Whale Gusher 10 to Titan
After years of loyal service to the previous owner of Queen of Hearts, our Whale Gusher 10 finally gave up the ghost. It's likely a Mk2 or Mk3—hard to tell, since there's no yellow paint or clear marking. Made of epoxy-coated aluminum, it was tough and reliable in its day, but time and saltwater took their toll. Corrosion eventually jammed the internal flaps and seals, and it started to leak.
A manual bilge pump is the last thing you want to use, but when you need it, you need it to work reliably.
What's the problem with the Gusher 10?
The Gusher 10 is aluminum, and while it's epoxy-coated, saltwater eventually finds a way. Over time, the coating flakes off or corrodes, and once the metal's exposed, it degrades quickly, and this internal corrosion can interfere with check valves and seals. Eventually, the pump leaks—or stops working entirely. As Practical Sailor, Cruisers Forum, Sailnet, and Ericson Yachts forums have also shown, this is a common issue.
Yes, you can maintain them. Service kits are available, and if you have decent access, it's not a hard job. But the reality is, it's one more thing on the list. So we asked: is there a better option that's less prone to corrosion and gives us confidence it will work reliably in a pinch?
Enter the Whale Gusher Titan
The Titan is built with rigid plastic instead of aluminum, so corrosion isn't a factor. It's rated at 28 GPM compared to the Mk3's 17. It's also significantly less expensive—$143 vs $277 at the time of writing.
| Model | Material | GPM | Cost (as of Apr 2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whale Gusher 10 Mk3 | Epoxy-coated aluminum | 17 | $277 |
| Whale Gusher Titan | Rigid plastic | 28 | $143 |
Is the Titan a drop-in replacement?
Nope. We were hopeful, but looks are deceiving. While both pumps use the same through-deck cover dimensions, the bolt patterns are rotated 90 degrees relative to each other. Unless you want to rotate the whole pump body and change the handle's operating direction, you'll need to drill new holes for the cover.
If you were to fill the old holes properly, reusing and rotating the old cover barely hides them.
Old Cover Reused and Rotated:
But our work isn't done - all of the other mounting holes for the pump body itself are different too. You'll need to drill new holes for the pump base if you plan to utilize these attachment points below deck.
- The Titan has machine screws that thread directly into the pump body through the deck cover. The Gusher 10 uses through-bolts, nuts, and washers (making for an easier 1-person installation).
- The Titan has more mounting points (Perhaps the plastic housing benefits from the additional support compared to the aluminum Gusher 10?).
- The Titan allows you to rotate the base orientation to more angles (the Gusher 10 is limited to 90-degree intervals).
What did Queen of Hearts end up with?
We went with the Titan. Less corrosion risk, lower maintenance, higher potential output, and a lower cost made it compelling. It feels solid and moves water fast. Time will tell how the plastic holds up over the years compared to the old aluminum workhorse, but for now, we're happy with the upgrade and the peace of mind.
Thanks for reading!