This bulletin board, hosted by the CDSOA, Inc., is the on-line meeting place for all Cape Dory owners and groups. We welcome everyone's questions, answers and comments about Cape Dory sailboat
I was at the boat today and took a good look at the shower drain setup. Part of the cause for the differing systems may have to do with the age of the boat. On mine built in '84 it appears the the shower sump is an integral part of the liner. Rather than a hose leading from the shower sump to the bilge sump there is a molded in part of the liner that is all one piece with the bilge sump. The grate in the shower floor covers a sort of funnel shaped part of the liner that is one with the bilge sump. Water from the shower goes down a slide like the one kids slide on at the playground and dumps right into the bilge sump. There is no way to let the shower drain directly into the bilge. The bilge sump has a hose fitting in the bottom that leads to a hose that runs to the pump and then overboard through an above waterlevel throughull in the transom. There are two other hose bibs in the bilge sump at the top of the sump. One comes from the icebox drain and the other comes from the head sink drain. The shower drain dumps directly into the bilge sump via the slide. There is a hole at the bottom side of the bilge sump with a rubber stopper in it so that one can pull the "cork" and let the bilge sump drain into the bilge if one so desires. If the bilge sump gets full it would flow over the top and into the bilge also.
On boats built before the hull liners they may have drained the shower directly into the bilge or via a hose to somewhere else.
FWIW
Frank Vernet wrote: We've had Sirius for 4 years now and have never really used the shower until last weekend. When in Puerto Rico we relied on a Sun Shower unit and much snorkeling. Now in Maryland, it's a different story.
I noticed that the shower drain pan (correctly described?) at the bottom of the shower drains directly into the bilge via a hose. The shower sump pump does not appear to do anything. Rather the intake end of the intake hose sits in the bottom of the bilge.
Should the hose that drains the shower into the bilge be connected to the intake of the sump pump and should it drain overboard directly? I fear a PO may have disconnected things...Help! I've studied the plumbing diagram in the CD33 manual and did not gleen further insight.
~~~~/)~~~~
Frank Vernet
s/v Sirius
CD33 #84
Annapolis, MD
I realize this thread is ancient, but I might as well throw my 2 cents in. My CD36 has the same sectioned off box just aft of the diesel tank. It has a pipe stubbed out the bottom. The shower and the icebox drain into that box. My plan is to install a hose to connect that stub to an electric diaphragm pump. I may also install a float switch on the floor of the box. I definitely don't want that stuff in the bilge.
FWIW, ours has that box as well, with a removable plug for the hole. It has a pump in that box (no float switch, we just manually run it after a shower). The icebox does drain into the bilge, not that box.
The POs left the plug out and it run into the bilge... we have by mistake, but generally keep it in and use the pump.
Melissa,
I often do things backwards. You want a deck shower? I converted my deck shower to an anchor wash !
The PO of MINKE had a fresh (!) water anchor wash .This was easily plumped into the "pressure" water of the boat and attached to a fitting on the forward deck that accepted a regular hose and handle.The hose handle when activated turned on the boats fresh water pump. This works fine in warm climates as an outdoor shower but a questionable way to waste water on an anchor.. I reversed the process by installing another pump (separate from the fresh water system) and some plumbing that converted it to a salt water anchor wash. With the flip of a electric switch and a three way plumbing valve I can have either fresh or salt water come out of the deck hose. I"m not sure IF the PO used the boat's water maker to have a bow mounted shower or liked to wash his anchor with fresh water??? IF he had connected the anchor wash line to the hot water line for a hot / fresh water shower that might have been fun. One big advantage of my salt water deck/anchor wash is that it creates an additional sump pump to the bilge.(Shut off salt water intake from seacock and switch to hose in bilge. (The salt water intake goes to the head)
You're moving south? What's your plan. How soon?
