: I have only had one incident that actually required pumping the
: boat. A partner fell out of his boat so I did an assisted
: rescue. We did a quick boat dump to get excess water and flipped
: the boat upright. We had perhaps two inches of water in the boat
: by the time he was able to get in. This was a cold water rescue,
: so by the time he was back in the boat, it was more critical to
: get him to shore and in warm/dry clothing than to pump out the
: little bit of water that was in the boat.

: I guess my feeling is that if the water is rough enough to flood
: your boat, you probably are not going to be able to handle a
: pump without rafting up anyways. It is such an occasional event,
: that I'm not sure I would want to use space under the deck for
: this type of rigging. I usually carry my pump on the deck behind
: the cockpit.

Hi Eric,
I guess you just made a case for an electric pump.
I for one, would not like to be in a group that is in the midst of seas that are able to flip you, then have to drain a kayak in a t-rescue, then let the person back in and hand/foot pump the rest, all in cold water. That is doubly true if you're far from land and loaded.
In fact t-rescues and the like only happen because it is hard to hand/foot pump that quantity of water, but a t-rescue in pitching seas is no picnic either. It is a lot easier and quicker to get the person back in, water and all, secure the spraydeck and hit a switch and raft up for stability's sake until the cockpit is empty. The swamped person can concentrate on staying upright instead of pumping also.
Electric pumps are a safety must. As long as you keep them in good order, they are 200% better at saving the situation than any other means.
JohnK

: Just my two cents.