Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

[JimS123]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

My boat is trailered and only on the water for a day of fishing etc....then pulled and trailered home. So I'm not concerned with a pump failure while the boat is out of the water.

Wait a minute.!! With that scenario why do you even need a float switch?

When its on the trailer just pull the transom plug and problem solved. When its in the water, if you get water in the boat, just turn on the pump manually. Unless you're asleep, you will find out pretty quick that you have water in the boat.

Regardless of them killing the battery, the worst part of that dumb auto pump was the nerve racking wizzing sound every 2.5 minutes.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

Couldn't a high water alarm fail also?

Mine is 110% spot on.

I only had water in the boat one time - last year as a matter of fact. It was a torential thunderstorm that hit so fast I didn't have time to get the canvas up. When my toes got wet the alarm went off....LOL. At that point the water just rose above the bilge and was about 1/2" on the deck.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

You can all ways contact NASA and arrange satiate imagery down loaded to your phone in real time with tumbler switches and a web cam on the boat to broadcast to a alarm company to alert the marina staff to look at your boat.

Or you can hunt down a mercury float switch and be done with it.

 

[spoilsofwar]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

I will add something about the automatic "load-sensing" pumps that no one else has mentioned....

They are annoying.

If you have a boat with a cabin, especially a small one like a cuddy, you will hear the thing cycling every few minutes ALL night long. Its akin to a cell phone on vibrate on a hard surface that rings every two minutes. I can't stand the one they installed on my Stingray at the factory. I like to fall asleep to the sound of the waves against the hull, not whirring electronics...

Edit: just saw JimS did bring this up. At least I'm not alone in my misery

 

[BonairII]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

well sure but then so could you... you might pass out or fall asleep and not know it wasn't running.

Honestly you are being silly... Take good care of the boat... if it leaks FIX it instead of using it.... RELAX.... you said yourself that youi are paranoid... that is you and not the boat.... it has been made perfectly clear here by repeated people that the product you asked about stinks.... If I had 10 brand new ones I'd throw them in the trash......

ALSO a 500 gph is no where near big enough... in an emergency two 1000's MIGHT not be enough.

We have discussed those auto pumps on here dozens of times and NOBODY has had good luck with them also in 25 years of boating I have never even heard of a float switch failing other than broken wires, clogged with debris, or physically broken as in stepped on and those things would cause the auto pump to fail too... PLUS just because you hear the auto pump make noise doesn't mean that it will do it's job... loose hose, clogged intake, broken impeller, or low batts would impair it's ability.

Yup...I'm a bit paranoid about taking on water, especially when my son's on the boat with me. I've only got about 1 1/2 seasons of boating under my belt...so I'm still learning everyday. You all have talked me out of the auto-cycling pump, though.

Now maybe I'll just go with a Rule 1100 w/ float switch....and another pump(not sure what capacity) as a backup. Are all float switches pretty much the same? Or is there a particular switch that is preferred.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

I think I remember seeing in a post that iboats matches competitors' prices.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

well now don't take me wrong... I'm NOT laughing at you... Just trying to illustrate a point.... The possibility of a boat sinking however unlikely is something we must all think about but some things are more reasonable than others... actually wearing life jackets and not boating in areas or water temps that would be unsurvivable are things to consider... IE if the boat goes down 1/8 mile from shore in 80 degree water it is probably much more of an inconvenience than a danger....

As you gain more experience you will be able to relax more...

I have a friend that has recently gotten into boating and has moved up to a 25' cruiser... he absolutely can't sleep on his boat and is constantly worried that it will sink and he'll drown. Even when it is beached and tied to a huge oak tree with the stern in 2' of water and the bow (where he is) on solid ground he still can't relax.... He, his wife, and two kids have been guests on mine and he slept like a baby.... For some reason his own boat freaks him out.... I have thoroughly inspected it and it has no issues at all. In time he'll relax as he begins to get more experienced and you will too.

 

[BonairII]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

Yeah...early season fishing(40 degree water temps)....is when I'm most paranoid. Fortunately, we normally fish no more than 200yds from the shoreline, so running the boat to shore shouldnt be an issue if I start taking on water.

The Rule 1100 needs a 1 1/8th in hose...anyone know where I can find a cheap(non-corrugated) hose this diameter?

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

...I'm constantly checking my bilge while on the water.....just cause I'm paranoid...Anyone know where they can be found the cheapest?

Yeah...early season fishing(40 degree water temps)....is when I'm most paranoid. Fortunately, we normally fish no more than 200yds from the shoreline, so running the boat to shore shouldn't be an issue if I start taking on water.

The Rule 1100 needs a 1 1/8th in hose...anyone know where I can find a cheap(non-corrugated) hose this diameter?

It is optimistic thinking that the engine will be operable while the boat is sinking.
You should be prepared to handle the problem where it happens.

Your paranoia may be originating from the obsession of always using the cheapest solutions instead of the most reliable ones.

 

[BonairII]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

No....my paranoia is based on launching my boat without the plug once. I CONSIDER cheaper solutions because I'm not made of money.

