Bilge Pump of Choice.....

[2.5-21]

I have asked this question before and did not get many opinions.
What are these high end boats being rigged with?
I know the Pump of choice used to be Lovett but they are no longer in business.
The only other sensible choice I can see is Rule....

A lot rides on a plastic disposable pump!

[LakeFever]

I seldom get more than a year or two out of mine. Almost consider them a seasonal swap now

[mrichartz]

I'd Go with rule mines been in my boat for over 15 years never had a problem..
It's all I've ever put in my boats not worth buying a cheap one
curious what they are putting in the big $$ boats tho

[flabum1017]

the rule pumps are very good. the wires on them and the auto switches are imprgnated with silicone sealer to prevent water from wicking into the motor and switch. The Sahara and computerized pumps are junk. The biggest cause of pump failure usually stems from poor wire connections. always use heat shrink in the connections and keep the connections as high in the bilge as possible to keep the water out of the connections.....

[Dave Strong]

We use rule at work, they rarely fail.

Dave

[99fxst99]

Rule.
I got laughed at when I put one in my Hydrostream Ventura II Comp hull....until we were delayed by an hour long downpour at a race where we launched and stayed tied to the pier awaiting each heat. Everyone else was bailing with whatever they had, I flipped the switch and got out of the rain!

[XstreamVking]

Rule has a "new" line of pumps out that replace their old series. They have a check valve (which is good) and a reduced amp draw circuit in them. I have 2 new ones in one boat and will see how long they last. They are expensive @ 95 bucks ea. but are fully automatic. Have one on a switch and one hooked right to batt. Normally I have no water in my bilges, but a backup is required by the coast guard for commercial compliance and is a good idea anyway.

[FMP]

I seldom get more than a year or two out of mine. Almost consider them a seasonal swap now

Could be time for a new mooring cover, top.
Anything wrong with a good regular Attwood?
Used both for years, no problem. How much water do you need to pump in one season to pooch a pump.
Live wells?

[Gordon02]

I'm Glad You Asked! This is one of the most critical pieces of safety equipment all too often left out and neglected in our boats. The importance of getting this one "RIGHT" just hit home in my personal life.

Oh, you asked - Johnson "Cartridge Pump", and the bigger the better. I use an 1100 GPH pump and 1" hose. I now take the bilge pump operation very serious and will always take these additional install steps to ensure that I keep track of it's operation. I like the cartridge pumps because you simply lift a lock lever and turn the pump left 5 degrees and remove. Easy to clean, check, or replace.

I also install a "float switch" with each bilge pump so that it's operation is automatic even if I can't see the water coming in as was the case with my Allison experience. I have a Red LED light in the dash of each boat that "lights" anytime the bilge pump comes one - whether automatic or manually switched "on". This simple Red LED tells me to LOOK - go find out why the pump is on. Raining, fine. Repeated swim entries, fine. Wave or backwash, fine. A livewell drain plugged and a fill pump dumping 100+ gallons of water into the bilge unseen/unheard - NOT OK!

I purchased the brand-new Johnson cartridge pump and Johnson float switch on Amazon for less than $60. The Red LED was less than $3, wiring less than $10. I have installed this 4 times - both of my own boats and 2 for my neighbors. I may have gone a little overboard, but I even powered the pump's manual switch from the main battery and the automatic switch from the Group 31 Trolling battery.

I will add photos shortly - I've got to go take them....Gordon

[LakeFever]

In my case on my old boat being used primarily for skiing it would get soaked pretty often and the pump would run quite a bit and being many drivers often left on to run when dry which i think is the primary cause of failure due to over heat. Cheap crappo bass pro whatever brand I never bothered much looking into a quality one. For my stream I think it looks like rule wins the contest as I only want to do this once and carefully so I can mount in a non hull damaging manner. Was thinking of an over head mount so no holes required in the floor/core area. What say you all for mounting tips to avoid any water infiltration?

[Gordon02]

Use 3M 5200 and short screws. Here are those photos I promised - Gordon

Allison - (almost swamped and could of been much worse).....A plugged livewell drain, a stuck livewell switch and compartment lids to cover it all up......combined with no working bilge pump.


My 1976 Arrowglass river boat -

[99fxst99]

Contrary to popular belief, smaller boats need bigger pumps (within reason) as they cannot accept as much water in the boat before becoming endangered, and tend to have a much larger open area to size ratio than larger boats.

[Radiant]

Contrary to popular belief, smaller boats need bigger pumps (within reason) as they cannot accept as much water in the boat before becoming endangered, and tend to have a much larger open area to size ratio than larger boats.

This x2

[Ted Stryker]

Never a bad reason to install a quality pump. Anyone that’s spent much time on the water has had an O.S. moment and needed to put 200lbs of water back where it came from. I believe in two smaller pumps, as opposed to one large pump. A single pump for rain maintenance or a forgotten drain plug and whatnot, and fire up both for emergencies. And there’s always a spare