Since my wife and I are about to buy our first kayaks, we also need to buy all the necessary gear. Are all/most bilge pumps the same? Do some pump more volume of water per strock than others? What is a good pump and what should I stay away from?
thanks,
rob
I like ones with plastic pistons
The steel ones bend easily and that makes the pump harder to use.
Most I’ve seen are the same
Most of the ones I see are all the same red and gray plastic and pump 1 gallon per 6 strokes or so. You may find others at marinas or marine stores but I’m not familiar with those.
voyager
moves a lot of water and is generally the cheapest.
No they are not all the same.
Mine( a Harmony) has about a inch and a half discharge.
One of my many daughters has a real small discharge.
Needless to saythe bigger the discharge the quicker you can pump the yak out.
Cheers,
JackL
more water
more energy to pump. an easier to pump, lower volume pump operated at a higher stoke/per/minute may be what a smaller person needs.
The big volume pumps have a tendency to wear out your arm quickly.
learning to ‘dump’ is a better line of defense.
alfa, take a class.
steve