And one more thing ... At the last minute I realized I was going to cross the restricted area at Pt Blunt and had to get out; so that was another course mix up :-)
And one more thing ... At the last minute I realized I was going to cross the restricted area at Pt Blunt and had to get out; so that was another course mix up :-)
I bought SailGrib today and ran a simple routing to the Farallon islands for Tuesday. I forgot the tablet in the boat so true testing will have to wait ...
I'm considering getting a mini pump for the bilge. I didn't get more then a centimeter of water in the bilge after Saturday but someone expressed interest in Double Espresso as a cruising boat for the Marquesas and it brought back memories of my qualifying cruise. Kneeling, sea sick, at 25 degrees, getting the water off the leeward hull side using a Ziploc bag ... I'm thinking that, even though it's tiny (which, besides preventing water entry in the first place, is the Crux of the problem), if I can keep the bilge mostly empty I won't have water sloshing around everywhere in the boat. The manual bilge pump has to pump the water all the way out through a long drain pipe and all the water in there flushes right back in ... For less than five dollars on eBay what could go wrong I ask.
Rags' electric pump is one of these:
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/rule-...28?recordNum=6
The trick is I have a check valve just above the pump. Even though the hose is long and full of water, it doesn't run back into the bilge, which stays almost dry.
They only make the check valves for larger hoses, so you need to get the higher-capacity pump (like the 27S) to fit a larger outlet hose. Here's the check valve I have:
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/boswo...CABEgLxmfD_BwE
Last edited by BobJ; 02-25-2018 at 10:39 PM.
All clear, here's the response from MorningStar:
It sounds like you did not have enough charge current(due to sun setting) to stay in absorption. This is normal and should be expected. Solar charging is almost 100% dependent upon sun and environmental conditions. You will NEVER transition to float unless you have met the absorption time requirements.
Darn. Ok, that's it: I'm spending my next boat day at the chart table. A little hair stood up on my neck as I cut that corner, so I knew something was wrong. DSQ time.
Serves me right, spent 15 minutes stuck in the wind hole and tidal rip just east of it. Baby steps.
Mini bilge pump project update: I've ordered the mini pump, mini check valve and 2 meter of tubing, all for less than $10. The only part missing is DC power extension cables to the fuse panel and a plan to put it all together. I'm thinking that the mini pump will be in the bilge, pushing water through the check valve and discharging into a small container inside, which I would empty in the cockpit. It feels like one more thing to tend to but since bailing water out is a problem anyway I might as well look for some degree of automation.
Frolic's main electric bilge pump is a Rule 3700 plumbed to the transom with 1.5" heavy-duty spa hose via a Whale gusher hand pump mounted below the tiller. In other words, the two pumps are in series and share the hose and thru hull. The Whale acts as a check valve for the Rule, and the Rule provides a strainer for the Whale. And, ever since I discovered a leak in the original (lightweight, non spa) hose (previous owner had patched the hose with duct tape!), I test the system every year or so by filling the bilge with fresh water and pumping it out.
There are arguments against adding a check valve to a bilge pump hose.
--They clog and fail. This has happened twice to me over the years, and the pump, uh, won;t pump if the hose is blocked.
--Many submersible pumps such as in the Rule line are not self-priming. A check valve tends to defeat the prime. Especially in shallow-bilged boats, the agitation of a seaway means no prime anyhow. With no prime, even submerged, the pump hums as usual and makes small bubbles as proof it is working. But it isn;t.
--If a check valve is to be installed just to keep the last inch of water out of the bilge, consider that a dinghy hand pump should be aboard anyhow. Or a sponge.
Diaphragm pumps like Steve's Whale contain integral check valves, so no backwash. But they are susceptible to debris, which stops them working.
Submersible are OK but diaphragms are better. Less capacity? On paper maybe. Not so much in the real world.
No electric bilge pump will stop you sinking anyhow, so it's all sorta convenience.
Thelonious II, Ericson 38 (formerly Thelonious, E32-3)
Los Angeles
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