Aft Bilge Pump failure

[JMC]

My C30 aft bilge pumps have failed twice. The first Rule "burned out" within 4 months of initial launch and the second Rule, "burned out" 10 months later. I need to replace it again. Why is this happening? does anyone have a suggestion for a better pump and/or float switch vs. the automatics?

Thanks,

John

 

[bob daily]

A clean bilge is a happy bilge! And will keep that bilge pump working!
It only takes a little garbage to foul the pump or switch!
Bob

 

[JMC]

Hi Bob,

My bilge is very clean. I actually clean it with a degreaser occasionally and I vacuum it as well to suck out leftover build debris. I don't think my issue is due to lack of cleanliness. There's another issue going on which I'm unable to discern.

John

 

[bob daily]

John sorry! It's just that most of the failures of bilge pumps and sensors are caused due to material getting into the working parts. That said the pumps that are used are generally not the top of the line but work. Hope you find a solution that works for you. Bob

 

[gigharborite]

Hi, John. I also have a newer (2017/140 hour) Cutwater 30 and have noticed some problems which occur due to the lower end (cost) components used to build these boats. There are problems with the shaft seal, autopilot pump, bilge pumps, depth sounder, hoses, hose clamps and electrical components that possibly could have been avoided with the use of higher quality components (which would have resulted in a higher price for the boat).

So now that you have the boat, think positive and prepare a list of replacement components you want to install. Winter season is the ideal time to install these items. You can get a trend of what component problems other owners experience from this web site, prioritize these items and then get started. Try to replace them before they fail, no one want to have their boat laid up during the relatively short boating season that some of us experience, or worse yet, a frustrating breakdown while underway.

I will be installing a new Garmin Smartpump for the autopilot (the pump that came with the boat is overtaxed and a repeated problem reported by many others on this site) and a dripless shaft seal (mine has failed 5 times in one year I have owned the boat, resulting in a LOT of water in the bilge) this winter. Sounds like I should consider upgrading the bilge pumps, let me know if you decide to change yours out and what you decide to use.

 

[JMC]

Hello a.k.a. Jolly Dodger,

Thank you for the insights. I will keep an eye on the autopilot as I use it a lot. Tip: I use Garmin Active Captain which updates all Garmin software when available. At the moment autopilot works better than manual steering. The boat naturally pulls to the right and sometimes it feels like I'm perpetually turning the wheel right to make it turn. I bled the lines a couple times to see if that would make a difference but it didn't. I should have named the boat, "Lists left, turns right". I fixed the port list by swapping the house battery bank port to starboard and engine/gen battery bank from starboard to port, that's in another post. Anyways, I agree there's many low end components and I have been replacing things either when they break or when it's brought to my attention as the boat is being serviced. I may do the dripless stuffing box next since the boat will need to hauled and shaft removed to get a larger better quality bilge pump to fit, looking at the Rule 2000 Gold with Ultra Pumpswitch Mini (this is what the USCG uses). I didn't expect all these projects with a new boat. This is my 4th boat, 1st Cutwater. I used to have a winter season living on Cape Cod MA but have since moved with the boat to Florida so I have the pleasure to boat at will.

Ciao,

John