a way to stick my low-profile pump there, then install the manual so it's accessible from the cockpit with the intake hose landing in the same spot.

 

[Benny17441]

Some of the smaller boats have no bilge other than the cabin fiberglass sole. 1st) determine if the boat is taking in water while docked, 2nd) find and fix any leaks 3rd) a bilge pump is a convenience item and it does not have to be permanently installed. I had a wet boat that leaked like a sift when underway through the keel trunk so I connected a 500 GPH Rule to a 12V plug and a short piece of hose that would discharge into a bucket. You get the picture, about every 2 hours I would plug the pump in and dump the bucket overboard. I had a manual pump for emergencies but operating the electric pump was easier. Check where the existing hose ends for a past possible location. For safety there is no substitute for frequent periodic checks for all valves, hoses and clamps and the promp correction of a any found leaks.

 

[rgranger]

That is a very sexy boat. I went online and found some more pics of that boat type. They seem very hardy and well loved. The capsize ratio is also very good for a pocket cruiser at 2.12. I can imagine replacing the rig with a carbon fiber and dyneema setup and getting the capsize ratio under 2.0.

I like the way the P.O. replaced the rubrail with cord. I think that looks very appealing. Have fun with your new boat and please post more pictures as you fix her up.

r

 

[SRM]

Thanks again, everyone. I ended up purchasing a Rule LP900S that should fit snugly wherever I end up placing it, and will add a manual displacement backup accessible from the cockpit so I can pump and steer at the same time in an emergency I hope never arises.

EDIT: I have now also purchased a Whale Compac 50, something that I'd be able to operate while manning the tiller.

I'll post some pics as I do the installations.