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Battery-Powered Handheld Bilge Pump
http://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=55202		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  recycle [ Fri Jul 03, 2015 12:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Battery-Powered Handheld Bilge Pump
I have recently had to deal with a flooded hull on multiple occasions with my Island (crack in the hull). I carry of course a hand bilge pump with me. Having used it a couple times now, though, I have to say that it takes both a lot of time and a lot of effort to empty a hull. In rough conditions I actually think it would be close to impossible.

So I recently picked-up one of these:
TeraPump TRHA01 Battery Operated 2AA Pump

Image

It's a battery-powered fuel pump but works with water. It is not fast but it will empty the kayak at least as fast as a hand pump and do so much more easily. I found it works well -- unlike the hand pump you could probably even empty the hull while your body was in the water. The shape also makes it easy to empty the hull on land: I can tilt the nose up and stick the long pump all the way into the other nose and empty the boat completely.

For $18 I consider it a virtually a must-have accessory. FYI...

(Hmmm... I just read this and it almost sounds like an ad. I have no commercial gain from this! :D )
Author:  fusioneng [ Fri Jul 03, 2015 6:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Battery-Powered Handheld Bilge Pump
If I could find a small automatic bulge pump with a float or something that activates it automatically I would buy and rig into my TI in a heartbeat. Something really tiny battery operated with maybe a quarter inch output hose. Every weekend I go out and when I get home I have to vacuum out between 2cups and a quart of water out of the hull (this gets really old). I suspect the water comes in a little bit from everywhere not just the main hatch. I was out offshore today and it was a little rougher than I usually prefer (2-3 ft chop). I suspect the water is coming in everywhere because when pounding very hard at high speed you can see the entire boat bending and twisting as you crash over the chop. I was out offshore on the 6.5 mile superboat race course practicing for tommorrows race (well pretending anyway (lol, don't think I set any lap record, but I had a blast)). I was hoping to get some video of them out there practicing on the racecourse, didn't see a single one (last year I saw and videoed about 15 or 20 different super boats). I just walked out and measured about 3 cups in the hull, which is actually ok, I usually take in much more when I'm out hot dogging off shore, so I guess it was a good day (lol). I had fun anyway.
Still want an automatic pump though.
Edit: I often do 50-60 mile day trips and it concerns me that the boat takes on water, the rough it is normally the more water comes in. Not sure what I could do about the water intrusion, thus the automatic bilge pump.
FE
Author:  recycle [ Sat Jul 04, 2015 3:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Battery-Powered Handheld Bilge Pump
fusioneng wrote:
If I could find a small automatic bulge pump with a float or something that activates it automatically I would buy and rig into my TI in a heartbeat. Something really tiny battery operated with maybe a quarter inch output hose.

I've been thinking along those lines as well. There are some threads in these forums of people wiring up an automatic pump and battery... of course that involves drilling a hole in the boat for output which I admit I'm always reluctant to do... it would be nice if one could just hook a hose up to the existing drainage port with a valve of some sort. But short of that, a battery pump you can just use by opening the center hatch on occasion seems like a reasonable compromise.

If you search "bilge pump" in these forums though you will see totally automatic setups people have done.
Author:  Thinwater skinner [ Mon Jul 06, 2015 7:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Battery-Powered Handheld Bilge Pump
recycle wrote:
In rough conditions I actually think it would be close to impossible.


Sounds like you need to get the crack fixed for take it to a dealer for repairs... In rough conditions you are not safe even if you are wearing your PFD. Sounds like you are in the ocean/gulf/sea, and you never know when a rogue wave might apear out of no where... Just my 2 cents worth... Hope things go well in your adventures in the future... Good LUck
Author:  recycle [ Tue Jul 07, 2015 3:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Battery-Powered Handheld Bilge Pump
Thinwater skinner wrote:
Sounds like you need to get the crack fixed for take it to a dealer for repairs... In rough conditions you are not safe even if you are wearing your PFD. Sounds like you are in the ocean/gulf/sea, and you never know when a rogue wave might apear out of no where... Just my 2 cents worth... Hope things go well in your adventures in the future... Good LUck

Thanks, yes I've got a cracked drive well and I am getting it replaced. My only point of this thread was anyone may need to pump out their hull in an emergency and the manual pumps are a lot more difficult to use than I think people may realize... and a battery-powered one is a very small investment for an emergency.
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