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Nice setup. Would you mind if I make a few suggestions.
Both pumps and check valves can fail, and they both can and sometimes do fail at the same time. Your exit is low enough that water from the outside could be forced in through wave action if the check valve was not working properly.
To get around this with your existing setup I would increase the length of the tubing from the pump to the valve so that it raises the highest point of of the tube to just under your deck which puts it higher then the outlet. That way any water that splashes in would have to go uphill past the check valve in order to get in. It's a simple mod just add a piece of hose that is maybe six inches longer between the pump.
A better mod would be to replace both hoses, but let me explain why.
That check valve probably has a ball in it that seats against a seal. In your picture the seat would be on the right with the vent or exit on the left.
It's a mechanical valve which means the ball freely moves, as such enough water has to come in to push the ball against the seat to make a seal. It's very good at blocking water under constant pressure because it will tightly push the ball to it's seat creating a good seal.
It's not so good at blocking intermittent flows because every time a little water get's through before the ball is pushed into position and seats.
Right now the valve is horizontal which mean that the ball will be moving back an forth do to gravity as the kayak rocks in the waves. If it sticks there is roughly a fifty fifty chance that it will get stuck in the open position. Since it's horizontal your counting on the water pressure to push the ball against it's seat so it seals. Roughly half the time water comes in your exit port the valve will not be seated or sealed and even if it is working properly some water, maybe a teaspoon full will get through. It's a small amount of water but kayaks are small boats and there is a way around it.
If you take the same valve and connect it to your pump with a short piece of hose maybe two inches so the it's right above the pump, then run a longer hose for the the exit one that cuves up against the deck then out your exit it will improve the set up two ways.
The valve will no longer be horizontal but now vertical with the seat seal at the bottom. So the ball will always now be at the bottom or pushed up against its seat or seal by gravity. The ball that seals and blocks water from coming in will always be down against the seat so it will always be sealed. The longer hose will block water from coming in at all if you have it go all the way up to the deck, as the water would have to go uphill to make it in but any water that does make it over the hump will find you check valve closed and that water will not be able to make it into your kayak.
There's nothing new with any of these ideas. they are common knowledge in the boating industry. I've seem many bilge pumps, and installed a bunch of them, so I just thought I'd say them to possibly help you guys out.
One more thing. My favorite saying in boating is that things that are used wear out things that are not used oxidize. Bilge pumps are seldom used, so they die from sitting and oxidizing.
Every small bilge pump I have seen has a steel spindle which rusts and eventually fails seizing the pump. If you want to increase the life of your system or decrease it's likely hood of failure, rinse out your system after every use.
In other words, put maybe five gallons of fresh water in the yak when you get home then hook up the pump and run it. That will remove all the salt out of pump and check valve, and more then double the life of your pump. once again another lesson I have learned from running and fishing boats over the years.
Like I said nice setup. I'd make a few changes, but that's just my take on it.
Good luck with it, Jim
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