A Whale of a Fail: Emergency bilge pump

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by Johnno

Not 40 miles off shore, How about 1000 miles SW of Galapagos with only 2 on board and get a rope around the prop which tears the stern gland out of the boat and shatters the internal shaft tube (log!) The Engine could be run in neutral to charge the batteries but the 12v bilge pump couldn't keep up with the influx of water despite trying amalgamating epoxy putty and plastic bags hammered in around the shaft internally. We were still taking more than 60 litres of water every 45 minutes so the Whale hand pump was a necessary tool, however it failed after 12 hours of use. We had a rebuild kit so installed that and the Whale pump again failed after 24 hours!! We had 2 West Marine stirrup pumps which we used continually every 45 minutes for 29 days until we reached Tahiti!! A great pat on the back for those great stirrup pumps! and a kick in the arse for the Whale pump.

Thats a very good description on why you need good efficient high volume bilge pumps,
Things do happen at sea, Pointy end of a Container or a floating log, In your case a rope around the prop,
Thats the reason I moved my batterys from the bottom of the hulls to above the sinking waterline of my boat,
Same level as the motor is,
With out power in an emergency, Your in deep Poo, I have that covered now,
12 hours on a hand pump, Are you related to superman or just excessively fit,
They do take some extreme energy to keep pumping by hand,

Are those stirrup pumps intermitant or continuous duty, I havent heard of these pumps, I will look into them,

I dont care who makes the pumps, But they must be efficient and work well when you need them, Hopefully we never need them,
But they do get used more often than people realize,

Cheers, Brian,

[Tollesbury]

Some truly bonkers posts here. Why blame Whale pumps before understanding that the user has a responsibility? I've used Whale pumps forever - and still do - no issues. But there again, I maintain my boat and its equipment. Go figure.

[hpeer]

I have whale pumps, a bunch, on both boats. The ones I have have been fine.

My beef is the company was sold and the new owners seem to have very little interest in customer support. I called asking for some parts, I didn’t even get to talk to a rep, the secretary just shouted over her shoulder to a guy. No explanation, just “No.”. Wasn’t always like that.

Good pumps, now bad service. That’s my experience anyway.

I think that was at the heart of the OPs comments.

[Training Wheels]

Originally Posted by thereefgeek

.



If you're sailing in saltwater, Aluminum has NO place on a sailboat in my opinion. The last thing on my boat that was made of Aluminum was the Pepsi can that I just put in the recycle bin...

My aluminum mast has been doing pretty well, just sayin’......

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by Training Wheels

My aluminum mast has been doing pretty well, just sayin’......

If part of it is standing in salt water it will get eaten away sooner or later. Wet steps and aluminum masts are a disaster waiting to happen. Keep the step dry and the mast will outlive the boat.

[sailorchic34]

While it's true that the Whale pump the OP had was defective from the factory there is one other issue.



Really all bilge pumps need to be tested when installed and at least every year and before major passages. I've found several times where a pump shaft had seized or a float switch did not work. The Prudent sailor will check that all bilge pumps and bilge switches work as well as the manual pump(s) work.



It's just good seamanship. Really I do a manual run of each bilge pump before (or after) most passages. Mind you it has been a few years since I last tested the manual whale 10. That's added to my list... again. DOH!



When I installed my whale 10 ages ago, I dumped a bucket of two of water in the bilge and tested the pump, just to make sure that it would work. It did.

[John L. Cwierz]

Dear, dears,
It is surprising that til this day and year we have to resort to a pump, manual pump to remove the water in the bilge, as it is gushing in.
Well, I had the same problem when crossing the Gulf of Mexico from Galveston to Clearwater. LOOK, the best way to get the water out of the bilge is using a BUCKET, YES, A BUCKET. iT IS SURPRISING THAT YOU ARE NOT AWARE OF THIS.
I had to bucket out, every day of the 30 I spent when that crossing, solo, mind you, from Kemah, TX to Clearwater. Everyday, in the evening, about 200 liters of water got into my bilge. Yes, I'll tell you why- cause the shaft of the pump unglued from the propeller, the pump constantly running, running out the batteries, and. There you go, go the the BUCKET. Best way. Now, you can sleep tonight, well. You have learned something new. Best regards.

[transmitterdan]

One person cannot bail with a bucket as fast as a 1 gallon per stroke manual pump. At least for a while. Eventually your arm gets too tired and you have to rest. Same with the bucket. But it’s pretty easy to move 100 gallons in less than 5 minutes with a big gusher or Edson manual pump. And I am pretty sure the amount of work needed to drive the manual pump is way less than using a bucket.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Johnno

We had 2 West Marine stirrup pumps which we used continually every 45 minutes for 29 days until we reached Tahiti!! A great pat on the back for those great stirrup pumps! and a kick in the arse for the Whale pump.

Would be interested in a part number or model number on this pump. I looked on the West Marine website and could find no actual stirrup pumps. Closest I found was a tube pump with an up/down stroke handle like a bicycle air pump but none showed a foot stirrup.

[HopCar]

Skipmac, take a look at Beckson Marine. They make some nice pumps that I think Johnno would call a stirrup Pump.
https://beckson.com/tmpumps.html

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by HopCar

Skipmac, take a look at Beckson Marine. They make some nice pumps that I think Johnno would call a stirrup Pump.
https://beckson.com/tmpumps.html

Thanks Parks. That looks like the West Marine pumps I think he referred to but with an actual foot stirrup which would make it much more effective and efficient. I have a couple of the WM type for dinghies and my ski boat and they work quite well but none have the foot stirrup.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by John L. Cwierz

Dear, dears,
It is surprising that til this day and year we have to resort to a pump ...

According to Beth Leonard of BoatU.S., 9 out of 10 people who call to report a sinking say, “The bilge pump stopped working.”
“That’s not why the boat sank.” (she might wish to reply)
Simply put, the failure to keep water outside the hull is the essential reason boats sink.

[Mr B]

I assume one of these, They do pump a lot of water,

[HopCar]

Originally Posted by Mr B

I assume one of these, They do pump a lot of water,

Mr. B, Those are actually very poor water pumps but they are great for inflating pool toys.

[HopCar]

I think this is what is being called a stirrup Pump. I’ve never heard it called that but sounds like a good name to me.