BEEware!

Heads up, fellas! I just replaced a burned-up bilge pump in my Lund. I originally suspected that it somehow got a little ice in it over the Winter and that's what did it in. Found out the truth this morning! A bee or wasp had dragged a bunch of crap into the hose and plugged up the exit hole.

When I installed the new pump I flooded the hull to test it, and heard it kick on but no water came out. So after a minute of scratching my head I hooked up the garden hose to the tube that comes off the bilge pump. The tube bulged up and started stretching out and then all of a sudden a big ol' clump of crap goes blasting out the other end! Kinda looked like a mud wasp nest to me.

R.I.P. wasp babies...

Anyway, I thought I would share that with y'all so you can watch out for those buggers. I was pretty lucky it only cost me ONE new bilge pump. If I hadn't cleared the tube going out, I probably would have burned up the new pump the next time I got water in the hull. I sure am glad I tested the system!Thumbs Up

BTW, Hands Clapping to Waconda boats! Called them Friday around noon to order a replacement pump, and had the CORRECT replacement pump sitting on my front porch before lunch on Monday. That's some good service right there!Thumbs Up

I found this out the hard way several years ago after moving to eastern Kansas. Coming from western Kansas around Hays and Plainville I did not have to worry about it but I quickly learned once we moved here!
We were out on Pomona chasing the wipers in a pretty heavy wind. Had taken several waves over the front but the bilge just sputtered when I would turn it on like it wasnt picking up much water. I sure thought there ought to be more water in the bottom of the boat but whatever, we were catching wipers right and left! We got our limit and headed in and when I backed away from the dock after dropping the wife off to get the trailer, water came shooting up out of drain in the floor! We got back to the camper and I tore into it and found exactly what you found, about half of the hose was full of mud dauber nests and a bunch of grass and vines. Got all that cleaned out of there and it worked like a champ.

Since that time I plug every hole on the side of the boat when it is here at home. For the smaller holes I use one of those Styrofoam bobbers and just pull the center out of it. Works perfect for plugging the hole. (These work equally well for plugging up the drain hole when you get on the water and realize your beer cooler is floating in the bottom of the boat because the plug fell out somewhere and the boat is filling with water!!! That was a very exciting realization!! :rolleyes:Doh)

I also use pieces of sponge that I have cut about the same size as the hole. I use the big yellow sponges you buy like at Lowe's or Home Depot. These sponges also work pretty good for making sponges for dip bait. The sponges work better if you forget to take them out before you get on the water. Once you turn on the bilge or the live well it will push the sponge out so it does not plug the line up.

Its amazing how those buggers can drag so much crap into those lines!


Keith