Due to the poor performance of the 2 Anderson bailers in the sump and a lower than necessary fuel line hole into my port locker - both of which lead to unsafe conditions and a lack of confidence in the boat - I decided to make some modifications.
The first problem to tackle was getting water out of the cockpit faster without resorting to a hand bailer or the hand pump.
I can appreciate the desire to keep things simple and electric-free. However, my decision to upgrade was based on a few things:
-This is a 6m boat, not a dinghy. I prefer to reserve bailer buckets for the latter.
-There are three sails to monitor and countless other things to be aware of, and in rough conditions, I do not want to add bailing water either by hand or pump to the responsibilities.
-The hand pump is only easily accessible on a starboard tack.
-Even the hand pump takes forever to drain the ballast tank.
-Did I mention that the Anderson Bailers are awful? (I know they work adequately in other boats)
My goal was to add a bilge pump and battery that could keep the cockpit dry, pump out most (if not all) of the ballast, situate the battery in a place that did not reduce space for "dry storage" in the lockers, and run the electric in a way that did not leave cables exposed or in the way.
I used used a Rule LoPro 900gph pump for the sump. It is compact and drains water downt to 3cm. The electric I ran through the starboard drain hole that leads to the starboard side-deck. After confirming with Swallow that this tank is not used by the ACB system and that this drain is only a method for draining a tank that has no real way to fill with water, it seemed like the perfect way to run the electric wire without having to drill a hole or run cable though the cockpit so that it is exposed.
I used two magnets to run the cable through the side deck all the way to the forward water proof hatch. A 90 degree waterproof cable entry gland allows the cable to exit the side-deck and continue forward to the battery.
I housed a 50Ah AGM battery in a battery box as far forward on the cockpit floor as I can.
The final steps to my project include:
-Securing the battery box with through-hull fittings (into the ballast tank)
-Adding a drain cover to the sump to hide the bilge pump
-Add a thin, but rigid base (maybe HDPE plastic) to the bilge pump to help keep it flat on the sump floor
THE RESULT:
This past weekend I sailed in Force 5 winds on all points of sail. I had a mix of 3-4 crew, depending on the day. 1 reef seemed to be sufficient for relatively upright sailing and I had my ballast 3/4 full. Wave height ranged between .5-2m. We occassionally took on quite a bit of water over the bow and am delighted at how the bilge system performed. The cockpit floor never had more than a little bit of water at a time. Considering the bilge pump is in the middle of teh sump, one concern I had was that it would not be able to pump out water that accumilates either on the port or starboard side if on a hard tack. My concern, however, was not warranted. I could always back-off the tack a few degrees to flatten out the deck and the pump would make quick work of the water.