Bilge Pump Repair, Prop Shaft Dripless and an Incredible Overnight Sail
12 July 2026 · 14 min · 229 views · Gulf of California
What this video covers
A bilge pump failure and a leaking dripless shaft seal interrupt Adventure Can't Wait's departure from Santa Rosalia, Baja Mexico, forcing a mid-passage stop at Chivato to make repairs.3:27 The Gulper bilge pump, roughly three years old and lightly used, began leaking from a weep hole; disassembly revealed a torn diaphragm and worn one-way valves.3:35 The rebuild used a replacement kit — new diaphragm, rubber one-way valves, and a duckbill check valve — and proved straightforward enough that the crew notes the Gulper's simplicity as a genuine advantage.6:13 A separate issue: the dripless shaft seal, disturbed during earlier prop shaft alignment work that required shimming the engine laterally by a quarter inch, was dripping enough to trigger the bilge pump every ten minutes underway.0:07 At Chivato, anchored for roughly 30 minutes, the crew tightened the collar and set screws to restore seal pressure, stopping the leak.9:15 The boat then continued an overnight passage toward Escondido, approximately 100 miles from Santa Rosalia, through calm, bioluminescent water.12:24 Hardwiring the bilge pump without a disconnect complicated the repair; the crew flags carrying a spare rebuild kit as essential for the next season.4:40
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