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Can anyone recommend a bilge pump for a vintage 16 foot whaler? It is a Mememsha, so, built on the classic 16 foot hull. So, the bilge area is small and tight. The boat has/had an Attwood Guardian 500 in it, but it seems pretty big for the space, and really crowds the control wiring, etc.
I thought someone might know of a suitable and compact pump that would be smaller and still be manual/auto like the guardian.
I got 2 bilge pumps when I purchased my 1974 Montauk. One is a Rule Mate 500 with 3 wires and the other is a Rule 800 with 2 wires and a separate float switch. Both are small pumps but there does not appear to be much room in the sump area for a pump.
Get one that is easy to pop out because everything that falls to the deck ends up clogging the screen.
Don't quote me on this but I believe the one with 3 wires has a built in float switch for auto on. I think I can run it manually or leave my switch on the Auto setting and the built in float will run it when necessary.
I honestly don't see a need for a bilge pump in my application on a small fresh water lake and always good boating weather but I can understand them in big lake and ocean running.
I believe the only pump that works really well in the classic 16 sump is the Rule 500 GPH automatic (NOT a Rulemate 500 self contained float automatic). This little round pump (about $62) has a chip which senses water every 3 minutes, and because of that must have an ON-OFF overriding dash switch. When you need it, or think you will need it, it can be left on to cycle (for weeks if necessary), and it draws only a tiny amount of current. Otherwise it is always off.
Here is my installation in an only slightly larger Montauk sump. The power cord to the pump is wrapped aound it in the photo, and the leads from the pump are clipped short so that if it needes to be replaced in the future, the wiring is readily available without pulling everything out of the sump. Wire connections are wire nuts, filled with silicone caulk for waterproofing. These connections will last forever, even if always under water. Not real "marine kosher" but they work, and last, and last and last!
I use a combination starting/deep cycle battery in all of my boats, which can take up to 200 charge/discharge cycles without damage. A "starting only" battery can't do that..
The black rubber discharge hose (for this installation I do not recommend that typical cheap black spiral plastic hose), with plastic "L" fitting on the end, is simply routed to dump over the transom, tied into the engine cable bundling. You can see it here, in the very top center of the photo:
