Quote:
Originally Posted by tdw
Marc,
What foot pump did you instal ? We've got the Whale Gusher type but man I am sick of stubbing my toe on the damn things.
Three way system has to be the go. When power and water are easily available why muck around with the manual pumps. Different story when you are away from running water and plenty of juice.
|
I haven't bought them yet, but I will likely get the Whale Gusher. I have them on the previous boat and I find them well made and easy to service. The only issue is that you have to make sure they are as solidly mounted as possible, as they can work free. The choices here include strapping it from above or making a sort of cushioned chock for it from below to reduce the flexing that will eventually wear the pump body mount holes or muck up the cabinetry. It's quite possible at sea to be pumping when the boat takes a lurch, causing one to stomp that footpad heavily. This will stress the whole unit.
I know the stubbing problem, but here's an idea (dependent of course on the thickness of your galley or head cabinetry): Mount the pump on shims or thin blocks that put the lever back about an inch, and mount it slightly higher for the fullest possible "throw".
You may have to make the "slot" slightly higher, but at the end of the day, you have a foot lever less "proud" of the cabinetry and you retain the functionality of a full lever throw. You have to point your toe more, but everything's a compromise.
If all this seems too much trouble, put a slit in an old green tennis ball and hang it off the footpad of the pump lever. It's now a bigger, softer, more visible "target" and the ball fuzz gets mucky, not the footpad. If you think it looks stupid, remove them when guests are aboard, and they'll marvel at your clean galley absent last week's fish gutting debris ground into the pump pad's treads.
