Linus,
My boat came with 3 inspection ports evenly spaced fore & aft across the tops of each tank, and a lot of crud inside the tanks. Only one of the three ports had an easy-access hole cut through the plywood cover. I cut access holes above each of the other ports, angling the jig-saw blade inward so I could then set the cutouts back in the holes. I was able to scrub out the tanks with various scrubbers and brushes, including one with a foot-long handle, plus plenty of detergent, Comet, some bleach and several rinses in between and afterwards. Draining each rinse was simplified by cutting the tank-to-manifold hoses above the bilge sump and installing T’s and a drain hose aimed downward (which I otherwise keep plugged). I was able to get replacement O-rings for the inspection ports from their manufacturer, Beckson Marine.
I recently replaced most of the hoses on my boat – sanitation, seawater and freshwater – including the water tank-to-manifold hoses, which were gross after 30 years of use and neglect. I did have to remove the plywood cover to get at each salon tank’s exit hose fitting, but that’s a one-time fix. However, I’m going to follow the example of others in this group and cut access hatches into those aft bulkheads so I can use the dead space aft of the tanks. (I’ve just done that in the shower stall and, even though I knew there was a big space back there, I’m amazed and delighted at just how big it actually is. I’m thinking of using it as my garage.)
🙂
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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