: I WOULD LIKE TO INSTALL A FOOT OPERATED BILGE PUMP IN MY KAYAK,I NEED TO KNOW
: WHAT PUMP WILL WORK,WHERE TO GET ONE,AN ANY INSTALLATION INFORMATION YOU
: MIGHT HAVE

There are two basic foot pump options, Henderson and Bosworth. Neither that easy to install, but rewarding in that you can pump out a flooded boat while keeping your hands free to scull and balance while you become seaworthy again. (A viable option, and one getting a lot of attention, is a battery powered 500 gph Rule or other electric pump. In some ways, easier to install and operate.)

Henderson, famous (or infamous) for the trademark "Chimp Pump" on the afterdeck of many old Valley Canoe Product "British Heavy" Nordkapps and Pintails, is now a division of Munster Simms Ltd, and the sister company to Whale Marine Systems, Northern Ireland; the Henderson foot pump is hard to find, although any good boating supply store will have contacts with Henderson, and can order one for you. These things aren't cheap --- list price is around $145, or so, but you can get them discounted to maybe $120. (Avoid Whale's "Baby Foot Pump" --- nice, compact, cheap, and not very potent.) Don't think Henderson's on the site, but you can see the equivalent Whale pumps (not including a foot pump) at "www.whale.ltd.uk/marpo/urchin.htm".

An option is Bosworth (Rhode Island) and their Guzzler pumps. There are two footpumps, one with a large, offset lever, which I'd want to avoid because of the potential for foot entrapment, and a "direct action" footpump, where you press on the center. (In some long past dialogs, probably on PaddleWise, someone said that the force needed to compress the spring in the Bosworth pump was excessive, and not viable for kayaks. (Seems odd --- the spring inside the diaphragm is used to extend the pedal on the diaphragm which pulls the water in at the bottom; the human action is to compress the spring which expells the water out a through-hull fitting.) Bosworth hand pumps, similar to the design on the foot pump, run closer to $45 to $50 (all in USD). Both are best mounted on a substantial bulkhead.

Having had the same Henderson foot pump in my Pintail for about eight years --- and another Henderson in my North Bay for a year --- I'm biased toward these guys. The Bosworth is cheaper and easier to find, but it is also heavier and a little larger. If you're in Arkansas somewhere and don't have a lot of good chandlers around, Fawcett's Boat Supplies in Annapolis, Maryland, can get either pump for you (www.fawcettboat.com). Just don't tell them I sent you --- I like to have free access, and they hate having to order pumps for kayaks (tending to cater to the $500K+ boats in the area. Kidding, mostly --- they're very happy to sell stuff.)

Hope this gets you started. I love my Hendersons, but, honestly, if I were starting over right now, I'd by a nice 2.7ah sealed lead acid rechargeable battery (security system type ($25-$30), a charger ($25), a submersible switch ($35-$40), and a Rule 500 gph pump ($18). Nice, light, reliable system. Flooded boat? Flip the switch, and you're empty before you complete a reentry and roll! Keep the standard plastic hand operated pump in an easily accessible place as a backup, though.

If you want more info, email me off-board.

Jack Martin