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Old 27-10-2015, 08:34   #16
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Re: Deck Wash are they worth putting in

We are on the a mooring. We don't have regular access to fresh water at a dock to wash down after a weekend. We have plenty of fresh water that otherwise gets stale if not used. Finding a place to refill once a month has not been a problem. So...

I set up a temporary freshwater source using the faucet in our forward head. I replaced the aerator with one that has threads for a hose. When we want freshwater to wash down the boat I run the hose out the hatch for the head. I have to be a bit careful of getting water back down in the head.

Pros -
Easy to do.
Uses water that otherwise goes stale
Provides freshwater to get the salt off to reduce corrosion, etc.

Cons -
Lower than ideal pressure but sufficient for most anchor mud
Have to be careful that the head doesn't get soaked during deck washdowns.
Requires a couple of trips up and down to hook up and turn on the faucet, then turn it off and let it drain out.

It has been great to have. It is motivating me to do something more permanent and easier to manage. Still debating fresh or salt. More pressure might result in using more of our fresh water than we would like. Also, we are planning a six month cruise to the Caribbean where fresh water is not so prevalent, or at least free.
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Old 27-10-2015, 08:37   #17
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Re: Deck Wash are they worth putting in

Know a guy who installed a cheap power washer in his boat as a washdown pump. My main complaint with my deckwash is the lack of pressure. Mine's the kit you get from WM.
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Old 27-10-2015, 09:19   #18
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Re: Deck Wash are they worth putting in

We have one. Love it. It's also plumbed to the sink, and to a separate shower faucet for Bahamas water saving.
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Old 27-10-2015, 10:50   #19
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Re: Deck Wash are they worth putting in

I have two - the boat came with one in the fwd anchor locker, indispensable when raising anchor. Hosing the muck and weeds off the (all-chain) rode keeps the anchor locker a lot cleaner and better smelling. I recently installed another pump in the aft head to have an aft washdown (easier than running a water line all that way) as it's easier to wash the deck and cockpit without needing a long hose.

I improved the anchor washdown by ty-wrapping a hose nozzle to the bow pulpit, locked open and aimed at the anchor roller. This automatically cleans 90% of the "stuff" that comes up the chain, and even pushes a lot of weed down to the water.

A Lee Valley "Y" ball valve turns on the flow to the "roller wash" or a to coiled hose for a final anchor rinse. Very useful.
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Old 27-10-2015, 14:05   #20
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Re: Deck Wash are they worth putting in

Absolutely worth the effort. Boat came with one on bow and I've since added one to the rear as well as saltwater tap over the galley and bathroom sinks. Not much expenses involved and only took a day to setup. I know all the arguments against stainless chain but we anchor in mud regularly so I invested in 100 mts attached to another 100 of rope. When the chain comes up it's totally clean. The mud falls off on the way up so we only need to clean the anchor which we do by dragging in the water for 10 mins. Really appreciate it when I'm solo. Also put in a rode counter which was lots of fun. Well worth the $s spent on both.

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Old 27-10-2015, 14:31   #21
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Re: Deck Wash are they worth putting in

Quote:
Originally Posted by silverdart View Post
Hi
I am considering having a deckwash installed in my Catalina 445 sail boat.
Its a luxury I know but a nice one to have when the anchor comes up covered in black mud.
Is anyone out there that can give me a few tips on how to go about the install and the things not to do.
Cheers
silverdart

I am ashamed to say that my wife is the one that retrieves the anchor. For years on our old boat we had just line and a short length of chain and it (the anchor) needed to be hauled in manually. She would bucket off the line, chain and anchor as it came up. Our new boat did not come with a wash down pump, so I made a point to install one. We used the intakes that were originally installed for the marine head (that was the first thing to go) so they already had seacocks on them. We installed a 3.5 gpm on demand pump and the connection is back by the cockpit in case we want to use it for a shower. The idea one poster mention about plumbing it to the freshwater tanks is a good one. Being able to choose fresh or sea water is a nice touch.

Anyway, we use those hoses that shrival up when your not using them so its not a big deal hooking up or disposing of the hose. Since we usually are running the engine when she's pulling up the anchor (new boat has a windlass) there's no power loss and she says it makes pulling the anchor a breeze. 3, 4, 5 gpm it really makes no difference because all or most of those pumps have the same pressure rating.

Hopes this helps you sort things out.

Fair Winds,

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Old 27-10-2015, 16:59   #22
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Re: Deck Wash are they worth putting in

I installed one, and my wife loves me so much more now! No more buckets, faster anchor retrieval, clean decks. Simple to install: 1. Power source, 2. water source, 3. Water outlet.

