Stopped by the Port of Everett marina and saw the worst jerry-rigged bilge pump I've ever laid eyes on

I was walking the docks last weekend to check out some liveaboards and this guy had a garden hose taped to a utility pump sitting in a 5 gallon bucket. He told me it's been keeping his 1972 Pearson 30 afloat for 3 months now. Has anyone else run into some wild backyard fixes that actually work way longer than they should?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessicaw5416d agoTop Commenter

Used a windshield wiper motor and a piece of PVC pipe to rig up a shower drain pump on my old Bayliner when the real one died. It actually worked like a charm for about 6 months until I got around to replacing it properly. Your mileage may vary but sometimes the janky fixes just keep on chugging.

reed.eva16d ago

Oh man, I've seen a few of those. There's a guy down at our marina who's been running a bilge pump off an old lawnmower battery that he charges with a solar panel taped to his cabin roof. It's been going for two seasons now. Honestly, sometimes these temporary fixes turn into permanent solutions if you don't mind how ugly they look.