Bilge pump

A bilge pump is a hand-operated pump, usually a simple tube with a plunger and a one-way valve, used to remove water that has collected inside a sit-inside kayak's cockpit or hull. Unlike a sit-on-top, which drains itself through scupper holes, a sit-inside cockpit holds any water that gets in from spray, rain, a wet paddle, or a capsize, so it has to be pumped out manually.

A hand bilge pump is worked by holding the barrel with one hand, bracing it against the cockpit floor, and pumping the plunger with the other, which is manageable while sitting still but harder while also balancing the boat, so many paddlers practice pumping with one hand while steadying themselves with the paddle in the other. Foot-operated and small electric bilge pumps also exist, mounted permanently in the hull, and trade convenience for extra cost and installation.

A bilge pump is a standard part of a sit-inside touring kit alongside a spray skirt, paddle float, and towline, since even a well-fitted skirt can let some water in over time or during a wet exit and re-entry. Storing the pump somewhere reachable while seated, rather than buried in a hatch, is worth checking before you actually need it on the water.