Second bilge pump

[Ruger761]

Wanted to get some of your alls opinions on adding a second bilge pump or upgrading factory pump. I like the idea of having 2, the original under motor, and a 2nd in the rear. I'm just not sure if there is enough room to add a second one without pulling the tank out to get to the corner space under the tank. Has anyone tried or is it best to upgrade factory pump? Eventually I want to add automated ballast so I have to leave some room still for the hoses.

[Ruger761]

Guess I should note I normally never get enough water in the boat to even kick on the bilge pump. I'm just being better prepared now that I'm adding a lot more ballast to the boat than I ever did in the past. Plus wanting to add a 300# sac in the bow walk way which everyone knows what happens if not paying full attention picking up riders with bow weight.

[Duncan]

Absolutely yes!

This is a great article on suggested bilge pump capacity. According to those guidelines, a 21-26 foot boat needs at least two bilge pumps with 3000-3500 gph capacity.

We upgraded our 2009 RZ2 with three bilge pumps (Mayfair cartridge pumps 1250GPH model 42122). Two were installed in the rear corners for surf lean and the third was swapped for the (inadequate) stock bilge pump. Never needed them but sport tow boats are inherently unseaworthy with the low open bow, heavy ballast, and (some) low gunwhales.

[chpthril]

I would mount it as close the lowest point in the bilge where the water collects.

[Ruger761]

That's a very nice article. I need to pull seat and floor see what u can fit back there. So here's a bother question, current pump is running off house batt. If I add a 2nd possibly 3rd pump would you split them off to the house battery in the event one battery dies I'd still have pumping without having to flip my combine batt switch?

[Ruger761]

To save space to you think it would be ok to go to manual pumps since I have 1 auto pump already?

[chpthril]

Does you current auto pump have internal or external float? If external, you could use the single float to trip all pumps

[Ruger761]

Current has internal switch. But I could probably come off those wires to a external switch for the additional pumps save a little wiring and still keep them all tied together off one main switch

[Ruger761]

So without going to crazy (pulling fuel tank) I can fit one pump towards the back bilge area. Was looking at a possible Atwood 1200. My only issue is the 1-1/8" hose. Space wise I'd like to stick to 3/4" hose. So do I buy the 1200 and let it just build a little more pressure or go with an 800 that is barbed for the 3/4" hose

[Duncan]

So without going to crazy (pulling fuel tank) I can fit one pump towards the back bilge area. Was looking at a possible Atwood 1200. My only issue is the 1-1/8" hose. Space wise I'd like to stick to 3/4" hose. So do I buy the 1200 and let it just build a little more pressure or go with an 800 that is barbed for the 3/4" hose

The 1200 pump will not pump 1200 even with an ideal hose diameter. There is a vertical lift element that will reduce the pumping volume by some amount. Add to that going down hose diameter, which will also reduce pumping volume. Adding one 1200 gph pump to an existing stock pump (300? 500?) will not get you close to guidelines in the article (some may think them overkill but I strenuously do not).

Are you also upgrading the stock pump?

[chpthril]

So without going to crazy (pulling fuel tank) I can fit one pump towards the back bilge area. Was looking at a possible Atwood 1200. My only issue is the 1-1/8" hose. Space wise I'd like to stick to 3/4" hose. So do I buy the 1200 and let it just build a little more pressure or go with an 800 that is barbed for the 3/4" hose

If you are planning on adding a new discharge thru-hull, then by all means, go with the 1200 gph. If you are planning on T'ing into the existing bilge discharge, then just know that with both pumps running and pumping water, their combined flow rate will be reduced. This is a result of the head pressure Duncan mentioned and the single discharge thru-hull being a bottle neck.

[Ruger761]

My plan is to go with the 1200 and add an additional thru-hull basically under the helm side wall, keep it high enough that with ballast its always out of the water. That way both pumps could work as efficiently as they could. Space just gets tight on the older ddrives trying to make it all fit. I'll have to see if I can make the larger hose fit try to get as much out of the pump as I can. Once I get it hooked up, I'll look at upgrading factory one to a larger one try to get closer to the recommeded flow rate. Thanks guys for the help and recommendations.

[Ruger761]

Finally got a weekend to get the second pump installed. Tied into the existing pump switch at the dash.

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Kinda interesting had to widen the hole where the wires come from the bilge area to the helm so the hose would fit. The thicker is the sub floor the thinner is the hull below the rub rail.


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Either there is a support piece there or these hulls really are built like a tank. Either way I was shocked. Thanks goes to Chpthril for the great service and products. And hopefully this is one thing that I never really need.

[Ruger761]

I'm still a little ways from the suggested pump capacity, according to the website Duncan posted, but 1 step closer to it. Next is upgrading factory 500 to a 1000gph.

[hopps1945]

Great info in the article posted here. I have been thinking about adding a second pump on my v-drive boat. The factory pump is located forward of the motor on the starboard side. When we surf and when under way, any water that gets in the bilge is usually collected to the very back of the boat and to the port side when we surf. It takes a lot of water that has to be in the bilge before it reached the pump. Heck when we had the water leak, when we were ballasted for surfing, the belts would start throwing water before I could get the bilge to pump. Course, not a problem anymore since the leak was fixed.

I think I found another item to add to my ever growing list of things I want to do to our Tige.