Anyone else feel their bilge pump is mounted in the wrong area?

[old skool malibu]

Natique has 2 pumps as you guys have described. I dont know why Malibu cant do the same. Fman ..what did you use for a drain hose? Did you also tie into the existing drain hose?

[skiguy]

The only place water collects in my boat is the ski locker. I've been pondering putting another pump in the locker or mounting the pump behind the locker and running the hose through the ski locker drain plug hole (the locker never drains anyway so the plug is useless). What's made me pause a bit is I would prefer to have the pump in the locker but if I put a full ballast bag in there I'm pretty sure it would crush or break the pump. I may redirect the hose from the current pump into the ski locker and see how that works.

[akro26]

My response had one at mid ship and usually when i notice water is when i am under way so i put one in the back, i made a fitting that looks exactly like my fuel vent and put it on the other side so i doesnt look out of place. Nice to have 2 pumps.

[Jamobado]

I have heard many of you talk about a switch for your stock bilge pump. I have an '02 Wakesetter 23 LSV. I always thought my stock bilge pump was automatic and had no switch. Can anyone confirm this is correct or incorrect?

[Fman]

Yes, pump 2 will respond just like factory auto pump when float is activated. If you turn on with MTC both pumps activate.

Yes, I tied into ballast drain hose with a check valve.

[TallRedRider]

My 06 VLX has the pump in the center compartment just in front of the fuel tank. Works better but I still wet vac out the last inch of water it won't suck out. Rear transom plug is useless for trying to drain on ride home, still have just as much in there with it removed and pulling it all the way home through the hills.

I think that is not a stock application. I wonder is someone moved it before you bought the boat?

No doubt that the stock location is retarded. Suppose you have a problem like an engine hose coming off that makes it so that running the engine to lift the nose is not a possibility, then you get a good 6 inches in the nose before you ever get enough at the back to make it kick on.

I added a second bilge pump to my boat as well and wired it to the dash switch. Hardest part for me was finding a way to adhere the pump to the inside of the hull- I tried an epoxy and then 3m sealant and it still likes to move a bit.

I have drilled holes in several boats, including my Malibu and the hull is 3/4 inch thick or thicker. You could drink a few jars of your favorite liquid courage and then get some 1/2 inch stainless screws and screw it down. That is what I did (but I didn't need the liquid courage). Between the thickness of the base, and the fact the screws are shorter than the hull is thick, it works fine and is plenty safe, IMHO.

For those who added a second pump, did you have to drill a thru hull as well for the additional hose?

I put mine on a separate discharge hose. I just hate messing with check valves, if another hole in the boat will help me to avoid that.

I added another thru hull. I wanted dedicated hoses and thru hulls in case I ever have a problem.

X2

I wired mine just to the auto bilge directly to a fuse that goes straight to the battery. I find it amazing that people leave their boats in the water, turn off the batteries and don't realize that they just shut off their bilge pump. A few manufacturers wire the bilge straight to the battery, so it doesn't shut off when you turn off the perko switch, but the Malibu's I have seen do not do that. I have seen at least one boat sunk at the dock due to a storm...the owner wouldn't admit it, but I am sure a bilge pump would have saved that boat from sinking. They got 8 inches of rain, which made some mild waves go over the bow (this was a prostar 190). A bilge pump would have easily kept up with the rain.

My Mastercraft had 2 bilge pumps...It was pretty awesome that the one time I have forgotten the plug, they both failed. The one was burned up, and the other popped a circuit breaker. I left the boat at the dock and got to talking to an old friend...luckily we only talked until the water got to just under the floorboards. That is what happens when someone gets you out of your rhythm. That was scary!

Edited August 30, 2012 by TallRedRider

[dalt1]

I think that is not a stock application. I wonder is someone moved it before you bought the boat?

No doubt that the stock location is retarded. Suppose you have a problem like an engine hose coming off that makes it so that running the engine to lift the nose is not a possibility, then you get a good 6 inches in the nose before you ever get enough at the back to make it kick on.

I have drilled holes in several boats, including my Malibu and the hull is 3/4 inch thick or thicker. You could drink a few jars of your favorite liquid courage and then get some 1/2 inch stainless screws and screw it down. That is what I did (but I didn't need the liquid courage). Between the thickness of the base, and the fact the screws are shorter than the hull is thick, it works fine and is plenty safe, IMHO.

I put mine on a separate discharge hose. I just hate messing with check valves, if another hole in the boat will help me to avoid that.

X2

I wired mine just to the auto bilge directly to a fuse that goes straight to the battery. I find it amazing that people leave their boats in the water, turn off the batteries and don't realize that they just shut off their bilge pump. A few manufacturers wire the bilge straight to the battery, so it doesn't shut off when you turn off the perko switch, but the Malibu's I have seen do not do that. I have seen at least one boat sunk at the dock due to a storm...the owner wouldn't admit it, but I am sure a bilge pump would have saved that boat from sinking. They got 8 inches of rain, which made some mild waves go over the bow (this was a prostar 190). A bilge pump would have easily kept up with the rain.

My Mastercraft had 2 bilge pumps...It was pretty awesome that the one time I have forgotten the plug, they both failed. The one was burned up, and the other popped a circuit breaker. I left the boat at the dock and got to talking to an old friend...luckily we only talked until the water got to just under the floorboards. That is what happens when someone gets you out of your rhythm. That was scary!

That is the factory mount position (Center compartment) on my 06 VLX. (TN. Built)

Edited August 30, 2012 by dalt1

[FastFreddy]

Everyone keeps saying they get water in their ski locker. My ski locker on my 99 VLX is completely separate from the rear bilge. There is no hole between the two. Just wondering if this is normal or if I should join (drill hole) to join the compartments?

