[658261]

My boat al most sank this weekend, the float switch stopped working, I am looking for a all in one bilge with a built in float can anyone recomend a good one. It scared the **** out of me that my boat al most sank and i dont want to habe this type of problem again.

Thanks.

 

[SORTIE]

I use the RuleMate 750 for my 22' Downeast bassboat

 

[658261]

does it have a built in float?

 

[Aquarius]

Two bilge pumps with two independent float switches is the only way to get 100% reliability. One switch set at a slightly higher level.

 

[619627]

Bay Rat......Aquarius gave you the best advice, two separate pumps with two independent float switches.

There happens to be a good little article on a new system if you are looking to stick to using one bilge pump:

New approach to the bilge switch

A simple but effective way to CORRECTLY rig a automatic bilge pump:

Installing a Bilge Pump

A excellent review on the various bilge pumps on the market:

20 Electric Bilge Pumps Tested

One rule of thumb that the article clearly outlined with choosing a bilge pump:

-One that has a separate manual switch.
-Moves a lot of water for the amps used.
-RELIABLE!

Here is a good article that supports the TWO BILGE PUMP rule at a minimum on any small vessel:

Those Essential Devices for Keeping Your Boat Off the Bottom

I know from working on the water for years, that many bilge pump problems can be traced to a number of factors, but specifically:

-OLD, with owners forgetting they have to personally check them a number of times during the season (preferable before EVERY trip)
-Crap caught up in the pump itself and not cleaned out
-Old wiring, and bad switches
-Broken float switches
-And the best, A PUMP MUCH TO SMALL TO HANDLE THE JOB OF CLEARING WATER QUICKLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally this one forum has a little discussion on this topic:

Bilge Pump Float Switch Arrangement

Most reliable bilge pump\float switch

GOOD LUCK!

EC NEWELL MAN<>

 

[MACKS]

Two pumps is a must have,one should be hard wired to the battery with no on/off switch,just an inline fuse.

 

[Seajay2]

They have been selling bilge pumps with electronic switches for years, they cylce on every 2.5 minutes, if water is present they engage. They seem to be very reliable and the power used for those cycles is minimal. However there are some boaters who believe that these cycles are a huge power drain (they never were on my boat).

 

[658261]

Thanks for the reply guys, I forgot to mention in my previous post that the reason I took on so much water is that I have ping pong ball scuppers on my boat and a piece of fishing line was stuck in there which allowed water to leak slowly over night.

I Plugged those things right away.

Thanks again for all the good info!

 

[SORTIE]

BayRat166 wrote:
does it have a built in float?affirmative

 

[MIKE TUNA]

All good suggestions but watch and make sure you batteries are always charged. The best pump will not work without juice which is more of a common problem.

 

[658261]

I have dual batteries and I go out twice a week and that gives them a good charge, my biggest mistake was relying on those scuppers that sit below the water line.

 

[loligo]

where'd all the water in your bilge come from? I think thats more important than why your bilge pump didn't work correctly? If as you say, your scupper are to blame, I'd say you need to raise your deck.

All the pumps in the world won't save you even if they do work, your batteries are going to die eventually. How is the water getting in your bilge, are your deck plates faulty or old?

You seem to have problems besides just a stuck switch.

 

[658261]

It is a 19 foot center console there is no way to raise the deck the scuppers are self bailers that at one time be for i owned the boat worked de to the fact that the boat had a smaller engine on it. The boat is rated for a 150 and it has a 150 on it, but in my opinion it should have no more then a 115.

When the water got in through the ball scuppers it automatically drains into the bilge.

As long as the ball scuppers are free of crap it is fine so I pull the plugs when I am out fishing and put them in when I cant monitor them.

 

[Aquarius]

Am I getting this right? Your scuppers are at or below the water line?? The ball scuppers have limitations. They are only supposed to keep water out from the boat rocking back and forth or when you back down and force water against the transom. While moored, the scuppers should be above the water line and the water should naturally gravitate out. No way should it drain to the bilge from the outside. It sounds like you have a problem there.

 

[658261]

Yes, they are below the waterline, I dont like it but there is just nothing that can be done. It is a 20 year old boat and even when it was brand new it wasnt the best of quality.

 

[togmaster]

BayRat166 wrote:
As long as the ball scuppers are free of crap it is fine so I pull the plugs when I am out fishing and put them in when I cant monitor them.


Bayrat i might suggest just the oppiste of what your saying
When your out fishing plug the scuppers and when the water comes in un plug them under power

Next the most important step is never leave you scuppers plugged at the dock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thge boat is self bailing if you get a heavy rainand your self bailing scuppers are plug or clogged you boat will sink

Self bailing means the water seeks its own level and if you get heavy rain with plugged scuppers the water cannot exit the boat
I have seen it hapen to myselfon my 19 Mako
I acidentlly left my plugs in and i watched the boat fill and start going down during a down pour if i was not there the boat woul have sunk.
What i did after that was put a above deck pump so when i fished i left the plugs in and any water i pumped out witht he above deck pump
Ialso added splash guars to my transom and tht helped reduce the water coming in which is common on smaller boats with low transoms

 

[capnkrunch]

It might not be just the weight of the motor forcing the scuppers below the waterline. You may have waterlogged flotation under your deck, you should check this.

Also, this seems to be a serious problem; if water from the deck drains into the bilge, how would you ever cork out if swamped? The deck is supposed to be as water tight as you can make it. I would hate to read about you sinking when you are out fishing some day, I think you should correct these problems.

As far as pumps go, I have a 1250 GPM pump on a '17 CC boat with a float switch. I also have ping pong scuppers which I pull the plugs when I walk away from the boat. I have a second, smaller pump that I want to install in the well near the scuppers and use a manual switch on it.

Good luck staying afloat.

 

[658261]

The boat is not water logged I had it checked, the reason I can not take the plugs out of the scuppers when at dock is because my scuppers are about 4" below the water line and it will just keep filling the boat up with water, there is a hole in the boats decking that allows water on the deck to drain into the bilge.


The ball scuppers were the only thing that stopped water from coming back into my boat but I dont feel like relying on a plastic ping-pong ball to keep my boat afloat.


Oh and BTW the ball scuppers do not let any water in until I tip my motor up at dock so when I am out fishing the boat is as dry as a bone.

I am in the market for a new boat next year, or the year after, so I just need to get by for now.

I appreciate all the replys, I wish this was an easily fixed problem but I have a feeling I have to live with it.

 

[MakoMike]

BayRat166 wrote:
there is a hole in the boats decking that allows water on the deck to drain into the bilge.


I would strngly suggest that you fill in that hole!

 

[658261]

I would do that but then how would the water from the deck ever get out of the boat while the scuppers were plugged?