This week's product: The hand pump

4:58 AM Wed 8 Apr 2009 GMT

'hand pump' .

There are always a few things that the crusty old salt with a few decades of sailing under his belt just won't go to sea without. It might be the bucket, the deck torch, the harness or the sextant, just for starters. Maybe high on the list after that is the HAND PUMP.

Useful for everything from an emergency to getting the last water out of the defrosted deep freeze, the hand pump may become the most important piece of safety equipment a mariner can have on board.

The key to good design is simplicity, and this week's handpump has been manufactured since 1955 with the highest quality materials available.

As many a user will testify, Beckson Marine's Genuine Thirsty-Mate hand pumps are built to work well and last a long time.

Self-priming and easy-to-clean, the the cutely named hand pump Thirsty-Mate will not rust, corrode or mar a boat. If the pump becomes clogged, users simply remove the foot valve assembly, by applying low heat, and clean out the inside.

Allowing unimpeded water flow, the water-lubricated pump's intake and discharge are the same size, with capacities ranging from 22.7 L to 49.2 L a minute.

With a contoured, trademarked red tee handle and a special polyvinyl grey body and shaft, the solvent-welded, lightweight hand pump is constructed for reliability.

Certified by the Marine Testing Institute in 1969 to '1,162,835 strokes and still performing,' the pumps have outlived the institute.

Easy to operate, they are available in four different diameters ranging from 3.2 cm to 7.6 cm and multiple lengths starting at 45.7 cm. Spare parts such as replacement foot valve assemblies and hoses are readily available.

For more information, email intlsales [at] beckson.com; Skype at becksonbpt or consult the website: www.beckson.com.

by Blackwattle Studios

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