I went to look at a free boat today, what shocked me most was the motor on another boat sitting next to the free boat. (The free boat was total junk so I left it, but the boat next to it was what caught my eye).
The thing had an older 65hp three cylinder Evinrude on it, but on the starboard side of the mid section there was a 3/4" piece of copper pipe sticking out, which was plumbed to a Rule 2000 bilge pump mounted atop one of those plastic hydrofoils with a huge hole cut in it. The pump was wired to the battery cables coming out of the motor.
The guy said the water pump kept going bad so he fixed it for good. He was using the huge bilge pump to feed the engine's cooling system. The pump ran any time the key was on, and I assume it was submerged in the water when afloat. I left the whole mess where it sat but I'm sitting here now wishing I had had a camera with me today. It no doubt was a first. He gave me a rough explanation about how he did it, from what I understood, he soldered an 90 degree elbow on the water pipe that used to go to the original water pump, drilled a 1" hole in the side of the aluminum mid section and ran the pipe out that hole to the bilge pump. He said he'd been running it that way for years.
I don't doubt that a huge bilge pump could supply the motor with enough water, but what came to mind was how that motor would steer with that huge pump basically mounted to the right side of the anti cavitation plate. I would think it would create a pretty severe steering pull. The pump was connected to the copper pipe with automotive heater hose and hose clamps.
The thing had an older 65hp three cylinder Evinrude on it, but on the starboard side of the mid section there was a 3/4" piece of copper pipe sticking out, which was plumbed to a Rule 2000 bilge pump mounted atop one of those plastic hydrofoils with a huge hole cut in it. The pump was wired to the battery cables coming out of the motor.
The guy said the water pump kept going bad so he fixed it for good. He was using the huge bilge pump to feed the engine's cooling system. The pump ran any time the key was on, and I assume it was submerged in the water when afloat. I left the whole mess where it sat but I'm sitting here now wishing I had had a camera with me today. It no doubt was a first. He gave me a rough explanation about how he did it, from what I understood, he soldered an 90 degree elbow on the water pipe that used to go to the original water pump, drilled a 1" hole in the side of the aluminum mid section and ran the pipe out that hole to the bilge pump. He said he'd been running it that way for years.
I don't doubt that a huge bilge pump could supply the motor with enough water, but what came to mind was how that motor would steer with that huge pump basically mounted to the right side of the anti cavitation plate. I would think it would create a pretty severe steering pull. The pump was connected to the copper pipe with automotive heater hose and hose clamps.
