Small Sailboat - Bilge Pump placement and location for discharge hose

[Sailing345]

Good Day,

I recently purchased a 1994 Seaward 23 (it is 24.5 feet).

At the moment it does not have an electric bilge pump.

1. Where would be the best place to install the pump?

2. Where should I put the discharge hose? I understand that the discharge hose needs to be placed above the water line. I have read, and correct me if I am wrong, that I need to take into account that it may be underwater on some tacks and that I need to put the hose a certain way.

Part of the plan with buying a small boat is that I want to learn to DIY as much as possible so would be grateful for tips (which may be obvious to some) as I am a complete novice at the moment.

I have provided a link to sailboat data in the event that someone finds that helpful in answering:
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/seaward-23

Thank you very much in advance for taking the time to respond and for sharing.

[Don C L]

Ordinarily the bilge pump will be set in the deepest part of the bilge and the discharge in your case can go out through the transom if there are no obstructions in there. That way the heel of the boat won't matter to the discharge. However, I see you have a fin keel, so where is the deepest part of your bilge? You probably have a very shallow bilge so not much space below the floorboards (aka cabin sole.) Do you have an inboard engine on that boat? Unless you are worried the boat may take on water while you are gone, you may not need an electric bilge pump at all. I don't have one and in fact my 60 year-old boat has never had one. That being said I am sure most folks would recommend there be one, especially if you have an inboard engine, in case a leak develops while you are gone, most likely from a stuffing box for the propeller shaft. In your little boat I would guess there is little cause for concern. For an emergency a hand pump is a better choice, and as they say, the best bilge pump is a desperate sailor with a bucket.

[Orin]

Depends on the system. I am not too familiar with the seaward. Been on one before.

Bilge pumps general go on the low point of the boat. Could always poor a cup of water in the bilge to see where it goes.

As you alluded to a gooseneck isn’t a bad idea.

A note on DIY. It’s important to read carefully and thoroughly understand what you’re doing. I’ve seen a few boats that were basically totalled by putting a screw in a deck without sealing it.

There are a lot of approaches and valid ways to get things done. Just make sure when it’s done it’s right.

I’m still undoing the previous owners DIY repairs on my boat. It really would have been better for the boat if they just let it go in some ways.

[wyb2]

I don’t know anything about the Seaward specifically, but it it is similar in size and displacement to my boat. First thing to consider is what is the purpose the pump? The reason I ask is a lot of smaller boats have closed cell foam hidden somewhere such that the boat can never truly sink.

No positive floatation? Then the bilge pump is there to keep your boat above water if something happens when you aren’t on it, and is a pretty important safety system when you are on it.

Positive floatation? Then the bilge pump is more of insurance against the possibility getting everything inside submerged in (salt?) water.

Either way, best intake is the lowest spot you can find, best discharge is high-ish on the transom. In case 1, you will want to try to fit a typical centrifugal pump down in the bilge, and run the hose as directly as possible to the discharge. In case 2 (the one I’m in), you have more flexibility. I’m planning on running a diagram style pump, which moves a lot less water, but I can mount wherever and run an intake hose down to the bilge. You can’t do that with a centrifugal pump because it can’t self-prime.

Also, automatic, or no? An automatic setup can alert you to a problem you wouldn’t otherwise notice for a while (what’s that splashing sound coming from the transom?). In case 1, I would go for an automatic setup.