[jwl019]

Everyone keeps saying they get water in their ski locker. My ski locker on my 99 VLX is completely separate from the rear bilge. There is no hole between the two. Just wondering if this is normal or if I should join (drill hole) to join the compartments?

I have a 99 VLX and with mine, there is a hole that can have a drain plug screwed in seperating the ski locker from the gas tank area, check the divider between in close to the bottom to verify if you do or not, since you may just have something plugged in the hole.

By the way, what is your ballast set up to make your wake that big in the VLX?

Edited June 7, 2013 by jwl019

[FastFreddy]

I have a 99 VLX and with mine, there is a hole that can have a drain plug screwed in seperating the ski locker from the gas tank area, check the divider between in close to the bottom to verify if you do or not, since you may just have something plugged in the hole.

By the way, what is your ballast set up to make your wake that big in the VLX?

I had the whole boat apart including the fuel tank and there is definitely no hole between the two compartments. Mine is a SunSetter VLX.

The wake is 750 in the rear locker, 400lbs on the seats and I have some "surf tabs" which help list the boat a bit. Here's a picture of the tabs.

[formulaben]

I find it amazing that people leave their boats in the water, turn off the batteries and don't realize that they just shut off their bilge pump. A few manufacturers wire the bilge straight to the battery, so it doesn't shut off when you turn off the perko switch, but the Malibu's I have seen do not do that.

Funny, my mindset is completely the opposite as far as wiring is concerned. I trailer 95% of the time and the thought of arriving at the dock with a battery that was run down for any reason drives me insane, so I made sure that on my new battery master switch that off was OFF. Never again to arrive and have no power to turn the motor!

Having said that, I don't normally leave my boat in the water...

[isellacuras]

I have had limp mode kick in 3 times now. Dealer told me they think it's due to to much water in the bilge. I pull the seats and look down in there and there no water to speak of. Does the midship area hold enough water to set it into limp mode when the boat leans back to get up on plane? If so, I see a new midship bilge as my next mod.

[Fman]

I have had limp mode kick in 3 times now. Dealer told me they think it's due to to muoch water in the bilge. I pull the seats and look down in there and there no water to speak of. Does the midship area hold enough water to set it into limp mode when the boat leans back to get up on plane? If so, I see a new midship bilge as my next mod.

Why would water in Bilge cause limp mode? That does not sound like a good reason.

When you go into limp mode does it throw a code to identify why?

You might want to check your dripless shaft seal, I have had two fail on two different boats at around 100 hours. Once they start leaking it can dump quite a bit of water in the bilge.

I had shower opened up once on my 2011, there was a lot of water in the bilge, enough to start kicking on the auto bilge. I never went into limp mode.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Fman

[wakebrdr94]

In my 2010 my auto bilge kicked on, also out me right into limp mode. Was not at a good moment in time either

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[isellacuras]

I kinda called BS on the dealer. One code was for an 0 2 sensor. The other three times it didn't hold an active code and that was the reason they gave me one of the times. The other times they were hesitant to give me any info and just said they couldn't duplicate it. I'm picking boat up at dealer tomorrow so I will see what they have to say this time. I will check the shaft packing next week. Limp mode has been pretty frustrating. Just have to shut it down and restart but the alarm sounds after start up for 3 heat up cycles. I have dipped the bow a couple times which could have been the cause if it was actually from high water in bilge. My auto bilge has come on a couple of times. I have run some pretty heavy loads for surfing a few times.

[Fman]

We have taken some good water over the bow before, worse was on Lake Shasta last season. I was surfing and my friend who does not own a boat was towing me, I fell and he started to circle around to pick me up... I knew when he turned into the wake it was not going to end well, huge roller over the bow even up over the window... My fault for not explaining how to properly pickup a surfer. No harm done just a soaking wet carpet, wet seats and a very busy bilge pump. Never triggered a limp mode.

I always thought limp mode was tied into overheating, or low oil pressure? it sounds like limp mode will trigger for other reasons?

Edited January 24, 2014 by Fman

[isellacuras]

Just picked up from dealer and went out today. Did it again. Hopefully they can figure it out soon. Happened coming off throttle on initial run after warm up. Shut it off and was fine other than the alarm going off. Vitals all good. It does have a bit of a hard start sometimes. Will run through one start cycle and not fire, then on second press it fires right up. Guess I should post in troubleshooting section and see if anyone else has experienced same symptoms. They've changed o2 sensor and I think an injector while chasing the problem.

[wakebrdr94]

What code is it showing?

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[isellacuras]

Didn't write it down figuring that I was taking it back to them tomorrow or Tuesday.

[Baddog]

Just picked up from dealer and went out today. Did it again. Hopefully they can figure it out soon. Happened coming off throttle on initial run after warm up. Shut it off and was fine other than the alarm going off. Vitals all good. It does have a bit of a hard start sometimes. Will run through one start cycle and not fire, then on second press it fires right up. Guess I should post in troubleshooting section and see if anyone else has experienced same symptoms. They've changed o2 sensor and I think an injector while chasing the problem.

On an under warrantee boat, I would be ratcheting up my concern level as well as sound level on WTF to the dealer and Malibu by now.

[isellacuras]

They are well aware of the problem and I let them know that I want it documented each time it happens. Didn't help my demeanor when I picked it up and they told me there were no codes or signs of problems. I took it straight to the river from the dealer and alarm sounded off 15 min after launch. I trust that my dealer is there for me. They have been top notch to this point. I work in the auto industry so I understand how hard it is to diagnose an intermittent problem. I also know how important it is to document them for future warranty claims. Still 2+ years on warranty. Not stressed yet.

[wakebrdr94]

Make sure you check the code in the Maliview system. That way if they say they don't know, you can tell them. Only helps your case

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Edited January 26, 2014 by wakebrdr94