Trail Cafe: Trip report - Installing a Canoe bilge pump

Summary:

Title: Installing a Canoe bilge pump
Trip type: article
Summary: Short article on fixing up an old white water canoe, including installing a bulge pumpm
Author: M. Tanton

The Trip Report:

It seems that many members of the local canoe club are installing bilge pumps in their canoes. We are talking white water canoes, and it just makes it easier to get the water out while sitting in an eddie, or even while paddling . Faster too if you have a handrolic bailer along working too.

I've an old dagger legend solo canoe. Once it was a rental from the local University, then sold off to another person, and finally bought by myself 3 yrs ago. To say it is an 'experienced canoe' is an understatement. The red vinyl sheathing is worn through to the grey core material in places. I really enjoy using the canoe, but questioned fixing it up. In addition to the inner core showing in places, the seat is loose, and it is a barge by today's solo canoe standards. I sure do enjoy paddling it though. So this winter I decided to fix it up, as I'm not going to toss it out while it still works for me.

The seat is held in place under two thwarts. The rear thwart used to have two wooden spikes driven down into the seat to keep it in place. However these broke and the back of the seat slides off center often. With a drill press, and a dowel maker this was easy to fix. Neither are actually necessary as a hand drill and store bought dowel would work well. Simply drill a hole some store bought just fits, and make some spikes and drive them in. With a bit of glue in place to hold them to the thwart. The seat is now rock solid again. I'm pleased.

However the point of the article is the Pump. Setting one up is pretty simple. Although truth be told I've not tested my setup yet, as I put the canoe away for the Winter. I'm sure the install is good, we'll see how it works next spring. The 4 basic tasks are:

1) Mount the pump and battery

2) Wire them up, along with a switch and safety fuse.

3) Hook up the water hose to the pump

4) Hook up the other end through the hull.

Turns out it is a good thing the wooden spikes holding my seat in had broken. To mount the pump and battery, I decide to cut two recesses int the bottom of the seat, and wedge both the pump and battery in these. In order to re-drilling the thwart with an extra hole, and bigger holes to accommodate a larger dowel, I had taken the seat out. If the dowel had not broken, I probably would not have cut them or drilled them out to do this work, and had a heck of a time hollowing out the recesses, and done a poorer job for the extra effort. Soif you have the same set up as I do, I'd now I'd recommend removing the seat, even if you need to cut the dowel to do it.

First step was to cut the cavity where the pump fit. This is MUCH easier done on a bench than in the bottom of the canoe. The pump is basically a cylinder that sits upright on a base. So I use the pump as a guide to trace out the shape of it, and using a utility knife I cut the cylinder shape from the bottom of the seat. This is cut to full size, but so that the opening is smaller than the diameter of the cylinder, to ensure it is held tight. The utility knife is used to cut out the ribbons of material to eventually get the correct shape. Then do the same for the shape of your base, and any protrusions from the pump (eg., the wiring connector). It is somewhat awkward to get the last bits out, as by using a cross hatch kind of cutting, you end up with pyramids in the hollow you are making. I found that I could tear these out with my fingers, although it was not super easy.

The pump will now sit in its recess, flush to the bottom of the canoe, with the nozzle pointing out to the back of the canoe.

Next I cut a shallow grove down center of the seat, along its bottom. This is to run the wires between the pump and the battery. You will need more wire than you think, at least I did. I'd joined 3 ft or so to the existing leads on the pump. I twisted the wires , soldered the strands together, and used heat shrink to cover up the joints.

Installed Bilge pump.
Installed Bilge pump.

After that I re-installed the seat and fought the pump into position, it may be a good Idea do this prior to re-installing the seat. However I'd already drove the spikes through the thwart they were siting flush and glued in place. That was enough for the day, just an hour or two.

Next time I got to work on it I realized I did not cut the notch for the battery. Doing so with the seat in place was considerably harder than it would have been on the bench. (Hmm... noticing a theme here?) In this case it was a simple rectangular block shaped hole, which should have been easer than the cavity for the pump, and due to the simple shape. However it took about as much time as the first one.

The battery slides in to the cavity to about 3/4 of its length. Both the pump and the battery are extremely snug. I have no concerns with either falling out in a capsize event. Although you can see that the pump is also held in place by some dowel if it does come loose. That bit of wood is part of my foot brace structure. (No knee straps, just a brace)

Next is wiring up the switch and the fuse. But how to attach the switch to the canoe?

