Water system using dock water

[dmoore1200]

I have three options for connecting dock water. I can only seem to get the port side to work. The other two care capped off. Ive tried connecting the others (Starboard and cockpit), but no luck... Do the unused connections need to be capped for the system to pressurize or something?

 

[oscarvan]

There are check valves in both supply sides of my shore water. This is so the pump doesn't send it back up the line. Yours may not be healthy.....

 

[Pascal]

If water isn’t coming out then they don’t need to be capped.

Try to follow the pipes inside the boat and see maybe if there is not a valve.

Personally I NEVER connect to dock water.

 

[hat4349]

If water isn’t coming out then they don’t need to be capped.

Try to follow the pipes inside the boat and see maybe if there is not a valve.

Personally I NEVER connect to dock water.

I agree with Pascal, I would never connect to dock water. I have seen one boat sink because a valve broke and another that was listing badly until the got the water shut off.

 

[JD5652]

If water isn’t coming out then they don’t need to be capped.

Try to follow the pipes inside the boat and see maybe if there is not a valve.

Personally I NEVER connect to dock water.

I agree with Pascal, I would never connect to dock water. I have seen one boat sink because a valve broke and another that was listing badly until the got the water shut off.

Me three... I never connect to dock water either.... same reasons...

 

[Pascal]

Plus it keeps your water tank fresher by regularly adding dock water which has some chlorine. And keep the pump exercised

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Plus it keeps your water tank fresher by regularly adding dock water which has some chlorine. And keep the pump exercised

Same here. Never use the dockside connection

 

[Captain Ralph]

I have three options for connecting dock water. I can only seem to get the port side to work. The other two care capped off. Ive tried connecting the others (Starboard and cockpit), but no luck... Do the unused connections need to be capped for the system to pressurize or something?

We worked on a 65 a ways back. Both port and stb inlets had sized pressure regulators. Replaced and all was well.
Cockpit inlet or outlet? I would assume it is an outlet that is check valve protected.

Your boats prints should be able to help also.

 

[jim rosenthal]

A fourth for never connecting to dock water. Too many boats have sunk from dock water flooding the boat.

 

[MadHatter53]

I’m always on city water but I do turn it off if I leave the boat for a bit and disconnect when I leave for the week.

 

[dmoore1200]

I found a check valve in the cockpit. Yes I never would leave it running when not there. I’m still sorting systems out. Thank preferred.

 

[jap201]

After hearing about boats sinking due to leakage in the dock water systems, when I leave the boat, I disconnect the hose from the boat and the dock so no one accidentally turns it on. If I'm just leaving to go out to dinner, I turn it off and just disconnect at the boat. If someone accidentally turns it on, it goes out the scuppers.

But I agree it is better to use your tanks to keep your tanks nice and fresh

 

[cww]

Don’t use those connections. Back when the boats were new and the entire water system was high quality brazed copper it was fine, but after a decade or two pretty much every boat out there has a handful of things onboard where a previous owner put in a new dishwasher, or changed a sink, or whatever it was, and used now-aging cheap plastic bits from Home Depot to do it. You’re risking losing the entire boat to $2.00 worth of cracked plastic.I’ve personally had it happen to me on my Chris Craft. I almost lost the boat when a plastic fitting on the line to the water heater let go and started dumping water inside while the boat was connected to dock water.

 

[rwaldrop13]

I’m always on city water but I do turn it off if I leave the boat for a bit and disconnect when I leave for the week.

Right now with 4 of us living aboard, including two adult kids that are moving out in a month, I run dock water. If we're leaving the boat for any length of time, ie longer than a couple of hours I shut off the dock water in the engine room at the PO-installed water inlet, and at the dock pedestal. The factory water inlets are not currently connected, but that is subject to change in the future when I do away with the jury-rigged hose-to-hose connection.

 

[oscarvan]

Oh yeah, tank/pump only here. Like Pascal said, keeps the tank turning over.

 

[omecojh]

I never use dock water because I have seen boats that sank when a hose inside the boat ruptured. Also, the tank water stays fresh and you know the pump works (until it doesn't.)

 

[Captain Ralph]

We had lived on our all copper plumbing Bertram for 18 years. Yes, we left the dock water on.
Bertie is now 44 years old.

We have also witnessed many other boats flooded from dock side water flowing into their ship. Some near new.
End result was usually some cheap fitting failing,,,, yes, local cheap hardware store special.

IMO; If you are not confident in your ship, don't leave the dock pressure on.

OTOH, like your quality house plumbing, sometimes ship happens.

Working and tested often, high bilge water alarms, loud enough for your knowledgeable neighbors is the best equipment to have on board.

We wash our boat and laundry with the potable on board and replenish the tanks before any deployment.

 

[Sadey]

This popped up today, anybody use it? Looks like he sells a dockside/solar powered version?

http://www.lurcottmarine.com/

 

[cww]

This popped up today, anybody use it? Looks like he sells a dockside/solar powered version?

http://www.lurcottmarine.com/

That's a pretty slick idea. Price is good too, $299 is nothing in boat dollars.

 

[jmooney]

We have owned our boat for 20 years, use dock water continuously. Turn it off when we leave the boat . I try to use a tank a month to cycle water through the on board system. We also turn the air conditioning systems off when we leave for more than a day. Each of our a/c pumps can pump 1800 gallons an hour. This is a serious amount of water coming in the boat.