2nd manual bilge pump

Hi all, it's been a while since I've updated the blog - been busy with getting the boat ready for next year's race.  My personal goal was to have all the equipment requirements and desired boat modifications done by the end of 2017.  I'm happy to report we're almost there.  The next few posts will be on some of the work completed over the past several months.  First up was Pacific Cup Equipment Requirement (PCER) 3.8, "dewatering".  Specifically, "A boat shall have a two manual bilge pumps of at least a 10 GPM (37.8 liter per minute) capacity. One shall be operable from below deck with the cabin closed with the discharge not dependent on an open hatch".  While most boats have a manual bilge pump operated from the cockpit (which we do), it's rare for a boat to have one operable below deck that can discharge with everything closed up (say in the middle of a storm).  So, you know me, I don't like to put more holes in the boat if it can be avoided, and we already have a discharge hose that exits on the transom for the cockpit operated manual bilge pump - why not tie into that?  We added a "Y" connector to the discharge hose on the output side of the cockpit bilge pump along with a check valve on the side coming from the pump operated below deck:

Turns out the existing manual bilge pump was a Whale MK5, so why not just get another one for the 2nd pump?  We couldn't find a convenient place to permanently mount the 2nd pump so we opted for the provision allowing for "one pump may be mounted on a secure, removable platform".

This pump will be stored behind the settees and there is enough hose coiled up by the "Y" connector that we just need to connect it up and we're good to go.  The rubber pads on the bottom of the board keep it from moving around when in use.  We ended up rotating the pump 90 degrees so the pumping action is aligned with the long side of the board to avoid tipping the pump when in use.

We can check this item off. Let's hope we never have to use it.