Bilge Pump for Slip Only?

[Widget]

Hi all, just acquired a 1979 Macgregor Venture 2-22. Boat is in great shape, and I've sailed on it a bunch (it used to belong to a friend who upgraded to a bigger boat). He used it as a trailer sailer, however, I don't think my 15-year-old Hyundai Elantra is going to pull much, so I've decided to get a slip at a local marina. I'd like to get a bilge pump since this will be the first time in many years the boat has sat full time in water, but know that I only need to have it in case of an emergency at the dock. The boat remains very dry while sailing.

There are no batteries or power on the boat, and I'm looking for a cheap and easy way to make this happen.

Does anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks in advance, and looking forward to joining this community.

[Sheppie62]

My boat has been in a slip for years and I don’t have a bilge pump. Are there any thru hull fittings that could leak, could a heavy rain come in from above. Maybe I should have a bilge pump. Shore power would be best, put a sump pump in it as a precaution if it makes you feel better. Let’s hear what others say, I’m curious also. Part of the problem with the MacGregor’s is there isn’t 1 lowest point in the boat to pump it out very well, models with water ballast, water puddles on each side and I suppose it could sit in the middle as well.

[Interim]

We have a 26S, but I had a similar thought when I first put it in the slip.

If you have no thru hulls, you shouldn't take on any water. If you are getting sea water in, you need to spend your money elsewhere. I get a few gallons when we get 1" of rain or more, but it is quick and easy to bail and sponge out.

That changed last year after a lightning strike, and we were taking on water through the centerboard line tubing. At a pint an hour, that added up to 30 gallons in a week. But hopefully you don't have a similar issue.

A plastic cup and a sponge are cheap, effective, easy to install, and don't need electricity.

--john

[Sheppie62]

Ok not to alarm anyone, but I recently discovered water in my bilge area on the starboard side. It was saltwater. Then I found the likely source. The bathroom sink drain line had come off at the sink bottom. So the the hose was still above the thru hull pipe about 6”. I figured it must have been coming in while boat was heeled over while sailing. Line has a pretty serious kink in it as well, so that probably helped restrict flow in.

[Russ]

My boat has been in a slip every year since 2008. I don't have a bilge pump.

I can't imagine what kind of emergency you would encounter in the slip. No thru hulls to leak. No fittings to leak.

The only use for a bilge pump in the slip is to remove nuisance rain water. And that assumes deck fittings etc. are leaking which can and should be sealed anyway.

If your boat doesn't have 12v or batteries, I wouldn't go through the trouble of installing electrical and a pump. Invest in a good sponge and bucket.

[Jimmyt]

My boat has been in a slip every year since 2008. I don't have a bilge pump.

I can't imagine what kind of emergency you would encounter in the slip. No thru hulls to leak. No fittings to leak.

The only use for a bilge pump in the slip is to remove nuisance rain water. And that assumes deck fittings etc. are leaking which can and should be sealed anyway.

If your boat doesn't have 12v or batteries, I wouldn't go through the trouble of installing electrical and a pump. Invest in a good sponge and bucket.

Just throwing out some discussion here:
The thru-hull that drains my M motor well and sink are pretty close to the water line when my ballast is full. Sheppie62 is saying his X bathroom sink thru-hull is low enough to submerge when heeling.

Down here, we get storms that can put some pretty bumpy stuff in some of the marinas.

Not sure a bilge pump will be effective for removing rainwater, as we don't have a sump for the water to collect in. For this duty, a bucket and sponge, or wet vac would probably be better.

If you don't keep track of your thru-hulls and associated tubing, you could theoretically experience a swamping event (assuming you still have the factory flotation), in either an X or M.

Would a bilge pump save you? Only if your pump was on shore power, or you checked on the boat before your battery went flat.

The kicker is, if your thru-hull goes south, and you get some incidental water, it will likely drop the leaking side/end of the boat deeper into the water. So, what starts as an intermittent leak that only occurs during heavy weather, will turn into a continuous leak after enough water is taken on.

Like I said... just discussing.

[Russ]

Just throwing out some discussion here:
The thru-hull that drains my M motor well and sink are pretty close to the water line when my ballast is full. Sheppie62 is saying his X bathroom sink thru-hull is low enough to submerge when heeling.

This is probably the weakest point of the X/M boats. And that thru hull that sits below the waterline when ballast is full is the weakest link. No seacock to shut it off either.

The OP claims to have a Venture 2-22 which I'm not familiar with. That's a true sailboat without water ballast. Maybe a thru hull for centerboard cable??? Did Roger put styrofoam floatation in those boats?

I've worried about that drain for the sink/motorwell. I'm off grid with no shore power, so a leak early in the week would drain the battery before I got there to notice. Shore power would be a BIG plus to stave off a smaller leak with a bilge pump.

[Jimmyt]

Just throwing out some discussion here:
The thru-hull that drains my M motor well and sink are pretty close to the water line when my ballast is full. Sheppie62 is saying his X bathroom sink thru-hull is low enough to submerge when heeling.

This is probably the weakest point of the X/M boats. And that thru hull that sits below the waterline when ballast is full is the weakest link. No seacock to shut it off either.

The OP claims to have a Venture 2-22 which I'm not familiar with. That's a true sailboat without water ballast. Maybe a thru hull for centerboard cable??? Did Roger put styrofoam floatation in those boats?

