My water tanks leak around the inspection ports if I top off. New
gaskets didn’t help. Pearson simply used the wrong ports for this
application. I found some good ones online, but they’re
expensive. I just watch the level through an inspection port when
I’m taking on water and stop an inch or so short of full.

Tor

I replaced my ports with these: http://www.seabuilt.com/plates.php but
there’s something else to be aware of. You can’t overpressurize the
tanks. Leaving a running hose in the fill port is a primary way of
cracking or overstressing the tank.

My tanks all vent to the bilge and the vent line runs across the tanks
(athwartships) twice before exiting. This prevents over pressure because
the water never fills more than 3/4″ above the tank.

The tanks are not particularly strong. The Pearson installed ports are
absolutely the wrong ones, designed for external pressure rather than
internal.

They can be replaced with the same ports that water ballasted sailboats use
– I forget who makes them, but they’re pretty good. Also much cheaper than
the stainless plates.

If you do nothing else, move the vents from the blind bulkheads to
somewhere that won’t get your clothes or underwear wet.

I couldn’t use the forward sink for a vent because the plumbing was so
small that the sink would overflow before I turned the water off. Also, I
removed the sink and through hull.

Bob

On Fri, Feb 6, 2015 at 7:53 AM, Silverheels via maillist <
> wrote:

Ken
How’s the cabin sole? The laminated plywood sole used by Pearson isn’t very durable. There are a number of repair methods discussed in past threads.

Rich

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Nice idea running the vent lines athwartship Bob. I just replaced my
hoses since they seem to accumulate mold or similar and would have liked
to have considered that approach prior to that. It would seem though
that there might be a possibility of a siphon being created that could
take a lot of the water out of the leeward tank when sailing healed over
if the vent line did not finally go higher and into a air gap before
draining to the bilge. In that case though wouldn’t the hose just fill
with water and then up to the high spot in the system, just taking a few
seconds longer? Maybe I am being dense on this Friday morning.

Thanks

Pete

On 2/6/2015 8:00 AM, Robert Fine via maillist wrote:

Evidence that Tor is a single man ;^)
(Nice work as always Tor)

Pete

On 2/6/2015 8:31 AM, Silverheels via maillist wrote:

Rich, the surface (teak and holly) you can’t even tell, it’s the ply the
t&h was laminated to that is mush. If and when I have the mast out I may
try to clear it out and put in a filler. I’ve done similar repairs for
people before. It’s a bit of a hack repair but repairing one section of an
old sole (ha) is tough to match up. I’d never just add something on top. I
have replaced whole soles in smaller boats working in and under cabinetry.
Big job!

Ken

On Fri, Feb 6, 2015 at 8:56 AM, re.carter— via maillist <
> wrote:

Ya, Ya, looks like a bachelor pad to me for sure! (smile) I could do
wonders with that space if it didn’t have bras and panties stuffed all
over. (smile, wink)

ken

On Fri, Feb 6, 2015 at 8:31 AM, Silverheels via maillist <
> wrote:

Re: Water Tank Leak

Author:

Yes, filling the water tanks is quirky on these boats.  Rather than pull all the cushions off and open the setee to monitor the water level, I just listen to the tank fill.  You can hear the water falling into the tank from the neck.  I’ve trained my ear to pick up when the pitch gets higher and you can’t detect the splash of falling water.  That’s when I stop filling.  Works for me.

Dan Kalinowski

Jolly Lama #135

Keehi Lagoon, O’ahu

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Dan,

Alternatively, you can cut an inspection port in the sliding plywood bunk piece, directly above the tank’s inspection port. If you set the jigsaw blade at an angle for the cut, the disc you cut out will set back on as a cover for the hole. When you’re filling the tanks, just lift that corner of the cushion, open the plywood cover, and unscrew the plastic inspection port to watch the rising water level. Stop an inch or two shy of the top. You might find it more accurate than just listening.

Tor

Hi Ken,

If you look at those plates you can get a machine shop with water cutting
capability to make these plates out of 1/8″ stainless for less than 1/3 the
cost each, which is what I did.

You are correct about the vent line going across the tank to the center of
the boat, then across to the hull, and then back across to the bilge.
Siphoning is prevented because the hose drains after filling and when the
boat heels to port, there’s a bubble in the starboard loop and vice versa
starboard. As soon as the boat levels, the hose drains again. The purpose
is to minimize the pressure applied to the tank by having a vent loop.

I might be wrong but it seems to work. I do still listen to the fill
line. Because if I don’t the bilge pump will run.

Bob

On Fri, Feb 6, 2015 at 6:39 PM, Silverheels via maillist <
> wrote:

I use a gallon counter (meter), available at ACE, and I’m sure other fine retailers. It’s pretty cheap and screws to the end of your fill hose. I have a separate short length of hose on the ‘out’ end of the meter that I stick in the filler port. These gallon counters aren’t too accurate, but I know from experience that as I approach 50 gallons (on the stbd and port tanks) I’m full.

I broke open a tank on my previous vessel while rounding the North end of Bimini in a pounding sea. I had filled my tank to the limit with no air gap…my bad. I’m more careful now.

David
Blue Moon #189