-
Sorry, I re-read your original post and understand now that you are looking for the bilge pump and not the live well. My mistake. The hose we see in the picture could also be a drain for the live well hence no bilge pump at all in your boat. You would have to trace that hose and see where it goes. Would a bilge output not normally be above the water level? The hose you are showing would be below hence water intake. The live well in my boat drains through the same pump intake however. Darn confusing!
-
For piece of mind I would install a bilge pump at the rear bottom portion of your boat. Hook it up near the live-well pump, you can get a complete kit, switch and all for about $50....
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tsunami-50...n-Kit/11071162
-
Definatly get a bilge.. Nothing worse than looking down and seeing water around your feet when your on the fish... And having to stop to throw buckets of water out....
-
Obviously being relatively new to boat ownership - would you put a bilge outlet out through the transom or through the side? & is it pretty straight forward to drill through the hull? Any options vs. drilling through the hull?
Cheers
-
I have a cheap tin boat.. I used a wash machine drain end.. The kind the clips to a laundry tub.. And attached that over the back of the transom.. Doesn't look pretty.. But no drilling required..
-
1) Install a bilge pump. You can buy a manual pump, but when the shoot hits the fan, you will need your hands free for other tasks (trust me, I've been there).
2) Install a big pump. Common misconception is small boat, small pump. But think about it. 500 gallons of water in a 16' boat is a much bigger deal than 500 gallons in a yacht. I run an 1100gph in my 16'. My 18' has an 1100 and a 2000 (remember that part about being there before :) )
3) Add the hose either over the transom with clamps or through the side. The latter is much sleeker, but requires more parts. The former works just fine if you don't mind seeing the hose over the transom.
If going with thru-hull exit, make sure that the hose goes up and then back down a bit for the exit. I usually mount the thru-hull (the fitting for the hose to shoot through the side of the hull) a few inches below the top of the boat, routing the hose to the top of the boat and then back down to the t-h. This creates a high spot which prevents water from coming through the thru-hull and flooding the boat.
One clue that screamed "livewell drain" in your first pics was that the hose exited at the bottom of the boat. A bilge outlet will be above the waterline. Otherwise your boat will sink ;)
4) If you are going to always be with the boat, and can see the bilge without opening a hatch, you don't need a float switch. If the boat will be unattended or you can't see water collecting in the bilge, you'll want a float. You can buy pumps with integral float switches, but I prefer separate float switches b/c they are more reliable and less expensive to replace if one part fails. Search "float switch Don Casey Boat US" for a wiring diagram on how to do this. Ultimately, you want to end up with 3 options for the pump: off, auto (float switch controlled) and on (on-demand running pump if you notice water that the float missed).
5) I like to mount my pumps in baskets. Something as simple as an aquatic plant basket just to keep debris out of the pump and float. I also add screens to the inside of the pumps.
For those with larger boats that have hidden bilges, you might consider also installing a bilge alarm. It's a float switch hooked up to a buzzer instead of a pump and is mounted high in the bilge. If the pumps fail, the alarm will alert you to the bilge filling up. (again, that whole "been there" thing).
If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.
John