I found an abandoned breaker to the previous 12v windlass for power. Stubbed off the forward air conditioner through hull (installed a t and valve, but valve not needed as the separate pumps seem to block wrong way flow just fine). Found a deck fitting with a hose connection, added copper stub for the vynal hose to connect to under the deck, from the pump.

Only regret is that I bought a 40psi washdown pump (with pressure shutoff) from wm. Later found you can special order a 70psi unit. More power is faster at getting the mud off.

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Old 27-10-2015, 17:42   #23
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Re: Deck Wash are they worth putting in

Tip: Buy a pump that uses a diaphragm not rotary vanes. You can run a diaphragm pump dry without damage. A big issue if you forget to open the intake.
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Old 27-10-2015, 19:35   #24
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Deck Wash - saltwater-proof pump?

Recently when checking out a Johnson Aqua Jet 19L Washdown Pump (70psi), I spoke to a couple of sailors that had similar pumps installed. Their opinion was that such pumps would not last long unless I was prepared to do a "thorough" fresh water rinse after every salt water use.

Otherwise I should expect to be buying a replacement pump every couple of years.

Even the chandlery manager concurred - he flatly didn't think it would last long if used with any salt water.

I have rather limited fresh water tankage at this stage, and would rather have a deck wash pump BUILT to handle salt water without corroding (eg. bronze parts).

Are such pumps available?
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Old 27-10-2015, 22:18   #25
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Deck Wash are they worth putting in

Yes, Groco makes a wildly expensive bronze wash down pump last time I looked. But really you can make do with an impeller type pump that is mostly plastic and stainless steel for about 1/3 the cost of bronze. Also, this type pump draws a lot of current (~25A at 12V).

http://www.groco.net/SVC-MAN-07/Sec3/pdfs/C-60-80.pdf
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Old 27-10-2015, 22:29   #26
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Re: Deck Wash are they worth putting in

Silverdart asked: "Deck Wash, are they worth putting in?" ... apparently well worth it if you intend to spread ashes ...

[QUOTE=Snore;1947887]Heard an interesting/humorous story about ashes being spread at sea.

They headed out off Miami and stopped the boat in winds of 10-12 kts. Some nice words were said, they read the 23 Psalm and bid the deceased fair-well.

Not wanting to toss the plastic into the ocean the decision was made to open the top of the plastic bag and to spread (pour) the deceased into the ocean.

Did you know that at the stern of a large sport fisherman their is a vortex -- reverse air flow? A goodly amount of the deceased ended on the grieving. Heard it was taken in good spirits with plenty of spirits.
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Old 28-10-2015, 00:44   #27
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Re: Deck Wash are they worth putting in

Quote:
Originally Posted by transmitterdan View Post
Yes, Groco makes a wildly expensive bronze wash down pump last time I looked. But really you can make do with an impeller type pump that is mostly plastic and stainless steel for about 1/3 the cost of bronze. Also, this type pump draws a lot of current (~25A at 12V).
Thanks for that product suggestion, Transmitterdan; the amps and price are high, but IF it lasted 10 years and performed well one would probably not regret the outlay.
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Old 28-10-2015, 04:31   #28
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Re: Deck Wash are they worth putting in

[QUOTE=Sailorbob8599;1948028]Silverdart asked: "Deck Wash, are they worth putting in?" ... apparently well worth it if you intend to spread ashes ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Snore View Post
Heard an interesting/humorous story about ashes being spread at sea.

They headed out off Miami and stopped the boat in winds of 10-12 kts. Some nice words were said, they read the 23 Psalm and bid the deceased fair-well.

Not wanting to toss the plastic into the ocean the decision was made to open the top of the plastic bag and to spread (pour) the deceased into the ocean.

Did you know that at the stern of a large sport fisherman their is a vortex -- reverse air flow? A goodly amount of the deceased ended on the grieving. Heard it was taken in good spirits with plenty of spirits.
Same thing happened to us - off the side of a large sailboat - the guests were covered in ash. Ugh.

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Old 28-10-2015, 04:48   #29
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Re: Deck Wash are they worth putting in

Quote:
Originally Posted by Marqus View Post
Thanks for that product suggestion, Transmitterdan; the amps and price are high, but IF it lasted 10 years and performed well one would probably not regret the outlay.
We have a common relatively cheap pump - one of those sold as a washdown package. It is 10yr old now and works like the day it was installed.

You can buy 4 of these for each Groco. For sure, the Groco is a better pump, but you may want to consider just how you will be using this. If just for getting mud off the anchor gear and occasionally washing down the deck, the Groco will be overkill.

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Old 28-10-2015, 06:57   #30
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Re: Deck Wash are they worth putting in

You can buy a Jabsco or ShurFlo pump designed specifically as a wash down pump for under $200. They work fine and will last several years.
If you want to spend more money, the Jabsco 52700 series will put out up to 8gpm at 80 PSI.
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