Gusher Bilge Pump

[hinmo]

Hi - question: does the manual bilge pump in my 74 CD25 reach the "deep" bilge towards the stern?

I have now launched and have a minor thru-hull leak in another place and want to assure I am pumping her out as completely as possible.

Thanks

[Bruce Bett]

John:

Here is a comment I made several years ago on a similar topic.

I do not have an automatic bilge pump. I do have manual pump permanently installed in the cockpit.

The following is excerpted from my posting of 4/18/2000:

" The bilge has a sump. It is below and just aft of the icebox. In the 77 model they glassed over the sump(that is the liner covers it). I crawled in the cockpit locker and cut a hole through what appears to be the bottom of the boat (you know it's not because there's a keel down there). The sump is quite deep. I ran about 18" of 1.25" (riged) pvc pipe down there. I attached a strainer at the bottom and a hose at the top. The hose goes to a pump (the Whale urchan that Practical Sailor Thinks so well of), installed through the locker. The hose exits into the laserette through the access hole. "

I'm not sure a standard surbmursable bilge pump would work dow in the sump. You could get it down there by shoving it aft from the access hatch in the cabin, but then it would just kinda fall till it got stuck or hit bottom. If I wanted to install an automatic bilge pump cut an access hole in the liner under the cockpit where I ran my 1 1/4 pvc pipe. There may or may not be room down there for a submurseable pump but unless somebody else jumps in here who's tried it, that's how you'll have to find out. If you do please post the results. I for one would be interested.

Bruce Bett
Sostenuto
Cape Dory 25 #496

I should say that that the 1.25" pvc pipe that I used was from a trap assembly for a sink. What glassed to the liner at the bottom of the space below the cockpit was the compression fitting that seals the tail coming off the trap into the drain pipe. With this arrangement the pipe can be lifted out to clean the strainer.

Bruce

[hinmo]

Thanks Bruce....this is begging for a picture or diagram.

So the gusher pump does not reach to the bottom of the sump?
Where does the input to the pump reside?


Thanks

[Bruce Bett]

John:

I no longer own Sostenuto so a picture is out of the question. It's kind of hard to describe but I'll give it a try. The deep sump in the bilge is located as you said aft of the ice box. You can get to it from the cockpit lockers. As you look into the space below the cockpit you will see the sides of the hull coming down in a nice curve, but up forward toward the bulkhead separating the locker space under the cockpit form the cabin,right above the keel is a small somewhat triangular flat spot. If you knock on it it will have a distinctly hollow sound. What it is is a thin liner above that sump that you want access to. I cut a small round hole in the liner and inserted a drain pipe. I used a stranded pvc sink drain. I sealed the drain pipe, with the slip nut and washer facing up, to the liner using epoxy putty. I got a long tailpiece, attached a strainer to the lower end inserted it through the drain pipe all the way to the bottom. I then pulled it up about a quarter of an inch and tightened the nut and gasket. I attached the hose from the suction side of the bilge pump to the top of the tailpiece. With this arrangement it is possible to pump out almost all of the water. Keep in mind that I am describing from memory a project I did over 17 years ago, and that my CD 25 was a 1977 model. Some changes were made over the years. What you see in your boat may not be exactly what I described for either or both of those reasons. The link below is to a "how to fix your sink" site. I tried to use the same nomenclature they did. perhaps it will help you visualize what I'm talking about.

Hope this helps

Bruce

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/850758185828883048

[hinmo]

Thanks Bruce- without the rig your talking about, how much water could I be holding? Whats the capacity of the sump area?

I had the boatyard pro's install a garboard plug in the deep sump-keel, so will have them put on the lift to drain it mid season

[Bruce Bett]

I have no idea how much water the sump holds. I wouldn't worry about draining it mid season, just get it outbefore it freezes.

Bruce