I've worried about that drain for the sink/motorwell. I'm off grid with no shore power, so a leak early in the week would drain the battery before I got there to notice. Shore power would be a BIG plus to stave off a smaller leak with a bilge pump.

As usual, my attention span had been exceeded and I was zoomed in on Sheppie62's post, and yours.

I agree with you. If there is no water intrusion typically, and no thru-hulls, a bilge pump is purely optional. The fish boat (large sunfish with gaff rig main), just has a tent over the open cockpit to keep the rain out - which does a fair job. It probably goes a week between being checked on. We get some pretty big rains down here. It has a manual only pump - used to get the water out before going sailing. Take leaky thru-hulls, cheap hoses, fiberglass nipples slathered with 5200, etc out of the picture; and you have very little to worry about.

[dlandersson]

Ummm ... pretty sure the US Coast Guard inspection checklist inlcudes a bilge pump. which can be manual.

As usual, my attention span had been exceeded and I was zoomed in on Sheppie62's post, and yours.

I agree with you. If there is no water intrusion typically, and no thru-hulls, a bilge pump is purely optional. The fish boat (large sunfish with gaff rig main), just has a tent over the open cockpit to keep the rain out - which does a fair job. It probably goes a week between being checked on. We get some pretty big rains down here. It has a manual only pump - used to get the water out before going sailing. Take leaky thru-hulls, cheap hoses, fiberglass nipples slathered with 5200, etc out of the picture; and you have very little to worry about.

[Jimmyt]

Technically, our boats are recreational sailing vessels under 26 ft. I've been trying to find where a bilge pump is actually required.

Commercial vessels in our size range are.

If you have an actual reference for recreational sailing vessels under 26 ft, please post it. By the way, they were manufactured, sold, and licensed without a bilge pump (in my part of the US anyway).

[dlandersson]

Technically, our boats are recreational sailing vessels under 26 ft. I've been trying to find where a bilge pump is actually required.

Commercial vessels in our size range are.

If you have an actual reference for recreational sailing vessels under 26 ft, please post it. By the way, they were manufactured, sold, and licensed without a bilge pump (in my part of the US anyway).

See 15, C. II

[Jimmyt]

Yep. Saw that. Right side of sheet are recommended. Left side are requirements. Bilge pump is strongly recommended, but not required per this sheet.

It's just recommendation II. It is not under requirement 15.c.

[adudinsk]

In Canada...

Sail and powered pleasure craft over 6 m and up to 9 m (19'8"‐29'6")

Personal Lifesaving Appliances
1. One (1) Canadian‐approved personal flotation device or lifejacket of appropriate size for each person on board
2. One (1) buoyant heaving line at least than 15 m (49’3”) long
OR
One (1) lifebuoy attached to a buoyant line at least 15 m (49’3”) long
3. One (1) reboarding device
Note: A reboarding device is only required if the vertical height that must be climbed to reboard the pleasure craft
from the water is over 0.5 m (1’8”).

Visual Signals
4. One (1) watertight flashlight
5. Six (6) Canadian‐approved flares of Type A (Rocket Parachute), B (Multi‐Star) or C (Hand)
Note: Flares are not required for a pleasure craft that:
 Is operating on a river, canal or lake in which it can never be more than one (1) nautical mile (1.852 km) from shore; or
 Has no sleeping quarters and is engaged in an official competition or in final preparation for an official competition.

Vessel Safety Equipment
6. One (1) manual propelling device
OR
One (1) anchor and at least 15 m (49’3”) of cable, rope or chain in any combination
7. One (1) bailer or manual bilge pump
Note: A bailer or manual bilge pump is not required for a pleasure craft that cannot hold enough water to make it
capsize or a pleasure craft that has watertight compartments that are sealed and not readily accessible.


Navigation equipment
8. One (1) sound‐signalling appliance that meets the requirements set out in the Collision Regulations
OR
A sound‐signalling device
9. Navigation lights that meet the requirements set out in the Collision Regulations
Note:
1. Sailing vessels less than 7 m in length can meet this requirement with a watertight flashlight
2. Navigation lights are only required if the pleasure craft is operated after sunset, before sunrise, or in
periods of restricted visibility (fog, falling snow, etc.).
Note: Navigation lights are only required if the pleasure craft is operated after sunset, before sunrise, or in periods of restricted visibility
(fog, falling snow, etc.).

10. One (1) magnetic compass
Note: A magnetic compass is not required if the pleasure craft is 8 m (26’3”) or less and is operated within sight of sea marks (navigation marks).

Firefighting Equipment
11. One (1) 5BC fire extinguisher if the pleasure craft is equipped with a motor
AND
12. One (1) 5BC fire extinguisher if the pleasure craft is equipped with a fuel‐burning cooking, heating or refrigeration appliance
13. One (1) radar reflector is required under certain conditions


Sail and powered pleasure craft over 9 m and up to 12 m (29'6”‐39'4")
8. One (1) manual bilge pump
OR
Bilge‐pumping arrangements

[Jimmyt]

So, for our boats, looks like a bailer would meet the requirements.

I'm not against bilge pumps. I put one in my boat [Rule 1100]. I was just hoping we could chase down what the actual requirements are.

[Be Free]

Based on what's been posted so far, no requirement for a bilge pump for our boats US or Canada.

Personally, I have an electric bilge pump, a manual bilge pump (only used it on other people's boats), and a bucket and sponge.