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Hi everyone. First time posting here and a new DE 38 owner, but I can introduce myself later.
I have successfully found the electric bilge pump on my boat and am replacing it, since it is burnt out, but I'm wondering where the Manual pump draws from on the DE 38s.
There is a decent amount water down in the bilge, from what I can see under the sink, but when I have tried the manual pump, it only sounds like it is drawing air. Do any of you know where the manual pump draws from on these boats?
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If you have one it should be drawing from the bottom of the bilge under the engine. These were probably not a standard option so if you have one it might have been added at the factory or maybe years later. No telling unless the prior owners could tell you.
Where is it located? On Valkyr ours is on the port side forward wall of the foot well in the cockpit. You can follow the hoses from it to where they go to looking in the engine compartment. Most the manual pumps nowadays use rubber seals that can eventually degrade and crack or get hard and no longer seal correctly. If this is the case it might not be priming correctly and be unable to actually pull water out of the bilge. Just find out the model of it. Should be on it somewhere and then buy a rebuild kit to replace all the seals and things. Also I have seen where the hoses have gotten old and cracked or rubbed a hole in the against a corner or other physical object. That allows it to pump air from the hole and it will no longer pull water from the bilge. I would be that this is your issue. The lower suction hose should extend all the way to the bottom of the bilge and have a scrum box on the end of it to keep debris from getting sucked into the hose. All stuff to check for 
Scott
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Something Scott mentioned in brief, was the bottom of the bilge is under the engine.
Something I felt would be good to mention directly, to a new owner, is that the Bilge is 2 levels, an upper ( that you can see under the sole plates and under the galley sink), and the lower, that is only accessible under the engine. The Keel under the engine is hollow. I would venture to say that you would have to have about 50 gallons in the lower keel before it started to show in the upper.
On The Last Farewell, the primary bilge pump was a Par pump, mounted on the engine room shelf, with a suction line routed to the well under the engine. I still have this in place, and use it as a secondary system. I managed to get a small pump, mounted on a piece of aluminum flat bar, down in the bottom just aft of the fuel tank. The flat bar is secured to the liner under the front of the engine, removing two screws, lets me retrieve the entire pump affair, with the discharge hose still attached. I also mounted a flat switch on a second flat bar ( about 8 inches above the submersible pump, that will energize the secondary pump automatically, as well as trigger a high water alarm.
In my case, the emergency bilge pump was located the same as Scott's, the suction line ( 1.5" ID ) ran down on the port side of the engine, and through a hole they bored in the engine pan ( a brilliant move, as it allowed any oil caught by the engine pan, to run directly into the bilge... just for clarity, I'm being sarcastic), the hose then ran straight down to the bottom of the lower bilge. It did not however, have a strainer or foot valve on it. The pump was Whale clone, called a "Guzzler". Since I couldn't see any way to have bored the hole after engine installation, I assumed this was a factory setup.
I have removed this pump presently, and have not reinstalled it as of this time. I'm not sure which arrangement I will end up with for this, but the hole in the drip pan under the engine is history, I glassed it over prior to the new engine installation.
Scott,
I've got a flexible holding tank in that area just forward of the compression post, but I'm removing the original stainless water tanks ( I had the optional second tank as well), at that time I was thinking about relocating the sump box to just aft of the compression post, as the new tank arrangement will allow me access. I really like the idea of taking the chain locker drain into that, I've been comtemplating what to do with that, and I think you just gave me the answer. Thanks 
S/V The Last Farewell,
Currently laying Panchos Marina
Marathon, Florida
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Putting the sump bilge box in that handles the shower, anchor lockers and ac condensate line is one of the better projects we have done on the boat in terms of end result. Like the solar and composting head it was a major quality of life and environment improvement.
Where before after a rain we would have a bit of moisture running from the anchor lockers all the way back to the bilge and when sailing in conditions that got water over the bow it would be a bit more than damp Now it is bone dry year round. Not having that moisture in the boat has meant less mold and mildew etc.. Solar fans also help with that.
