bilge pump? what to do with water that won't come out the drain hole?

OddballNo3 · 04 June 2024, 16:13

So after an oops of forgetting the drain plug on my old avon 12', I took on a fair amount of water, but I noticed that even inclined at pretty extreme angles there was still quite a bit of water under my wood floor. my temporary solution was to put it bow down, squeeze a siphon hose through a little spot up front and siphon it out. it looks like the keel creates a space between the wood, and the bottom material that can't get out. has anyone else had this problem? I was thinking I could install a bilge pump, but I don't have an electric start motor, so not sure if I can pull enough power from the old Johnson 25 while running to run a bilge pump. or are there any other things I could do? thanks folks!

Fenlander · 04 June 2024, 18:04

Do you leave your SIB on the water? because if you pack away at the end of the day or use a trailer you can tilt it up and drain this water.

For me the space water can lay between the floor and outer material is good as you can ship a fair bit of spray which remains under the floor and away from your/kit.

OddballNo3 · 04 June 2024, 20:54

Yeah even at about 45 degrees there is still water.. thats pretty hard to accomplish while out

Steve509926 · 04 June 2024, 21:33

45° is one hell of a angle! Was the drain open? Was the drain hole blocked? Is the drain hole big enough?

OddballNo3 · 05 June 2024, 00:30

Wide open problem is i have a space between the floor and once it drops below the drain hole its trapped

Fenlander · 05 June 2024, 01:30

I can't really understand what is happening here but a basic manual bilge pump will shift a lot of water out of a SIB.

Pikey Dave · 05 June 2024, 08:40

We use a large car washing sponge to get the last drops out.

Steve509926 · 05 June 2024, 09:03

I had a similar problem and did consider using a bilge pump on a switch with a 12v battery in a battery box.

https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/loe-be...ads-87920.html

In the end it happened so infrequently, only when I was on a mooring and it rained heavy I didn't bother with a bilge pump.
I found that providing I could get on the plane and maintain a straight line speed of approx 8knts, the water eventually, 10 mins or so, emptied out of my sib.

Peter_C · 05 June 2024, 18:27

Most all boat will have a little water remain, even with a bilge pump. If you don't have a battery an electric bilge pump is kinda useless.

It is possible to leave the plugs out and run at speed for awhile to pull much of the water out of the hull.

This is one kind of manual bilge pumps used for kayaks that will actually pump a decent amount of water. I bought another brand with a stainless shaft for my kayak. You might be able to rig up some kind of hose that connects to one and passes under the deck.
https://www.rei.com/product/100294/nrs-kayak-bilge-pump

tinker · 05 June 2024, 20:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_C

Most all boat will have a little water remain, even with a bilge pump. If you don't have a battery an electric bilge pump is kinda useless.

It is possible to leave the plugs out and run at speed for awhile to pull much of the water out of the hull.

This is one kind of manual bilge pumps used for kayaks that will actually pump a decent amount of water. I bought another brand with a stainless shaft for my kayak. You might be able to rig up some kind of hose that connects to one and passes under the deck.
https://www.rei.com/product/100294/nrs-kayak-bilge-pump

I use one like this for the aerotec, it's a suction pump so isn't fussy on priming like the centrifugal auto bilges that will never completely empty a bilge as they lose their prime once the impellor isn't fully submerged.