Well, last time I assume something is still working on the boat. I assumed the center bilge pumps just worked. Combined with the fact that I didn’t screw in the speed sensor that Svendsen’s Bay Marine broke correctly. I had a LOT of water in the starboard bilge. Fortunately I noticed it before things got ugly.

I think the pump had just about every possible problem: a backflow valve should never be used, but it had one; the wires were corroded because they were attached via screw terminals exposed to the air; the float switch had a cover (they don’t sell them any more since they actually increase the likelihood of failure); the blade of the pump had some plastic stuck in it; there was lots of junk down in the bilge that the pump shouldn’t be expected to remove.

In any case, the starboard center bilge pump is now working fine. I’m going to double check the port side at some point soon. At least now the bilge smells a bit nicer.

Plans are now underway for the first ocean voyage. I still have a short list of critical items to fix but I don’t think I’ll have much problem getting them done.