I had a design goal of NOT altering the outside hull on my Tiderace Xcite while installing a Whale Compac 50 bilge pump. It is a great pump, up to 13 gallons per minute, just awesome and allows one hand on the paddle while pumping.
Since the Xcite has a rather ample “glove compartment” 4th hatch right in front of the cockpit, I looked into the possibility of placing the top of the Whale pump inserted into the floor of the glove compartment. And, amazingly, it works!
I made sure to reinforce the floor and orient the pump the narrow way so it does not obstruct entry and exit. The removable handle for the pump kept inside the glove compartment too! Since it is on the floor of the glove box, there is still room for my emergency stuff and the whole thing is totally waterproof. If I decide to remove the pump at any time I simply put a glued in plate over the 3" hole in the glove box.
I also did not want to drill a hole in the hull for the exiting water either. So I ran the hose straight forward under the roof of the hull through the front bulkhead (sealed) and after a small coil of hose, exited the outlet through the middle of the front hatch!
Thus, the Whale Bilge Spouts far enough forward to be dramatic but not get me to wet from cold water! If I want to remove it, I simply replace the hatch.
Thus ends the drama of should I go electric or just give it up and use a hand pump. So far, it works massively well.
i(NTERRESTING tideplay
PLease post some photos when you have them (or link internet pics). Sounds very interewtsaing, but without seeing this “glove cpompartment”, it’s hard to imagine.
Thanks for your reply to my bow rudder thread. You do have some points about the stroke. Thanks.
how the outside looks
– Last Updated: Jun-08-09 9:21 AM EST –
Does not show the inside but where it is located. I think LIncoln kayaks started this (WilsoJ shared this with me), P&H has some models with it too. It is about 1/3 size of a day hatch volume.
http://www.tideraceseakayaks.com/index.php/kayak-models/xcite