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Dave and Petra's refit.

Dave and Petra

New Member
I hope it's OK to start a general thread for our refit questions and photos. I fear I will have too many questions for a separate thread for each. Please let me know if this doesn't work for the group.

Covid kick my butt for the last few weeks, so no progress of significance. Still chasing termites, but they have migrated into the gunnels. Currently we are removing jib tracks, anchor hardware and a solar arch to remove the infected wood.

Soon we will have a blank slate to rebuild.

Being new owners of a morgan 38 we have some ideas. I would like to run them past the experienced members here for vetting.

For example: The boat has a drainage system with a large diameter tube port to starboard above the waterline near the stern. Currently the deck drains feef into it. It also had the shower drain pump, and a manual pump from the frige plumbed into it.

The bilge pump currently has a dedicated hose fitting that empties out just under the gunnel near the stern starboard side and into any dingy tied up alongside. Usually my dingy and I haven't learned to park elsewhere yet.

Question: Is there any reason the bilge pump should not simply feed into the deck drainage system ?
 
The stock arrangement is that the manual pump ties into the cockpit drainage system (torpedo tube) on the port side. Most sailing organizations rules forbid bilge pumps from tying into a cockpit drain. So that may be why an electric pump probably was not plumbed to it, and/or the manual pump was moved. IMHO, the bilge discharge needs to be well above the waterline, where it will not be underwater when healed. A solution you your problem could be a second smaller maintenance pump plumbed to the cockpit drain, with the higher volume pump only used if the small pump can't keep up.
 
I would keep the pump drain where it is and move the dinghy. My electric normal pump goes overboard generally where yours does, my oversized emergency electric goes through the hull amidships, under the gunwale , but my hand pump goes into the torpedo tube. I guess I should change than, according to Warren. In an emergency, I would not want to be pumping against back pressure from the sea. By the way, check the seal where the PVC tube goes through the hull. Mine started to leak and I dealt with it first with 5200. Then I tore out the stupid PVC and had my yard glass a fiberglass tube to the hull. Hard job for the worker, but I feel safer in rough seas.
 
Do m
"my oversized emergency electric goes through the hull amidships, under the gunwale "

Do most of you have an oversized emergency pump ? There is none currently on board.

Only the rule 2000 which has 1.5" I D hose attach to it going to a through hull fitting with a 1/2" ID hole. Not good. Needs changing for sure. This boat had a heater (rusted out and removed) with an exhaust out the transome leaving a good size hole and perhaps a more suitable locaton for me.


"according to Warren"

Pardon my igorance.. Who is Warren ?

" In an emergency, I would not want to be pumping against back pressure from the sea. "

I agree, but have also read thar a bilge pump throuh hull can be below the waterline as long as it has a vented loop. Still.. sounds sketchy to me.

"By the way, check the seal where the PVC tube goes through the hull. Mine started to leak and I dealt with it first with 5200. Then I tore out the stupid PVC and had my yard glass a fiberglass tube to the hull. Hard job for the worker, but I feel safer in rough seas."

Now would be good time gor me to fo this. With all the woodwork removd I heve eady access. Thanks for the tip.
 
I believe it was stnick who posted that you want to see your bilge pump discharges visibly shooting out from the boat so that you keep track of them, know how often and how much they are pumping. The torpedo tube is out of sight. He moved his pump discharges to the aft quarters above the waterline with new through hulls. I moved ours to the transom where there was already a vent for the holding tank that I had discontinued, and put a new second larger bilge pump discharge beside it.
 
Next question.. When I unscrew the plate from the fuel tank, what is on the inside? Another plate with tapped holes and one longer bolt or nuts with lockwashers? It is a poly plastic tank.
 
Stephen: Where did you run the new bilge pump hose. I don't see anymore room from the bilge to the stern on my boat, unless I try to go under the galley and ice box, which would also be awfully tight. Thanks.
 
Next question.. When I unscrew the plate from the fuel tank, what is on the inside? Another plate with tapped holes and one longer bolt or nuts with lockwashers? It is a poly plastic tank.
Stephen: Where did you run the new bilge pump hose. I don't see anymore room from the bilge to the stern on my boat, unless I try to go under the galley and ice box, which would also be awfully tight. Thanks.
Haven't done that yet, but the old one followed the diesel fill hose up to the deck and then to the stern. Not sure what we will do yet.
 
Hi Terry:
Regarding bilge pumps, I did this as part of filling in the old holding tank. When that was done we had a basically new bilge with more room than before and needed new bilge pumps and wiring.

The discontinued holding tank vent line starts in the bilge and goes under the cabin floor and into the starboard side hanging locker, then up the side of the hull until underneath the cap rail and then follows the cap rail to the transom. The tubing was around 3/4" size, (don't remember) and in good condition so we reused the old vent line and through hull for the small bilge pump on the floor of the bilge that does the daily work, a Rule 800. That seems to work well and you can see the discharge from the cockpit. I installed a second larger 1 1/2" hose along the same route for a larger bilge pump that sits higher in the bilge.

The hoses were a bit troublesome to route up out of the bilge because of the tight bends and adapting the size of the pump outlets to the discharge lines. I found some molded rubber reducing elbows at Pegasus Auto Racing on line. https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/ They have a lot of configurations and sizes and had ones that took care of each pump.
Steve
 
Termites terminated, rebuilding starts at the bow. Similar to the Swedish boats of the same vintage, we are raising tha anchor locker floor 1 ft above the water line and extending it 12" aft. With a 1/2" hole on each side, this will allow the chain locker to drain overboard out the side instead of into the bilge, 20210809_121428.jpgand also provides a water tight compartment, from the bow, back 3 feet and 1 foot above the watertline in case of collision.
 
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