oc electric bilge pumps

kneeol · Post by **kneeol** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 3:19 pm

I just have a couple questions about this topic. I know some open boaters love them and some hate them saying it does not allow the open boater to progress their skills to a point to avoid water getting in their boat in the first place. But I'm still interested in the following.

Who has one?
Who wants one?
Did you build or plan to build yours?
If you bought a ready to install system where did you buy it?

Very interested in your thoughts and feelings and looking forward to your responses.

dccjon · Post by **dccjon** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 4:48 pm

for a little less than $100. Rule 1100 pump, small lead-acid battery, fuse, switch and a small pelican case. I made it removable and switch it back and forth between my Outrage X and Caption. Have a second Rule 1100 for the Caption to run twin pumps.

Jim P · Post by **Jim P** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:32 pm

Attwood 1250 - I use a twin system designed to move from boat to boat in about ten minutes. I used a single pump for a Detonator and Zoom, twin pump for Ocoee and larger.

kanur · Post by **kanur** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 12:34 pm

After seeing a bunch of them at IALF I for sure want one in my Prelude. Would prefer a light wieght battery, but it's like the old drag racing saying " Horsepower cost money, How fast do you want to go?"

Jon · Post by **Jon** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 11:39 am

Try looking at the batteries they use for Radio Controlled toys. They are not cheap, but they are as powerful and light as possible. I use two at 7.2 volts (in series?) and run the pump on 14.4 volts (alternator output level).

old and in the way · Post by **old and in the way** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 1:15 am

Wow - you kids and your new fangled gadgets. i feel like a dinosaur with my plastic jug...

ohioboater · Post by **ohioboater** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 2:41 pm

I'm tempted to start using a pump, too. Not for river running really - I like the challenge of staying dry. But it'd be great for play time. I'd love not having to pull over and dump after every hole ride or every time I pearl on a wave...

Scott R · Post by **Scott R** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 2:31 pm

Here is an overview of the pump I put together for my Zephyr.

Zephyr Bilge Pump

I.Circuit Diagram

The circuit was fairly simple, consisted of a 5 amp hour 24 volt NiMH battery with a waterproof switch, a doube pole double throw relay, 12 volt voltage regulator and the two pumps with fuses wired together using a circuit board from Radio Shack.

The circuit starts out running through a 5 amp fuse so incase there is a problem with the circuit before the pumps the fuse will blow and not short out the battery. Next it the 12 volt regulator Integrated circuit, the first pole is the power in, middle is ground and the last is the 12 volt power out. This is used for the relay because it requires 12 volts to operate the internal switch. The 12 volt output of the regulator then goes to the waterproof switch then to the relay, the other end of the relay switch goes to the ground. Now the power goes into the relay for each pump with 2.5 amp fuses between the relay and the pumps. After the pump head back to the negative side of the battery, ground.

The use of a relay is so that the main power draw does not go through the waterproof switch, only a small amperage goes through the waterproof switch to open and close the relay. I chose this because I did not want all of the power draw going through the waterproof switch. The switch is rated for 5 amps so it could handle the draw however if something shorted out it could pull too much amperage through the switch and short it out. I did not want to risk ruining an expensive switch. Also a double pole single throw relay would work but when I put everything together a double pole double throw was the only relay that I could find without ordering it.

This is the circuit board along with the fuse block, the black box is the relay.

Note: When I put everything together I had included a Protection circuit board for the battery to cut discharge once the battery dropped below 20 volts. This would help to extend the life of the battery by reducing the number deep cycles to zero in theory. What happened though was that it was only rated for 3 amps and the two pumps pull right around 3 amps and the board was fried.

II.Housing

All of the electronic connections and the battery are housed in a S3 dry box. I drilled a hole in the side for the wiring and then caulked the opening once the wiring was in place to waterproof the box.

You can see how everything is layed out with the circuit board in front of the battery with mini cell foam holding the battery in place. I tested the waterproofness and I had no leaks with the box under a foot of water in my bathtub and also one on the river with a boat full of water and no leaks. Just be sure to use lots of caulk when sealing the hole and be sure to work it in between the wires.