Not having the shower flow to the bilge to be pumped out also has improved the quality of the cleanliness and odorous nature of the bilge. Not sure why anyone would have ever dumped shower water in the bilge in the first place but the sump box/bilge fixed that right up.
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Pardon my jumping into this discussion, but it seems that I will have to replace the suction hose and strainer on my deep (under the engine) manual bilge pump set up.
The boat yard where they are still getting the new engine in place says that when removing the transmission something went wrong and the pump does not pump.
I suspect that, as you mention above, that the hose has seen better days and the pump is sucking air, not water. But...new hoses all around is the general order of the day.
The question is...does the suction line or the strainer at the bottom of the sump have to be fixed in place or can they just "dangle"? I can see the danger of the shaft rubbing against the hose so think that maybe a couple of sections of solid pvc pipe might be in order to get the strained down to the bottom of the sump and then have flexible hose up to the pump. With this I could fix the pvc pipe to the "shelf" next to the engine and not worry about working down in that deep sump.
Any comments?
Thanks, as always, in advance.
Bob
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On Valkyr it just sort of dangles there. That being said it's a heavy section of hose with a big filter box on it. It doesn't move around that I have ever seen.
I think that a pvc tube with the filter on it fixed in place would be nice though. Take and set it up so that you could quickly pull it up and clear a blockage while underway.
Scott
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Thanks, Scott.
Yeah, I'll draw up a plan with solid pvc, with filter, inside the sump, transitioning to the flex tube for the run up to the pump.
Can't wait to get my hands on this vessel!
Cheers
Bob
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Further to earlier post, I discussed the matter with the mechanic who did the work on my engine replacement. He says that the new transmission is larger than the previous one leaving less room for the old, large hose. Also the shift gear control lever is also in the way. So I have to find a way to get a smaller tube down into the bilge. I am thinking of going with a 1"dia. pvc pipe connected to a flexible hose for connection to the pump. If there is room I'd like to put a strum box or at least a screen at the bottom.
I cannot find any drawing of the bilge. How deep is it? Anyone have a drawing?
I don't want to make a big deal out of this but do want to have a manual backup bilge pump in operating condition.
Thanks for all/any tips.
Bob
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I would work hard not to reduce diameter below the intake/outflow of the pump. If you do it will absolutely destroy the efficiency of the pump. Your gallons per minute/hour will drastically fall. Have you looked at having the hose run down into bilge from in front of the engine? Come from above and down the port side of the space the engine is in to just in front of it. If you did that you could basically have one bend almost from inside the bilge up and then turn aft to pump and straight back out the back of the boat.
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OK. Good thought, Scott. Many thanks.
I'll have to look more closely at the set up, but it should work.
Bob
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OK. I finally got down on my knees and looked into the engine compartment to see what gives.
It actually seems much easier than I had thought. There should be room to drop a 1 1/2" tube down the port side of the new transmission through the hole in the pan under the engine and then down into the bowels of the bilge. Going up to the pump is a snap. Only possible snag is getting a strainer through the hole in the pan, but probably can do some selective cutting to get it through. Been looking at a Jabsco Bilge Pump Strainer which might just fit.
Now to get the stuff and get to work.
Thanks for your help, Scott.
Bob
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Just wanted to add my two cents. Have cut a hatch under the engine to allow access to the bilge which runs from under the transmission and engine, then under the fuel tank to under the kitchen sink, where there is a step up to the rest of the bilge. Have noticed that if your intake hose to the bilge pump is too long, it will curl up causing your pump to suck air. I have two manual pumps and one electric. I only use the electric pump and try to keep the two manual pumps dry as have had a Whale pump housing corrode from water sitting inside pump along with the rubber valves getting hard from salt water. The large one gal. per stroke pump intake hose is permanently mounted under the kitchen sink. This is a pump I hope I will never use and takes the place of a scared man with a bucket. Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jim
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