Hello All,
I just purchased my third manual bilge pump, an essential piece of safety equipment for emptying water from your kayak.
My first pump was the ubiquitous Seattle Sports Bilge Pump with Float. I used it for several years while practicing self-rescues. However, when I was pumping out the kayak of a paddling pardner who swamped on the Colorado River, the plastic stop at the top of the pump shaft came unglued. I had to pump with less vigor, lest I pull the plunger out of the pump housing. When I returned home, I reglued the plastic stop and went shopping for another pump.
My second pump was the AquaBound Bilge Master Kayak Bilge Pump. It also features a float. Alas, shortly after I purchased it, it developed a crack in the plastic handle. It isn't clear that its ability to pump has been compromised, but the cracked handle, despite the fact that I never actually used it to pump out a kayak, made me wonder whether it was sturdy enough to withstand long-term use.
My latest pump purchase is a Harmony High Volume Bilge Pump. It too floats. Thus far, it hasn't come apart or cracked.
In comparing the three pumps in pumping volume, the AquaBound was the fastest in emptying a 5 gallon plastic bucket, followed closely by the Harmony pump. The Seattle Sports pump was the slowest of the three that I tested.
Ralph Sutter