Picture of the housing, pumps and switch.

III.Placement in the boat

I have an Esquif Zephyr that is outfitted with a bulkhead vs thigh straps so I attached everything to the front of the bulkhead.

I pushed two threaded stainless steal rods through the bulkhead to use to secure the housing and pumps. Then I used two sets of cam straps and attached one end to the threaded rods by cutting a hole in the strap and running the rod through and using a fender washer on either side to help hold the strap so it will not tear. From there cut the strap to size. The strap on top is holding the top of the dry box and the bottom strap is holding the pumps and the dry box.

You also see the discharge hose plumbing. In retrospect I would have been better having two discharges, one on each side, close to each pump; but I already had drilled the hole for a discharge in the rear of the boat so I routed everything to the rear discharge using 1 1/8 hose.

Note: An upgrade that I will be working on will be to increase the size of the discharge hose since both pumps feed into the same hose.

IV.Parts Used

2 Rule 28D pumps – 1100 GPH, 24 volt, 1.3 amps
1 CPI K5111 Waterproof Switch
1 S3 Dry box
1 1 inch PVC plumbing tee fitting
Approx 10 feet of 1 1/8 inch corrugated tubing
1 circuit board
16 gauge wire
1 Solder gun and wire
1 DPDT Relay from Radio Shack, 275-249
1 12 Volt Voltage regulator from Radio Shack, 276-1771
Various nuts, washers and other items mentioned above

Note: My reasons for going with a 24 volt system over 12 volts are for one the battery would be cheaper and there would be a lower amp draw. This is the reason why the battery is cheaper but you trade that for a larger battery pack size, double the cells to create a 24 volt pack vs a 12 volt pack.

CFriik · Post by **CFriik** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 2:46 pm

Scott R how much did all that cost roughly? i am thinking about putting a pump in my zephyr.

Scott R · Post by **Scott R** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 2:51 pm

I am going off memory here but I would say around 300. The biggest costs came from the battery, switch, pumps and drybox. If you want some more detailed info I can dig around and get some more exact prices of things.

Scott Roach

CFriik · Post by **CFriik** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 5:06 pm

nah thats ok.
i just noticed that you are in the states so the costs you tell me wont be anywhere near what i will pay.
but at least i have a list of the stuff you used for the pump.
thanks.

chuckneese · Post by **chuckneese** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 1:33 am

You can find 12 volt rechargeable drills with charger very inexpensive. I bought one at a yard sale for $5. I mounted my pump on a piece of bamboo flooring and slide it under my front air bag. This makes it easy to move from boat to boat. I also attached an automatic float switch.

sdbrassfield · Post by **sdbrassfield** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 2:51 am

I use them in all my OC's. I have rigged my OC's for less than $60.00 to include a 1000gph 3/4" outlet Mayfair pump, 12v, 5ah rechargeable battery, a marine switch (mounted on the pedestal), and a little foam. I know it is lazy, adds a few pounds but it is great and maximizes your water time at the park and plays and "bails you out" running the rivers...

MotorCityOC-1 · Post by **MotorCityOC-1** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 4:22 am

I'm sure you can build one yourself for less (duh!), but for a "plug and play" electric bilge pump system these are awfully nice.

www.rapidrunnerbilge.com

I have to say that customer service from this company has run the gamut from near-heroic to pretty dismal.

I guess that averages out to just okay- but the pump is truly spiffy.

Jon Serfas · Post by **Jon Serfas** » Fri Apr 06, 2007 10:48 pm

I recently purchased the Rapid Runner system. Customer service was on the "pretty dismal" end but when it did show up (almost 4 weeks after my cc was charged) it turned out to be well put together. If you are going to spend $300 on a pump system then you might as well have someone else put the switch/battery housing together for you. The LiPo battery and smart charger are pretty sweet, too. Adds less than 2lbs. to your boat.

Jon

C-Forum

oc electric bilge pumps

oc electric bilge pumps

Built my own...

Built it

Batteries

I used a 12 volt battery for a cordless drill.

for the non-electrician...