Whale gusher 10 question

[Tony G]

General call for assistance going out.  Now I know I could spend hours researching this on-line.  Not because there is that much information out there on the matter but because I am so easily distracted when I start googling boat stuff.  

We have a gusher 10 mounted on a rotted chunk of plywood.  Love the bilge pump, hate the mounting.  Maybe its a bad neuron or just a couple hundred of them gone bad, but, I'm sure someone out there in hyper cyberspace once talked of a conversion kit that changed these babies to a bulkhead mount configuration that allowed you to just pop a plate off and slip the handle in and pump like mad without having to, say, open a cockpit locker to get at said pump.  Does anyone else ever so slightly remember anything that remotely sounds similar?  

Thanks in advance...foundering in Fargo

[CapnK]

Capt T - Whale manufactures a deckplate. Looks like you could fairly easily create a mount for the pump. A quick search didn't reveal anyone selling a thru-deck kit as a standalone option. Maybe contact Whale for one? They are great pumps.

http://www.whalepumps.com/marine/product_list/9/57/

[Tony G]

Thanks!  That's even easier than I thought...or...remembered.:confused:

Round two.  Is there a significant difference in durability between the anodized aluminum versus the plastic deck plate?  The product description qualifies the plastic model as wont fade, degrade, ect., etc..  I know plastics are continually being upgraded and improved but I personally haven't seen a bit of plastic left exposed to the sun that hasn't weathered, faded and set on it's way to failure.  Is the claim too good to be true?  Anyone?  Anyone?

[bill@ariel231]

I don't know what sort of plastic Whale used for their deck plates (it seems to be UV proof). Our plastic cover looks just fine after a dozen seasons in the sun.

[Tony G]

Thanks for the real world feedback, Bill.  I guess I'll just have to get with the twenty-first century and space-age technology and accept the fact about plastics being a part of our everyday lives.  Well, I paniced and bought the anodized model anyway.  That happens too much when I work weekends.  

Due to some changes we're making to the cockpit I might have to mount the manual pump so the handle comes up through the seat.  So it may have to handle an occational foot or butt cheek.  Also, I rationalized in my head that because of the angle of attack the sun's rays may be be harder on the plastic version.

P.s.  The really sad thing is I haven't even uncovered 113 from her winter's nap yet:o

[bill@ariel231]

My pump is mounted on the vertical face of the cockpit seat so that i can pump and steer at the same time (thankfully i need to do this just once). maybe the vertical surface saved the plastic from too much UV exposure.


have fun on your install!