cnnashman wrote:
Very nice, i don't think you will be seeing it as standard equipment on Hobie kayaks though, may give the wrong impression.
Fitting it has cetainly got nothing to do with it being a Hobie, I'd always wanted to fit one to my Big Game but never got around to it. I had a blank canvas when I started rigging the Outback so I incorperated in the design from day one.
ANY kayak has the potential to start leaking, whether it be a cracked scupper, perforated hull, open drain plug, leaking hatch, etc. It's piece of mind should the worst ever happen. No different from carrying a manual bilge pump,flares, radio, paddle float, throw line, strobe lights, compass, etc.
The advantage over the manual pump is that in this case it operates electrically, manually or automatically (model dependent), you can head into shore without being sat their pumping. What's the chance of it ever being used?, hopefully nil... but there again we say that about all the other items of safety equipment that we carry with us.