These boats are pretty dry so I see no reason to add a bilge pump. I rarely see more than an once inside after a three hour kayak trip. Even after towing my kayak all day through rough weather, I don't get more than a cup of water inside.
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| Bilge pump in your yak? http://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=41995 |
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| Author: | 65Strad [ Fri Apr 06, 2012 8:28 am ] |
| Post subject: | Bilge pump in your yak? |
Got my 2011 Oasis and used it for part of last season. I've read that some people have installed battery powered bilge pumps in the hull of their kayaks. I didn't have any in hull water issues last season but I plan to do alot of solo fishing in my tandem. Maybe better safe than to be sorry. Curious if you have a bilge pump in your Hobie or not. Thanks. |
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| Author: | Mark N [ Fri Apr 06, 2012 11:04 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bilge pump in your yak? |
These boats are pretty dry so I see no reason to add a bilge pump. I rarely see more than an once inside after a three hour kayak trip. Even after towing my kayak all day through rough weather, I don't get more than a cup of water inside.
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| Author: | KayakingBob [ Fri Apr 06, 2012 1:17 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bilge pump in your yak? |
If you are going to wire your boat for a fish finder, then adding a pump is pretty easy. If not, you probably wouldn't want to carry the battery necessary to power it (more added weight). I always recommend carrying a hand bilge pump (like Hobie #72020032) which should handle most situations. |
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| Author: | Thrashie [ Fri Apr 06, 2012 3:40 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bilge pump in your yak? |
a hand bilge pump should be sufficient for the rare (if ever) event... I keep one on my TI and PA and have never had to use either. my pa never gets water inside unless it's a really rough day and waves are crashing over the bow. |
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| Author: | stobbo [ Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:22 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bilge pump in your yak? |
I have experienced my boat filling with water when some way offshore due to a veeeery small crack in the drivewell area. Old salts do say that nothing shifts water faster than a frightened sailor with a bucket and I would be a bit dubiious about relying solely on a bilge pump as they do have a reputation for blocking up with bilge debris (in full sized boats). I would also be a bit concerned if my only bilge pump solution involved operating with the hatch wide open because of the danger of swamping. If you install a battery powered bilge pump then bear in mind that a) the pump will stop if the bilge water reaches the battery terminals and b) that when the battery runs flat the pumping will also stop  My solution is always to carry a carwash sized sponge in the centre hatch area (so I can reach it without getting my butt wet) and this proved sufficient to bale out the bilges at sea and allow me to get to shore safely for a complete bale-out and thence back to my start point. I was able to open and close the hatch between waves to sponge up water with the sponge - something I would have struggled to do with a "through-hatch" bilge pump. FWIW the hull was probably about 1/3 full of water by the time I discovered the leak (this says something about the stability of the boat and the power of the mirage drive... or the dopey captain, though in his defence it just wasn't very apparent that there was a problem until the boat was that full!). I baled the hull out a bit before heading to shore, more to reduce my stress levels than to make the boat feel more seaworthy. (P.S. Hobie very kindly replaced the hull under warranty without quibble). |
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| Author: | 65Strad [ Fri Apr 13, 2012 5:07 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bilge pump in your yak? |
Stobbo, Which Hobie do you have? Pretty confidence inspiring hearing how sea worthy your yak is/was. I have been caught in some pretty sudden nasty windy conditions with the wife in my Oasis, water always over the bow, super choppy. Never once was there a hint of losing control, and fortunately no water in the hull. Stability even in a following sea making our way back. I don't recommend making it a habit, but i know that I have a stable seaworthy yak in my Oasis. I just asked the wife if she ever felt nervous that day and she thought it was fun. |
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| Author: | stobbo [ Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:04 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bilge pump in your yak? |
Adventure Island and Adventure - I use the AI almost exclusively as a kayak w/o the outriggers. It was my AI hull that failed on that occasion. The fact is that all the Hobie kayaks are pretty stable - some may feel more stable than others and some may indeed be more stable than others but as far as I can tell all of them are stable enough that people don't seem to be regularly falling out of them due to some kind of inherent instability in the design. Sure wind/wave action may cause a kayak to flip or unseat the occupant(s) but even this type of fall only seems to happen in extremis - I guess the reason is that most people in kayaks are able to just pack up & go home when the weather turns to custard; few kayakers get themselves into situations where they really have to sit out adverse conditions because they are unable to make it to some kind of shelter. Personally I am very confident that my Hobie will see me through anything I am daft enough to let myself get caught out in and I always keep in mind the old nautical adage that the boat can take a lot more punishment than the crew which has been a source of confidence about my ability to make it home unaided when I have been caught out ! I don't go looking for trouble, however and would always err on the side of making things comfortable for my crew (me) rather than testing the stabilitiy curve of my boat when I go out 
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