SeaSense manufactures rigorously tested, innovative products, ensuring superior quality and functionality in order to meet and surpass customers’ expectations. This brand has been around since 1984 and sure has the experience. It is a well trusted brand in the marine industry.
The SeaSense Hand Bilge Pump ($36.95) comes in different sizes. The one you choose will depend on what you need it for. It has an anti-leak design with a removable hose, making it easy to store. It is lightweight and rust-resistant. This and its compact design make this bilge pump good for reaching small and narrow areas to pump out water.
Its high-impact handle is ergonomically designed for easy grip. There is a plunger spacer at the end of the shaft inside the tube that prevents the shaft from coming up too far and misaligning the plunger washer, which forces water up and out through the outlet and into the hose.
This pump can be used for very dirty water, as it will not suck in mud and rocks. This makes it very useful for irrigation repairs. Just make sure you pump some clean water through it and flush out the muddy water to avoid blockage. You can also change the hose if the one that comes with it is not long enough. It will not affect the pump's functionality in any way.
This pump is ideal for small, tight areas.
Rule was founded in 1974 with the aim of selling water pumps, pumping systems, and accessories. Since then, it has partnered with over fifty major high-end manufacturers, making water pumps for residential, agricultural, commercial, and industrial applications. Its products are of superior quality and functionality in addition to being budget-friendly.
The Rule 25D Submersible Bilge Pump ($19.82) is a non-automatic 500-gallon-per-hour, 12V DC pump that works excellently for a humble price tag. It features an easy-clean snap-lock strainer with silent and vibration-less operation. It has a compact design and is made of strong, durable materials.
This pump is fitted with marine-grade blocked wiring, which protects and extends the motor's life. It features anti-airlock protection and ignition protection, and will not burn out if it runs on dry. This pump is also rust- and corrosion-protected, as it is fully submersible. It is recommended for smaller applications.
Seaflo specializes in researching, designing and manufacturing micro pumps, pressure systems, AC/DC pumps, DC blowers and other related accessories that are used in the marine, industrial, agricultural, and water sports industries. It also takes responsibility for the supply and marketing of its numerous products, as well as after-sales services, ensuring you get a great user experience.
The Seaflo 12 Volt Electric Bilge Pump ($104.99) is electric and fully submersible. It is ideal for use in a boat to pump out water from a leaking cabin or from an errant wave. The pump is encased in high-impact ABS housing. Its heavy-duty motors have stainless steel shafts and tough thermoplastic bodies for maximum protection.
Its unique automatic discharge function can endure long-term continuous operation. How’s that for heavy-duty? This small pump is highly efficient and can pump out 3700 gallons of water per hour. This pump comes in 12 and 24 volt versions. It operates silently and without vibration, and has anti-airlock protection and exclusive moisture-tight seals.
Seattle Sports was founded in 1983 by two brothers who are paddlers themselves. They wanted to create dry bags that would reliably seal out water and ensure dry and safe paddling. This brand was one of the first companies to manufacture dry bags using radio frequency seam welding. Since then, Seattle Sports has been manufacturing other products, such as paddling and car top accessories, camping gear, and boat carts.
The Seattle Sports Paddler’s Bilge Pump ($19.74) features a very comfortable, easy-to-grip molded rubber handle for convenient use. Its neon green color is quite bright for added visibility. You can add a one-inch internal diameter hose to this pump to route water further away from your boat, though this is not necessary. At 12 ounces, this is a super-lightweight pump, which is easy to use and compact for quick storage. It is constructed with high-impact heavy-duty plastic.
Here are some other great products by Seattle Sports:
With Shoreline Marine’s wide range of after-market marine and boating parts and accessories, it has you covered from bow to stern. After many years of experience, this brand knows all about the usual problems encountered in boating and related activities, and seeks to provide valuable solutions through its high-quality products. It also has step-by-step videos and instructions available to help out its numerous do-it-yourself fans.
The Shoreline Marine Bilge Pump 600 GPH ($13.73) pumps out 600 gallons per hour through its ¾-inch output hose. This electric pump is easy to install and has universal mounting that does not need any modification. It comes with mounting bracket and stainless steel hardware. Its motor is housed in tough thermoplastic casing.
There are other bilge pumps from this brand. Some of them are listed below:
Let’s delve into a situation that has unfortunately happened to many sailors:
What was that sound?