I decide to mount it on the front of the seat, and to try to use a similar approach to the way the seat is held in place, with dowel pining it down. A bit of scrap cedar makes for the body of the bracket to hold the switch and I buy a bit of 1/4 dowel for two spikes. I drill the required three holes. The center hole is just large enough to accept the treads on the back of the switch. In fact I need to twist the switch around and effectively tread the wood with it. Good thing cedar is soft. I suppose a bigger hole would have worked, but the switch mates to the wood very well this way, and is snug. The wood bracket gets three coats of spar varnish for some weather protection, I think it turned out well. Note that the switch I bought had two wire leads from it, rather than bolt holes or spade connectors... this was on purpose.

I cut a slight recess in the seat to take the switch bracket, and dig out a hole for the back of the switch to recess into. In driving in the switch assembly into the seat form to re-size the recess for the switch and the wires I have to pull the bracket out, I'm very surprised how well this holds. It is difficult to pull the assembly out, I have no worries about this coming out unexpectedly.

home made switch holder
home made switch holder

In the pictures you can see I've built the bracket in one piece. Having a drill press ensures the holes holding the spikes are nice and parallel. This ensures the 'spikes' will slide in and out, without sideways/bending stress. If you do not have a drill press and drill the holes by hand, I suggest you NOT build the complete the bracket at this time. Rather attach the switch to the body of the bracket, drill the body of the bracket, get it all wired up in the boat, and then spike it in place at the end of the process. (With glue to hold the spikes in the holes of the bracket).

I've placed the switch front face of the seat, not the top. I figure it will take less abuse there, and be less likely to be bumped on when I'm paddling, loading the canoe, just flipping it over, etc.

I've run a inch or so deep slit from the battery to the switch. I also run the in-line fuse holder here, which just gave me enough wire to make the connection. The wire is tucked into the slit to keep it looking somewhat clean, and to keep the wire from being a tangle hazard.

Battery and switch installed.
Battery and switch installed.

With a flick of the switch I here the whirr of the pump. It sounds anemic, but apparently will empty the boat in a minute or two. (With the air bags keeping the canoe from getting too full in the first place.)

The final step is the run the water egress hose. I bought a package that included (disturbingly wimpy) hose, two hose clamps, and a through hull attachment. Although my pump called for 3/4" hose, and I bought 3/4" hose. They did not couple together. The hose was too small, it loosely slid inside the pump nozzle, rather than over it, and I could not use the hose claps to hold it. Sigh.

Luckily where I work has some old heat shrink tubing, which they let me have a bit of. Even better the person I was talking to waved me off the first bit I was selecting as it was so thick, he was worried I'd melt my pump/hose... Which I managed to do anyways. But being alerted to it I noticed before I really messed up. I was able to reshape the plastic nozzle on the pump, it was not to badly melted, but I had destroyed the end of the hose. By simply cutting the end off the hose, and a second try ended with success. At least the hose seems sort of securely attached to the pump. I may be replacing this in the future.

The final step is to drill a hole up reasonably hight in the hull, at the rear of the canoe. Then connect the through hull adaptor and in turn the hose to it, and voilą.

Cost: hmm... about:

$12-15 Cdn for the hose with through hole kit.

$30-40 for the pump

$1.00 for the 1/4 dowel

$4 for the fuse box (Water resistant)

$8 for the switch.

The Battery would have been about $30.00 (online) to $60.00 (local store), but it was free for me. I think it is a "seadoo" or could be a motorcycle battery. (12V, about 4"x4"x6", sealed). Where did I get it? My brother gave me a car boost gizmo. I even used it once to barely boost a car.

I knew it has some sort of 12V battery inside. So I took it apart, and it was 'perfect' for what I wanted. Even better with a very quick wiring change, the external booster box became my charger for the battery. Ironically, I'm pretty sure I can buy the car booster from the same store that was selling the battery at $60.00, but for less than that when on sale. Now I have the battery and a charger for less than the cost of the battery.

Note: I've not water proofed the battery, fuse or switch. If that causes problems I'll add an update, but it will not get tested for the first time until May or so. I only paddle fresh water so I think it will be okay, as always time will tell.



Gallery

home made switch holder

Switch and bracket

picture of fuse case - water tight; and assembled switch

Switch recess in the seat.

Battery and switch installed.

Installed Bilge pump.

Hose egress

Schematic of sorts.


Content Copyright © M. Tanton 2011


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