Lou,

? Normally it’s on the port side (left) about where the centerboard pennant (wire/rope) goes.? The Manual bilge pump (whaler) is typically in the cockpit with the pickup on the starboard (right) side of the same location.? Apparently that is the deepest location of the bilge.

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Make sure your bilge hose is in good condition.? My PO had used garden hose which was brittle and narrow.? Bilge hose is all of $1/foot even at Wallet Marine.? I happen to like WM for the record.? The beat the tar out of our other local option Backwater Ships Store where the owner has a free nasty remark for every customer.?

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My solution to this particular headache was a West Marine electronic switch bilge pump kit.? I like the cartridge setup because I can simply replace the pump in it’s housing.? WM will probably continue to make it for eons to come.? The hard part is mounting the switch and pump.? You have to get it totally dry, and then clean it with acetone to get rid of the grease.? The PO had a piece of plywood in there to screw things too.? I used 5 minute putty style epoxy, although I’m now very fond of 1 minute and 5 minute epoxy that WalMart sells.? It’s cheap, not messy and easy easy easy.? Anyway, the bottom line is that you glue the sensor in place.? Knowing damn well you’ll have to break it off some other day.? It beats fiberglassing a piece of wood in there and having 2 inches of water in your bilge that the switch can’t see.

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As for the pump, it has mounting “ears”.? Use a pair of pliars to liberate those (break them off).? My pump just sits there and then I zip tied the hell out of the hose.? The pump … as we say in Texas, Ain’t going no where….? Really, who cares if it moves an inch forward or back?? It’s the exact width of the bottom of the bilge (once you remove the tabs) and so it will just sit there and get you down to ? of an inch.

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Make sure you clear crap out of your bilge.? There are little pipes that run through the bulkheads…. Things get in there that shouldn’t and clog them up.

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I keep two “oil sorbent” float thingies (bout $10/ea from WM) in the section right in front of the engine.? This gives me the assurance of getting 99% of anything that gets in my bilge.? Seeing as I have an old Diesel engine…. Yea, well it’s good to have them there anyway.? They will suck up the oil should it get in your bilge.

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Brian Greul

Texas Shirt Company

713-802-0369 / 713-861-6261 (fax)

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