Hi Eddie,
Was in a similar situation to you last year so can tell you what I found out... and my experiences to date
Yellowbird wrote:
QUOTE:
The sizes and makes are giving me problems. Can anyone advise on the difference in performance between Seasure Supersuck and Anderson bailers.
The Supersuck has about the same size water hole as the Anderson Mini, but has a bigger foot print for its metal work so you need to find somewhere better to squeeze it into.
That said, Supersuck seem to imply their bailer is more effective at low speeds. Which they point out are common in a water logged boat and when trying to make to wind in a heavy sea (when you will also fill with lots of water!)
I was very tempted by the Supersuck, but they are quite pricey. (In the end I bough my Medium Anderson/elvstrom bailer from ebay - used).
I've used Elvstrom's on other boats in the past and they were always very effective if you could get the boat moving. Never noticed it till I fitted the one in the heron but they are also great dinghy park drains.
I've never even seen a Supersuck in a boat. But I have used another bailer (no longer available) in an Albacore which also used the venturi principle and perhaps it was past its best (the boat certainly was) because it bailer was useless...
I believe supersucks are slower when both are working, but they work at slower boat speed. Its hard to find anyone who likes them though - even if you find someone who's used them they tend to be less than delighted with them...? Plenty of people swear by Elvstrom's
QUOTE:
Also, which of the Anderson bailers is the correct or best size for a Heron; Mini; Midi or Max.
Another hard one! From what I gather a smaller bailer will operate slightly better at slower speeds (that may be lies!) but has the disadvantage of being slower to work. The other question I had was 1 or 2? I know that new mirror's come with two anderson mini's. So I guess that would be all you need. As for other bailers - I did for a while consider a plastic one like they have on toppers and even if it could fit the 6mm ply - i was advised against it... a topper cockpit only holds about 200litres maximum - a heron cockpit holds plenty more than that!
QUOTE:
Finally, any views regarding Transom bailers would also be useful.
Yeh - I thought these would be great and they are certainly class legal. If you ask the FRP owners out there - they don't seem to transfixed by them! Inevitably they can leak, but I don't think they actually drain that well. You have to work out why you want them... (The same goes for self bailers)
- Are you capsizing lots? Transom Flaps *may* help. Self bailers will also help, but you may need to bucket out some water to get moving.
- Are you taking lots of spray? Transom flaps won't help. Unless its an awful lot. Self bailers definately will help and to be honest size maybe isn't that crucial as you presumably don't take that much spray.
- Are you storing your boat bow up with the bungs out? Transom flaps will help if she gets really full. Self Bailers will drain her flat (if she's full that's easier to do that lifting her while you wait for the water to drain out the bungs.)
Other considerations:
1 or 2? Water will distribute around the boat so 1 may be enough. 1 means only 1 hole, 1 amount of drag - but uneven drag. I only have 1 but put it in the wrong place (under rear thwart) to try and optimise its singularity instead of putting it at the lowest point in the hull (next to centre board) - possibly under the thwart to reduce risk of standing on it by accident.
Flaps - you presumably want to flap as close to the bottom of the transom as you can get it. On a framed hull that'll be above the frame. Now that might look like its only ?37mm or something - but if your boat is flat (and if its not the transom flap goes in the water
) 37mm of water at the back will be more like 100mm at the centreboard - which will be well above the floor boards. Its not the same issue on the FRPs where the floor is false bottomed so the water at the back is at least 0mm,
Positioning - Couple of pointers - make sure you know where the flange will sit before you cut the hole. You'll probably be placing it close to the cb case and a frame so don't go too close or the flange will not fit. As I said aim for under a thwart if you can. If you still have per plan floor boards you'll need to cut a bit out I cut about half the width on one board so as to keep the board running its full length. (During this years major refit the bailer is moving, and I'm fitting the below the frames re-enforced boards with less boards so I'll not need to cut the board.)
Oh and never capsized
so I don't know how well they work... but in a bit of spray they work fine, and the drain her well in the dinghy park. (I had a small [hidden] hole in the hull so my front tank filled on several occasions last year so she had a fair amount of water in her. She drained quicker from the Elvstrom than the two 25mm bungs on the transom.)
Forum
