bilge pumps

just curious,

how many people here take bilge pumps out?

Thanks
HG

I do. I keep it on deck on the bow. You never know. Been used a few times by others.

Yup.  I always have one with me.  Never had to use it  myself, but have had others with me that have used mine.

-Allen

I use a scotty bilge pump to pump out the fish holding tank and occasionally some water play. Never actually needed for emergency situations. Back in 2003, I had a leaky hatch on my Freedom and after a long choppy day on the water, I had enough water in the hull for the yak to be really heavy and slow. The lack of speed resulted in a less than graceful surf landing.

I do after reading the safety recommendations of others. I'm glad I have it. It seems like my current AI takes on quite a bit more water than my older AI.  Haven't had to use it yet, but it's nice to know it's there if I do. Hopefully a new hatch will rectify the situation, but either way, the pump always comes along now.

My regular fishing crew always brings their own on every trip.  We've used them on several occasions for emergencies OTW.
We use this one, it has a metal rod and can pump water 10 feet away:  https://www.austinkayak.com/products/1464/AquaBound-BilgeMaster-Kayak-Bilge-Pump.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping:%20ACK%20PLA&scid=scplp286290&gclid=CjwKEAjw0NytBRD-1d3QsdHNpR0SJACGXqgRFOmRzf6qz5YHhMjUCIkDVIHuF-J3uEnyTvCZzq_LXBoCw17w_wcB

Yes

Never leave shore without one.

Never leave shore without one.

^^^^^ THIS^^^^^

I even bought one for the 2 other people I frequently fish with. 
I've used mine OTW after rolling the Adventure twice at HMB.  That front hatch leaks like a screen door.

about half my paddling is in SIKs, and the pump is always on deck in those.  In the SOT, more often than not I take it.  Exception would be in small freshwater lakes where I could just make it to the shore in a PFD in an emergency.

I always carry a bilge pump in my sit-on-top kayaks.  I figure that if I get a modest amount of water in my kayak, and the waves are pretty calm, I could use it to pump out the water.  But I figure that if I get a lot of water in my kayak, and/or the waves are big, using the bilge pump could be difficult.  Because I'd need to have the hatch between my legs open to use the pump, I'd run the risk of getting water in the hatch and totally swamping my kayak.  And once the hatch is below water level, pumping isn't going to work.  I'd need help from a couple of other kayakers, who would need to pull my kayak up on top of their kayaks, turn it over, and drain it out.  Does anybody have a story about a situation in which they swamped their kayak and weren't able to pump it out with a bilge pump?

I wish I had either (a) a bilge pump which is permanently installed in my kayak so I can operate it without opening a hatch, or (b) a suction hose permanently installed between the bottom of my kayak and a port on the gunwale, so I can attach a bilge pump to the port and pump out my kayak with the hatches closed. Has anybody devised either of these systems?

pmmpete--

There are permanently mounted, electrically operated bilge pumps out there.  Never looked into pricing/ mounting logistics/ longevity in salt, but they do exist.

Having a bilge pump sounds great but how would you use it.I have an ultra 4.7, mgmt hatch is way in the front.I can't image opening it and taking out the water while in the water....??

There are permanently mounted, electrically operated bilge pumps out there.  Never looked into pricing/ mounting logistics/ longevity in salt, but they do exist.

I'd prefer a permanently-installed hand-operated pump, or a port in the gunwale of my kayak for using a hand-operated pump.  Using a bilge pump should be a rare emergency operation.  I don't want to worry about keeping a battery-operated pump charged and operational.  And I really don't want to hit the bilge pump switch and have nothing happen.

Having a bilge pump sounds great but how would you use it.I have an ultra 4.7, mgmt hatch is way in the front.I can't image opening it and taking out the water while in the water....??

Why can't you open the "rod pod" hatch between your legs and pump water out of it while sitting in your seat?

I got one from walmart for 7 bucks.. Looked like a clearance and was the last one..  It is tied with a rope and carabiner and sits in the hull.