About Us

The idea for the Sun Pump arrived one stormy night at Don's cottage. He awoke to the sound of pouring rain and realized there was a very real possibility his fishing boat would fill with water and sink. With the rain pouring down and thunder crashing, he ran to the dock and hand bailed his boat in the dark. Soaking wet and cold he thought, "There has to be a Better Way"!

Don built the first Sun Pump using a bilge pump, hose, solar panel and two plastic fruit baskets tied together to create a housing. It looked silly but it worked great! He was a bit embarrassed to show it to me but I got the idea right away. I showed up a few days later with a much better prototype and after several more revisions and testing, we started production. SP-001!

Since 2009, we have sold hundreds of Sun Pumps, using only top quality, marine grade components. In 2019, I bought Don out and I continued bespoke production of the first version Sun Pump at our Baysville, Ontario location. Early in 2022, I realized that the full potential of the 1.0 version of Sun Pump was being limited by its bespoke production. Later that year and through a partnership with a local cottager, we contracted Axiom Audio Labs in Dwight, Ontario to improve the look and functionality of the original Sun Pump and the new and improved Sun Pump was conceived! We now assemble, manufacture and ship the new 2.0 Sun Pump out of Axiom’s location in Dwight, Ontario. The 2.0 version of the Sun Pump features a small footprint, an integrated float switch/bilge pump design, pushbutton manual operation and a 12V emergency socket. The first Sunpump 2.0s shipped out in March of 2024.

  As the 2024 summer season approaches, check out the 2.0 Sun Pump and order one today! Pumps ship out weekly to most locations across Canada and the United States.  "Raining in Cottage Country? Don't worry, get a Sun Pump!"

  Regards, Richard Hatkoski - President - Sunpump Marine