Thread subject: Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos :: 1978 13' Sport Bilge
Posted by OldFatDog on 08/22/16 - 6:08 AM
#1
The teenie tiny bilge, with drain plug, measures about 4.4 x 4.5 of clear space. Does anybody have a recommendation for a pump with a float switch that will fit in this space or what does anybody use? I occasionally leave the boat at our community dock over the weekend and when it rains (which it always seems to on those weekends) I have to go down to the dock to turn on the current pump etc.
Thanks.
http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y489/oldfatdog/Boston%20Whaler_zpsoa2gqcde.jpg
Posted by sunnydude on 08/22/16 - 1:08 PM
#2
You can find many that perform a cycle where they turn on at set intervals, if they detect resistance then they stay on until resistance is gone. No need for a separate float switch.
Posted by dburton on 08/22/16 - 6:06 PM
#3
When I had my 1976 13' I had Dri-dek tiles on the whole deck. I zip tied a bilge pump to the tile above the bilge. It was a manual pump but one with a float switch would have worked too.
Posted by NCWhaler on 08/23/16 - 7:50 PM
#4
Overnight, who cares as it is self-bailing? Longer- it takes more time to clean the boat than to have put it back on the trailer, which takes all of five minutes.
I do not leave my Whalers in the water anymore. #soggywhaler
Posted by OldFatDog on 08/25/16 - 6:19 PM
#5
With the 40hp Johnson on it the bilge drain is below the water level so it isn't self bailing in this instance. I will probably do as dburton does and mount the smallest footprint pump with an integral float switch just above the bilge if it will not sit down in it.
Posted by butchdavis on 08/26/16 - 6:28 AM
#6
Wal-Mart sells a small Johnson bilge pump that easily fits in the sump. It comes with a check valve which you can discard during assembly if you don't want to use it. You can buy replacement "core" assemblies to repair the pump if you need them. I replaced an old Rule pump in the sump with the Johnson. It needs a float switch to operate so I was able to reuse the Rule switch already installed next to the sump.
I don't like having an on/off switch on a bilge pump so I wired it directly to the nearby battery. If I want to pump out any water before the switch floats high enough to activate the pump I just reach behind me and lift the float until only a little remains in the sump.