I'm going to do the best I can...with money I have to work with.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

cheap is NOT what you need for a bilge pump hose.... buy GOOD from a good name... smooth bore is a great idea but you want spiral reenforced. The last time I bought it I was in a hurry and choked down the price at my local bass pro.... IBOATS is a business that sells boat parts and they don't take kindly to members sending other members to the competition..... generally IBOATS is reasonably low and you can trust the brands sold here.... If the price is too high it isn't hard to google the part number for yourself.


If your boat takes on water at a rate that the pump could possibly keep up with and IF the engine runs you will have plenty of time to go 200 yards after you notice your feet getting wet...

Fact is tho that any time you boat on near freezing water without a survival suit you are betting your life on your boat same as flying without a parachute and extra caution is needed.


I was on a friend's 20 boat that got a busted hull when he hit a wake at speed... Within a couple of minutes we had nearly a foot of water in the back when I noticed water at my feet up front.... We stopped and the engine stalled... I called another friend who was in a marina 10 miles down river.... By the time he arrived we had been taking on water for nearly 10 minutes.... I tied to his boat and we started to tow up river but the water had risen to near sinking at about 18 minutes so we towed and pushed the boat into the shallows where it rested on bottom... My friend's bilge pump wasn't working so we took off in the tow boat (70 mph 27' donzi) and I got my rule 2500 and two batteries from my boat It had been nearly 45 minutes total when we got back and I hooked up the pump.... It took 30 minutes of pumping to float the boat enough to start towing again.

I'd say that his boat was taking on about 1000 gph and would have sunk in about 25 minutes if we hadn't had it shoved into the shallows


My point is that if it's a leak that you don't notice for more than a few minutes, it will probably take many hours to sink you

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

BTW I'm not made of money either..... Don't let the pic in my sig fool you... If you read the links in my sig you will see that I am as thrifty as they come and REALLY know how to stretch a dollar a long way....

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

No....my paranoia is based on launching my boat without the plug once. I CONSIDER cheaper solutions because I'm not made of money. I'm going to do the best I can...with money I have to work with.

Please don't take offense to the comment, often the cheapest solution is not the least expensive in the long run.
I am the last person that thinks throwing money at a problem is the best way to solve it.
Spend wisely but not cheaply. Do it right the first time.
Your De-Watering system is not an area to cheap out on.
It can quickly become a life critical system when it becomes needed.

The amount of water that comes in with a missing plug is more than even two pumps are going to be able to handle.
A water alarm may be a better solution to settle the nerves than thinking multiple pumps are going to save the day.

Or even replacing the plug with a short pipe nipple with a red streamer attached will assure you replace the plug.
Kind of like the "Remove Before Flight" flags you see all over aircraft.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

You can easily hook up a warning buzzer or alarm into the float switch. And their aint noting like a boat to empty your pockets. Honestly simpler is better the more complicated it is the more that will go wrong.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

I believe what Rule is saying is that if the pump just "cycles" every 2.5mins(without sensing water).....it will use .5 amp hr over a 24hr period.

My boat is trailered and only on the water for a day of fishing etc....then pulled and trailered home. So I'm not concerned with a pump failure while the boat is out of the water.

For those of you who use float switches....how do u check that they are operating correctly(short of throwing water in the bilge)?

You lift up on the float.


How do you check that the hose is still connected to the bilge pump and thru hull fitting?

I hope you check every time you hear the pump turn on.

 

[etracer68]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

Two 1000 gph pumps min, in my opinon. And to MH Hawker, the name of my boat is "EMPTY POCKETS". Toys have a way of doing just that.

 

[pole position]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

I gotta laugh at those electronic switches.My son loves em and I can't stand them.When we were on a trip(both boats) he couldn't sleep because of the pump kicking on every 2 minutes.I slept like a log.Anyway,he finally understood what I was talking about.Lol

 

[BonairII]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

Please don't take offense to the comment, often the cheapest solution is not the least expensive in the long run.
I am the last person that thinks throwing money at a problem is the best way to solve it.
Spend wisely but not cheaply. Do it right the first time.
Your De-Watering system is not an area to cheap out on.
It can quickly become a life critical system when it becomes needed.

The amount of water that comes in with a missing plug is more than even two pumps are going to be able to handle.
A water alarm may be a better solution to settle the nerves than thinking multiple pumps are going to save the day.

Or even replacing the plug with a short pipe nipple with a red streamer attached will assure you replace the plug.
Kind of like the "Remove Before Flight" flags you see all over aircraft.

I'm def not trying to cheap-out on my bilge pumps. (2) Rule 1100s is probably what I'll end up with. A high water alarm is probably a good idea also.

Forgetting the plug was a one time thing....and hopefully that will be the last time that happens. Now I pull the plug, drain any water....and immediately replace the plug.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Rule Bilge Pumps....who sells them the cheapest?

I'm def not trying to cheap-out on my bilge pumps. (2) Rule 1100s is probably what I'll end up with. A high water alarm is probably a good idea also.

Forgetting the plug was a one time thing....and hopefully that will be the last time that happens. Now I pull the plug, drain any water....and immediately replace the plug.

Ayuh,.... That's the worse possible thing to do to a trailer boat....

It'll allow the boat to flood, right on the wagon,...

Always store it drain plug out, 'n tongue high, for Drainage....