Electric bilge and a Hobie PA....more questions

[hook1fred]

Gotta say when I first saw this thread I thought " why would you need a auto bilge in a kayak especially a PA". I guess if its just for the just in case then I can see it. I took my PA to la jolla all the time in some pretty bad chop/wind and never had enough water in it to even use the hand pump I bought ( until the surf landing )

[steveooo]

Hobie Kayaks are pretty watertight. The PA might take on a few cups water in a bad surf launch if you leave the plastic tub in, but those few cups probably won't be enough to even activate an auto bilge.

Probably the most likely reason you will end up with water in your Hobie kayak, will be by drilling unnecessary holes in it (bilge pump fittings, switch panels).

I'd spring for a decent hand pump and keep things simple.

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by steveooo

Hobie Kayaks are pretty watertight. The PA might take on a few cups water in a bad surf launch if you leave the plastic tub in, but those few cups probably won't be enough to even activate an auto bilge.

Probably the most likely reason you will end up with water in your Hobie kayak, will be by drilling unnecessary holes in it (bilge pump fittings, switch panels).

I'd spring for a decent hand pump and keep things simple.

I guess I figure that like a manual bilge pump an electric wouldn't necessarily be necessary but precautionary. A hand pump is $30-ish while an electric would be $50 - $80. I'm not real concerned about the few cups that I may take at launch or landing...I more concerned about the gallons I've taken in a time or two in real gnarly wind, swell and current..there has been times where I've been in what seemed like a washing machine with wind out there. Have you ever tried to paddle (or peddle) while frantically working a hand pump? Heck, I've heard of guys cracking their decks while on the water. Wouldn't it be nice in those rare situations to not have to worry about using your hands for anything other than paddling your ass back to safety? It would have been awesome to have seen a stream of water shooting from the side of my yak for the times I've been caught out there. Hasn't it been proven in threads here that you can install an electric bilge system without compromising the integrity of a yak? Am I missing something here?

[steveooo]

Originally Posted by BrokeLoser

I guess I figure that like a manual bilge pump an electric wouldn't necessarily be necessary but precautionary. A hand pump is $30-ish while an electric would be $50 - $80. I'm not real concerned about the few cups that I may take at launch or landing...I more concerned about the gallons I've taken in a time or two in real gnarly wind, swell and current..there has been times where I've been in what seemed like a washing machine with wind out there. Have you ever tried to paddle (or peddle) while frantically working a hand pump? Heck, I've heard of guys cracking their decks while on the water. Wouldn't it be nice in those rare situations to not have to worry about using your hands for anything other than paddling your ass back to safety? It would have been awesome to have seen a stream of water shooting from the side of my yak for the times I've been caught out there. Hasn't it been proven in threads here that you can install an electric bilge system without compromising the integrity of a yak? Am I missing something here?

I don't think you are missing anything.

I'm the last person that would discourage drilling into a kayak. My yak has two through hull fittings below the waterline. I've taken my fair share of naysayer abuse for those. This mod is one I am a bit more cautious about for one reason- If the the check valve sticks open, there is the possibility that you now have an open hose that will allow water to flow directly into the hull of the yak. We only sit a few inches above the water, so water coming into a fitting above the waterline wouldn't be that difficult. Ever find water in your flush mount rod holders on a choppy day? Even the best check valve won't seal 100% of the water out. Things also corrode fairly easily on kayaks due to us getting wetter in the surf & how close we sit to the water. Anything electrical- from bait pumps, fuses, batteries, to fishfinder connections are prone to corrosion, so there is also the real possibility that the pump won't turn on after water is in the hull. Yes, all of that happening is a "worst case scenario", but I don't think it is too far fetched. If you do this mod, I'd still carry hand pump as a back-up to your back-up just for a little peace of mind.

I'm sure you will never need the electric bilge, or the hand pump. The only time I've ever used my hand pump on the water was to lend it to another kayaker that had taken on water. I apologize if my post above came across as negative. I love guys that push the envelope in regard to rigging up their yaks.

In regard to you original question- most bilge pumps will have a 3/4" hose outlet connection, which will require a 1" hole in the kayak. The fitting looks like this:

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...1#.ULBQ-kSRvW8

In regard to how to actually rig it up, I would take Jim's advice in post #8 on the link you provided.

Good luck, let us know how it goes. We want to see pics of this thing all rigged up!

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by steveooo

I don't think you are missing anything.

I'm the last person that would discourage drilling into a kayak. My yak has two through hull fittings below the waterline. I've taken my fair share of naysayer abuse for those. This mod is one I am a bit more cautious about for one reason- If the the check valve sticks open, there is the possibility that you now have an open hose that will allow water to flow directly into the hull of the yak. We only sit a few inches above the water, so water coming into a fitting above the waterline wouldn't be that difficult. Ever find water in your flush mount rod holders on a choppy day? Even the best check valve won't seal 100% of the water out. Things also corrode fairly easily on kayaks due to us getting wetter in the surf & how close we sit to the water. Anything electrical- from bait pumps, fuses, batteries, to fishfinder connections are prone to corrosion, so there is also the real possibility that the pump won't turn on after water is in the hull. Yes, all of that happening is a "worst case scenario", but I don't think it is too far fetched. If you do this mod, I'd still carry hand pump as a back-up to your back-up just for a little peace of mind.

I'm sure you will never need the electric bilge, or the hand pump. The only time I've ever used my hand pump on the water was to lend it to another kayaker that had taken on water. I apologize if my post above came across as negative. I love guys that push the envelope in regard to rigging up their yaks.

In regard to you original question- most bilge pumps will have a 3/4" hose outlet connection, which will require a 1" hole in the kayak. The fitting looks like this:

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...1#.ULBQ-kSRvW8

In regard to how to actually rig it up, I would take Jim's advice in post #8 on the link you provided.

Good luck, let us know how it goes. We want to see pics of this thing all rigged up!

No problem...I didn't take offense to anything you said in your previous post. I appreciate you engaging...I've seen your work and I definitely respect your opinions and advice. You make a good argument with regard to the check valve...that's definitely the weak link and my concern as well.

Maybe I'm just trying to hard to keep tweaking on this thing...haha...maybe it's time to just go fish it!

Thanks again man!

[StinkyMatt]

Back up plan:

A good kayak without extra holes in it.
A hand pump
Life jacket
A friend




Most kayakers already have at least 3 of the above safety measures in place. Don't over complicate things. If you do, just call it a Bayliner.


Tight lines.

[jorluivil]

Originally Posted by StinkyMatt

Back up plan:

A good kayak without extra holes in it.
A hand pump
Life jacket
A friend




Most kayakers already have at least 3 of the above safety measures in place. Don't over complicate things. If you do, just call it a Bayliner.


Tight lines.

Matt is right, he has three of the four on his list