Thoughts on Manual BilgePump Placement / Discharge Placement ?

[pclarksurf]

@CaptDon01 : one of your pictures on an unrelated topic started me thinking. I have been looking at a whale manual pump but haven't put much thought into ideal location. I noticed yours appears to be bulkhead mounted on the starboard laz? How are you liking that access and secondarily where are you discharging ? Stern through hull or something alternate?

And not just a cap'n Don question-- if anyone has experience or thoughts I'm all ears.

 

[LakeShark]

I have one on the port side seat face and it discharges through a fitting on the stern. I have a new design so this location makes the hose and pump easily accessible for servicing and inspection. The intake is just an open hose behind the cooler step. Thus far I have not needed it and I hope I never will but its nice to have.

 

[rpludwig]

likewise to lakeshark, our '84 has manual pump on port side cockpit forward, discharges to stern thru-hull...intake is hose laying loose next to volcano...

 

[Benny17441]

Have had my share of trailerables in the past and it has been my findings that for a 22' boat, a bucket is the best high volume water discharge method.

 

[Robert J. George]

pclarksurf; I'm new to this forum, but thought I might have something to add here...
My manual bilge pump is a stock mounting (1984 swingkeel Catalina 22) in the port side lazarette wall with the handle operated from within the cockpit. It discharges via a 1" thru-hull fitting located in the transom about the level of the motor mount (and very near to the motor mount). When I installed an automatic bilge pump (many years ago when the boat was in a slip full time), I simply installed the electric pump at the intake of the manual pump hose, which is located at the lowest point of the bilge under the stern-port settee seat (in the tight "corner"). With this installation, my electric bilge pump can operate on automatic and pumps right through the manual bilge pump (with very little headloss). If the need for the manual pump ever arises, it works just as normal, whether or not the electric pump is operating. The electric pump becomes the intake point for the manual pump, which offers the advantage of the very low water scavenging abilities of the electric pump (down to about 1/4"of water). This system has worked for me for 19+ years that I have owned my boat. Hope this is helpful.

 

[rpludwig]

RJ....perfect, gonna do that, electric has been on my to-do list (have same manual setup now)....

 

[pclarksurf]

thanks Lads! exactly what I was attempting to confirm. I like the concept of a single pickup and discharge for both manual and electric -- sounds like it has been done successfully and perhaps the forward port Laz is the way to go given all the volume of space and relative ease of access.

The joys of drilling yet another hole........

 

[markwbird]

Capt. Wayne Canning. He has several videos on YouTube including one on bilge pumps. Good stuff. Worth a watch.

 

[CloudDiver]

@pclarksurf , I read this awhile ago but forgot to say something... My manual bilge pump is in the spot you mentioned, cockpit bulkhead, port lazzarette. The intake hose is long enough to reach anywhere needed in the cabin, discharge goes to the stern. The problem with the mounting area is that the fiberglass is pretty thin, the pumping action causes flexing of the entire area. I stiffened this by laminating some thin plywood to the area and glassing over it. In retrospect I wish I had done this with G10 board instead of plywood, but I doubt it will ever get wet. Pics in my resto thread.

 

[pclarksurf]

Funny you mention it - I was thinking that there is no way that bulkhead survives without reinforcement -- I knew you had done yours but did not realize you had the pump. Sold on that idea -- like the single pick up and discharge in line with the electric when I get around to it.