Outback Kayak Flooded but Floating

Of course, if you have to abandon ship, it's nice to have some smoke and pencil flares in your vest!

Roadrunner,

In response to your questions;

I operate the pump (handle moves up/down approx. 8 inches) while seated in the aft seat. I can operate the pump while sailing the boat but it is difficult to operate the pump while using the mirage drive. I can alternate pumping with pedaling. I have not tried to operate the bilge pump while completely awash. I do not see a scenario where the main hull will be completely awash since the amas are presumably not flooded. It would be more difficult to operate the pump if I was not seated directly over it, however, this type of pump is easier to operate and only requires one hand.

Your point is well taken that a bilge pump will not work if the hull is water tight or completely awash. My hull is not water tight. I have routed cabling into the hull through pass-throughs that are loose fitting. The cable pass-through cover keeps all water out even under very wet conditions. On another matter I have an unscientific opinion that there is no such thing as a water tight hull. While our hulls may appear to be water tight, when sitting on land during a pressure test, when we are at sea the hulls are constantly flexing resulting in periods of above and below atmospheric pressure (aka oil canning). Our hatches cannot keep up with these pressure changes and, therefore IMO, our hulls are constantly breathing as we subject them to a sea-way.

Thanks for your questions.

_________________
Martin Hochberg
Tandem Island 2012
Pro Angler 2015