Are we taking in water?
How much water?
Are you bailing now?
WHAT? Bail as fast as you can. Bail! Bail!! Bail!!!Lucky for you, this does not need to be the scenario if you’ve got yourself a handy bilge pump. All experienced sailors are used to having their vessels take on water. They may not all be as dramatic as the exchange above, but in any case, whether it’s just a huge wave or rain splashing water into the boat, or any number of other reasons, having water sit there is not a good thing.
Water sitting in boats for too long can result in a couple of complications. It can damage the boat’s hull, create imbalance in the ship, it can even lead to the creation or widening of a leak in the hull. For these reasons, it’s always important to remove this water as soon as it collects. The good old-fashioned way of doing this is by bailing the water out using bowls or buckets, which is highly inefficient, to say the least.
Bilge pumps are the more efficient means of removing water that collects in any vessel – big or small. A bilge pump works by using pressure to direct water through tubes and out of its hose. This highly effective device can be the difference between smooth sailing and a disaster. Whether you use an inflatable boat, canoe, kayak, or a yacht, it is imperative to have a means to remove water quickly and regularly.
Bilge pumps are a necessary addition for safe sailing and they come in different power ratings, sizes and more. Finding the best bilge pump for your boat can be a confusing process, but in this guide, we will help simplify the process for you.
We understand that you need a good bilge pump. We also understand that you may not have all the money to spend on this important item. With this in mind, we went ahead and conducted thorough investigation to ascertain how much a good bilge pump will cost. From our research, we found that a good bilge pump can be bought for anywhere between $15 and $100.
A bilge pump’s price is based on factors including the type of bilge pump, the output, the power, and more. What you will choose depends on your budget and the features that are critical for you. There certainly are more expensive ones as well as cheaper ones that didn’t fit our qualifications. While you can of course choose to invest in the more expensive ones if they have the features you desire, we decided to leave out cheap pumps, and advise you to do the same, as they often perform inadequately.
Finding the bilge pump that will most effectively serve your specific needs can be difficult if you don’t know what to look out for. To makes this easier for you, we have detailed some important features for you to consider in order to make the best decision possible. These include:
Now let’s examine these a little further.
There are different types of bilge pumps which can be differentiated by their methods of operation. There are the hand pumps which require the force of manual pumping to work, the manually activated pumps which need to simply be switched on/off, and finally, the automatic pumps, which will automatically suck water when they detect it. The different types obviously mean different levels of convenience during operation. Of all the different types, only the hand pumps do not need any form of electricity to work, which can give them the advantage over the other pumps in certain situations.
The rate at which the bilge pumps remove water is also very important for consideration. This is measured in GPH (gallons per hour), which determines how effective the pump is. Bilge pumps with higher than normal GPHs are best for big or fragile vessels. They are also better in cases with greater water intake which threatens the safety of you, your passengers, and your vessel, as they allow the water to be sucked out more rapidly.
Some bilge pumps depend on electricity to function, such as manual and automatic pumps. These will usually need to be plugged to an electrical outlet from time to time in order to function, so it is important to make sure your boat is able to provide this power. Each bilge pump will also have its own voltage, leaving it up to you to determine if it suits you and your boat.
Bilge pumps come in different sizes and shapes. Hand pumps have a similar narrow tube shape, while others might have a more rounded shape. This can be of importance with regards to how much space there is and where it can be stored when not in use. This can be more important with smaller boats which have limited space capabilities compared to larger boats.
The hose is the portion of the bilge pump that funnels the water out. This can be an attachable pipe or a protruding plastic portion of the bilge pump. Some pumps are designed to allow you to attach a pipe of any length you want.
A device like a bilge pump will frequently come into contact with water. This can lead to rust and corrosion in its various parts. Certain bilge pumps brands take this into consideration and make sure they use materials that are rust and corrosion protected or provide parts with extra coverings for the more sensitive parts.
Some bilge pumps are more portable than others, and some with detachable hoses, this can be important based on the size of the boat. Certain boats or canoes have little space and therefore should be outfitted with the smallest pump possible.
The float switch is one of the more important parts of an automatic bilge pump. The float switch will automatically engage the pumping function of the bilge pump when the water level gets to a preset point. This can be a very convenient addition, but you must be careful to not be overly reliant on it, as it could lead to dangerous mishaps if it happens to malfunction.