New Owner Question

[Warren S]

We are new Cape Dory owners (hello, all)!

We are thrilled at the construction and reputation of the Dory - this one's a 270.

We are interested in flushing the fresh water tank, but the manual doesn't mention how. Must it be pumped out through the deck plate? Disconnect a feed line and reconnect it to a pump?

Thanks!

[Neil Gordon]

There's no extra special way to empty the fresh water tank. For me, it's a lot of foot-pumping, but just emptying it into the sink works.

Simply disconnecting a hose, letting the tank drain into the bilge and letting the bilge pump evacuate it works, too.

[marka]

I took my tank out and flushed it with highly diluted chlorine. It was easy.

[Warren Kaplan]

I just flush it thru the sink. May as well flush out all the water lines too while you're doing it. I usually flush and fill, flush and fill a few times before I finally fill it and cap it. Gives me a good workout too.

[Bill - Dulcie]

You may wish to add a couple of tablespoons of Clorox and a half-box of baking soda to your first iteration flush water. Freshens/purifies entire system.

[Steve Laume]

My tanks are under the settees and have inspection ports on top. I do not use the deck fill but top off each tank through the inspection port. When the time comes to empty the tanks I also pump them out through the inspection port if there is much water in the tank instead of using the foot pump or pressure water system. To clean the tanks out completely I use a wet and dry vacume. It will remove virtually all the water in the tank and any nasty stuff that may have taken up residence there. There was some ugly black stuff in my tanks when I got our boat. I got in there with a pressure hose and sprayed and vvacuumedrepeatedly uuntilthe crud was gone. A little bleach will keep things nice. I also use the vacume to remove all the antifreeze in the spring before I add any water so I do not have the taste in my tanks. My most recent crew for a week said the water taste like plastic! Image such a complement after only a week on board. If their tastes were so refined that they could taste plastic and nothing else offensive things must be pretty clean in there. I met an old cruising couple (in every sense) in Florida years ago that never drank water. We had a late Sunday breakfast of a water glass of vodka fresh from the freezer, caviar and crackers. That would solve all your water problems as after breakfast who could care, Steve.