[Sapperwhite]

Pat.....
hmmmm. Try the manual bilge pump in the cockpit before you go buying one. Also, do you not know if the main pump works? If it doesn't I highly recommend to fix that. Is the water in only one section of the bilge and not others? Do you not have access to most sections of the bilge? It isn't usual that you would have to pull up the sole boards to access the bilge.

To answer the initial question though, yes get the water out.