I have spent my fair share of time falling out of a kayak. Usually it was on purpose. Occasionally it wasn’t. Always, the end result was a boatful of water that needed to be expelled. Without fail, the best way to get rid of that water was with a kayak bilge pump.
A kayak bilge pump is a tool that is designed to remove water from the inside of your boat (and keep your posterior dry). Fortunately, it is really simple to operate.
To use a kayak bilge pump, hold the bottom of the pump in the water that has pooled inside your boat. With your other hand, press the pump handle down, then lift it back up. This pumping action suctions the water from the interior of the boat and expels it over the side. Repeat until the water has been removed from inside your kayak.
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Table of Contents
What is the Purpose of a Kayak Bilge Pump?
Bilge pumps are designed to remove water from the inside of boats. There are a lot of different ways to get water from where it belongs (in the lake/ocean) to where it doesn’t (in your boat). Sloppy paddling, rain, waves, or falling out of your kayak all result in water entering your boat. I am guilty of all of them. Given the cramped quarters of a kayak, there just isn’t enough room to bail the water out with a bucket. Particularly when you are in the middle of a lake or, well offshore, a bilge pump is the ideal tool to expel unwanted water from the inside of your kayak.
Bilge pumps are intended to be used while you are still sitting in your kayak. A bilge pump is long and narrow. Long enough to both reach the bottom of your kayak and then expel the suctioned water over the top. As you remove water from your kayak, puddles will remain in the lower areas. I have found that moving the bottom of the pump around to suction pooled water from wherever it lies can be quite effective.
Use your bilge pump to remove water from all of the places that water collects. Remember the various storage areas in your kayak that might have collected water as well. Even if you are storing gear in a dry bag (which you definitely should be doing), it is ideal to remove as much water as possible from the vicinity of your belongings. I have come to learn that those dry bag pinholes cause a lot of heartache at bedtime.
How do I know that I need to use a one?
Sometimes your kayak will slowly take on water. As the water collects, you will notice your kayak becoming unstable as you paddle. It will become more difficult to control as the increasing pool of water sloshes around inside your boat. Eventually, this water will make your kayaking experience unenjoyable. Best to stop paddling and use your bilge pump to remove the water.
If you capsize your boat, you will most certainly need to use your bilge pump. If your boat has capsized, you will need to execute a kayak rescue, turning the boat back over and then lifting yourself back in. (Kayak rescues are a skill worth practicing if your adventures take you a long way offshore or into otherwise difficult environment where you can’t simply walk your kayak back to shore.) Once you have successfully reclaimed a seated position in your kayak, you will notice a lot of water inside your boat that you will not want to be sitting in. Definitely use the bilge pump to remove it.
Check out this video of a couple of Canadians using bilge pumps to expel water from their kayaks here.
To get right down to brass tacks, Perception Kayaks manufactures a very good bilge pump that you can learn more about here. Seattle Sports makes a slightly more advanced one that you can see here. (These links direct you to Amazon.)
How is using a manual pump different than an automatic one?
There are actually two types of bilge pumps: manual and automatic. Thus far we have discussed manual pumps. To review their use, with one hand hold the bottom (intake) of the pump in the water you want to remove from the kayak. Using the other hand, press the pump handle down and then lift it back up. This will suction the water out of your boat. Be sure to aim the exit of the pump over the side of the kayak. Some pumps have an exit tube that you can direct over the side of the boat. Best to make sure you aim that tube over the edge.
Automatic bilge pumps are a different breed of pump. I have never used one, but man they look like fun toys. A downside of manual bilge pumps is that you have to stop paddling in order to use them. This is fine if you and your kayak are sitting on a sea of glass. However, it can be dangerous if you need to keep paddling. The beauty of an automatic bilge pump is that it pumps for you so that you can keep your kayak from capsizing into the drink. If you spend a lot of time in rough sea water or whitewater, then an automatic bilge pump might be less of a luxury and more of a necessity.
Automatic bilge pumps are super-easy to use because you simply need to make sure that their power supply is functioning. If water creeps into your kayak, the automatic bilge pump will automatically expel it. If you prefer a little more control, then simply flip the switch to activate the pump.
The challenge of an automatic bilge pump, other than cost, is that it requires a pretty complex installation. Best to gather some knowledge before undertaking a DIY bilge pump installation project.
How to stow a pump in your kayak.
Make sure your kayak bilge pump is secure. I get paranoid about things falling off and/or out of my kayak. This is particularly true of my bilge pump. It is perfectly acceptable to stow your bilge pump under the back-deck bungee cords of your kayak. I usually use a mid-sized carabiner to secure the pump a little more soundly to the bungee cords. If I capsize my kayak, I don’t want to have to mess around trying to track down a bilge pump that has floated half way to Gilligan’s Island.
I wrote a pretty long article on stowing things in your kayak that you might find helpful. Check it out here.
What are the characteristics of an effective kayak bilge pump?
Is it long enough to pump the water over the edge of your kayak? Bilge pumps tend to be sized between 16-21 inches in length. The center depth of a typical kayak is about 12 inches, so most bilge pumps will work. However, the longer the pump, the longer your reach when trying to rid your boat of pooled water.
Remember that a bilge pump with a hose will increase your reach and flexibility at the cost of more bulk to stow on your boat.
Also, the longer the pump, the more water that you will be able to expel in a single motion.
Big is good, but big is also… big. The larger the tool, the more space it occupies. This isn’t usually an issue on a day trip, but on a multi-day tour, conserving space requires thought.
Can I operate the pump in a stressful situation with freezing cold hands? Make sure that the handle is the right size for your hand and, ideally made of grippy material. Not being able to operate your pump because you can’t grip the handle can be a real bummer.
Am I strong enough to operate this particular bilge pump? A high quality bilge pump will have sufficient pumping capacity to remove large amounts of water without the operator having to break her back in the process. Be sure to match your upper body strength with the capacities of the bilge pump.
Is the bilge pump corrosion resistant? If you spend much of your kayaking time on salt water, then you might want to consider this. In reality, most bilge pumps are constructed from ABS plastic and foam. Some have stainless steel components. Here’s where I get a little nerdy. Some stainless steel grades and alloy compositions are better than others when it comes to saltwater exposure. Grades that are higher in chromium are better suited to wet environments. But it really doesn’t matter. We’re not buying an oil tanker, we’re buying a bilge pump. If you already have the resources to spend so much time on the water that your pump corrodes, well count your blessings, and drum up the $30 for another one.
If you drop the bilge pump overboard, will it sink to the bottom of the lake? Most won’t. Many manufacturers coat bilge pumps with a foam material that keeps them afloat if they fall overboard. However, even if they float, they could still float away. Many kayakers opt for a leash to attach to their bilge pump to keep it from straying too far from the boat. I have never actually used a leash for my pump. That decision has always been more incidental than intentional. I probably should get one….
Do I want to keep a power source on board my kayak?If you are considering an automatic bilge pump, then, whether you know it or not, you are also considering whether you want to house a power source in your boat. Bilge pumps don’t require a lot of power – usually 12V, 3.8mp will do the trick – so electrical safety isn’t really an issue. The more looming decision is whether to assume the cost of installation and maintenance. For some, the answer should be an unambiguous YES.
Parting Thoughts about Kayak Water Removal
A kayak bilge pump is a necessity for anyone that likes to paddle significantly offshore. I have used mine many-a-time.
Manual pumps are easy to use – simply position, pump and spray. Automatic pumps are even easier – once installed, just keep their power supply charged.
Here’s to paddling hard and getting wet!