Need help mounting bilge pump

[TomMcKinney]

I am adding a bilge pump to my skiff. Have one up front, forw foot is the lowest point at rest, but I want to add one to rear for pumping out water underway. I have an automatic low profile pump. Should I screw it to the plywood hull to get a low as possible or attache to stringer?

While drafting this message I realized that getting all the water out is probably the job of the forward pump at rest and if I can't get it all out underway, then "tuff-tacos"--opinions? advice?

I'm worried about screwing it to hull as plywood not that thick--if screws go through hull what do I do? Is that even bad (assumeing I grind flush on outside)?

[On Vacation]

MOst lf the time, we mount the pumps on a piece of wood, glued to the bottom or in the update version, a piece of pvc or starboard board. In lieu of this, you can make a pad of pieces of fiberglass. The reason for this also is to get the pump and float, if you use one, up a little, to keep the pump from cycliing on and off when the water runs back down the hose, when the pump shuts off. You can then screw the pump to this piece, counterboring carefully a small pilot hole. Put a loop in the outlet line if you have room, and this will eliminate some of the backing up when shut down.

[ 05-10-2003, 07:07 AM: Message edited by: Oyster ]

[Rosebud]

The general rule is to put the bilge pump at the lowest point (with the boat at rest).

We wonder why your skiff needs even one bilge pump much less two bilge pumps. Before you become the expert on bilge pump placement, ... have you figured out why the boat leaks so bad?

For that size boat you should track down the leaks, fix them and not need any pumps. Except the hand pumps after a good rain.

[Gary E]

Tom,

Since no mention was made of just how big this skiff is, I will think it's a nice 36' or so Chris Sea Skiff. With that in mind do just what Oyster sugested and maybe one more little feature that will tell you that something is wrong while you are running.

When underway and somthing goes wrong that causes the pump to stay on you want to know this, here's how. To indicate that run a wire from the pump float switch to a indicator lite at the helm, that lite will come on whenever the pump does, if that stays on, you know something has sprung a leak that you might not find untill you slow down and see the floorboards floating.

Here's hoping you never need it, but it's there just in case.

Good luck

Gary

[On Vacation]

I don't really see that Tom says the boat leaks. Many people install bilge pumps for safety measures. It maybe that it has rained in it while using it, or washdown? . Maybe he will come back to tell us the boat type and give us more info that will say if its rain or sea-fresh water from the lake-river-ocean that is in fact in the boat?

Bilge pumps will need to be lower than the float switch. Depending upon what type of pump, is it on an automatic switch, or manual? If it is a Rule, standard in the industry, the larger ones have a plastic bracket that mounts to the screen part that allows the pump to be a tad lower than the remote switch.