A bilge pump is an essential piece of boating equipment. When
shopping for a new boat, take the time to compare the bilge-pump
installations aboard the boats on your short list. I have found this to
be a good barometer of the overall care a boatbuilder takes in rigging
and equipping a new boat. While there’s more to a great bilge-pump
installation than can fi t on one page, check out the following tips.
— Kevin FalveyACCESSIBLE American
Boat and Yacht Council stan-
dards require the pump be
accessible to remove debris or
clean its intake screen. This
seems logical, but I have found
that it is less common than
logic — and ABYC compliance
— suggests.Sometimes pumps that
need to be located beneath
engines can be mounted to a
removable board that slides
out for service. In other in-
stances, only those with long
arms can reach the pumpthrough cockpit sole hatches
or deck plates. In such cases,
a pump that can be installed
in the open might be used
instead, with an intake hose
running to the deep part of
the bilge. Strainers (aka strum
boxes) for the working end of
such hoses indicate a builderwho is concerned about bilge-
pump reliability.CAPACITY Bigger is better.
The largest-capacity pump that
will fi t in the area is the best way
to go. A big reason for this logicis that the rated capacity of the
pump almost always far ex-
ceeds the actual performance.
The specifi c reasons for
this will vary with individual
installations. But variables
include the height that water
must be lifted to be discharged
(aka head); the diameter of
the hose used and whether it
is smoothbore or corrugated;
the use of check valves and
90-degree fi ttings; and volt-
age drop. A bilge pump is not
an emergency pump designed
to stem catastrophic fl ooding.
But it should evacuate wa-
ter as quickly and effi ciently
as possible, which can pre-
vent catastrophe or buy
boaters time in the event of
a catastrophe.CHECK VALVES A check
valve may be installed in the
discharge line of a bilge pump.
It can prevent cycling of the
pump. (Water in the hose when
the pump shuts off runs back
into the bilge, fl oats the switch
and turns the pump back on.)
A check valve can also pre-
vent back-fl ooding through
the discharge fi tting if the fi t-
ting becomes submerged as it
might when launching a boat
off a trailer at a steep ramp, or if
aground and listing. But check
valves can clog with salt and de-
bris, so they must be accessible,
and boaters should make it a
habit to inspect these for prop-
er operation regularly.HOW TO
CHOOSE A
BILGE PUMP
PHOTOS: COURTESY WHALE PUMPS (SUPERSUB SMART 650, GULPER 320), COURTESY PERKO INC.
BILGE PUMPS
Mount pumps level,
or with the outlet fac-
ing up, to allow air to
escape the impeller
chamber and prevent
air locks.You can mount Whale’s Gulper 320 high and dry where it is
easily accessible and route a hose from its intake port down
to the deepest part of your bilge. Self-priming with a 320 gph
capacity, it is rated for boats up to 39.4 feet length overall,
and it can run dry without damage. $190; defender.com — K.F.BEACHED WHALE