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Hi Stu,

On the MkII we only had a stanchion vent on the port side for the head. Our water tanks are vented either through the chainlocker for the forward one, and aft out the transom for the aft tank.

We do get the usual small dripping from the stuffing box, but not this. I can see it dripping down from the plywood when I look up from within the bildges.

I just came back from a week of vacation sailing, where after the first night we lost our cabin lights. Long storey short, I eventually tracked it down to a completely burnt through wire behind the electrical panel. Frankly I was surprised to see that the take-offs for the power to the lights were all done with these snap on connectors.

So why did it happen? Last year (first season we sailed the boat) I noticed that there was wetness behind the panel. Turns out that the stanchion vent's through deck was leaking. Aside from being a bad vent, it also is a bad idea to have a through deck fitting that people can grab and pull on (loosening the seal). Had I known that the reason the nav lights were not working last year was because they had already been burnt through, I would have fixed this sooner.

Luckily this last winter I replaced the holding tank (need to get back an update that posting), and also moved the vent to a new location to exit by the forward port hanging locker. As for the stanchion vent... I removed the stanchion, ground off the thru-deck piece, epoxied the deck closed and re-bedded the stanchion. Now the space behind the electrical panel is dry. But I guess it took until this season for whatever oxidized wire was left, to burn out.

So there is more than one reason to get rid of those stanchion vents.

So, I just got back from a week vacation on the boat and this leak has definitily got me stumped. From what I'm reading online and in the manual, the hotwater heating loop is filled with coolant, which I'm assuming is the same thing as the pink antifreeze that I top up in the container in the port lazarette. However the leaking fluid is not pink and more copious. Within a few minutes the dripping filled a small yoguart cup. The contants were clear (slightly brownish/dirty), with no noticable odour. No, I did not taste it, but it certainly did look like water.

Now if the "coolant" that is being exchanged between the heater and the engine is water, then I'm thinking my hot water heater hoses are shot and need replacing as per Stu's noted critical upgrade. If not, then I'm stuck. The hose connections below the galley are all solid and drip dry. While i can't get my fingers everywhere around the hot water tank, I have been able to push paper towels around the base, which has pulled away dry everytime. The two thru hulls are also dry. Yet somewhere just starboard of the batteries there is dripping coming out from between the plywood floor/base.

I'm feeling that I may need to pull the hot water tank just to see. What a pain that would be.

Any thoughts?

Thanks, Fred.

Hi Jack,

Did you ever work out where the leak came from. We have a MkII and since we launched this season, we've had a leak from the same area under the section between the galley and the battery storage area. The hot water tank and it's connections all look and feel dry and under the sink all the plumbing feels dry. The coolant hoses look in great shape as well. I hope I won't have to pull out everthing under the sink just to find the source, but I don't see another way.

Thanks, Fred.

Our Mk II (2002 vintage) has a clean out on the forward water tank, which was very useful for mechanically (manually) cleanning out the tank with a scrub brush. When we acquired the boat in 2011, we found it full of algea and other growths. Just bleaching the water wasn't enought to remove the stuff. This winter I replaced all the water filler hoses and the forward one was also loaded with crap. So our foward tank seems nice and clean now.

The aft tank does not have a clean out, and as Ron mentions, I'm not sure how I would easily get to it. That said, when I replaced the aft water filler hose, I found if I manouvered in a certain way I could actually completely disappear into the aft starboard locker. It's just the space between the top of the tank and the underside of the cockpit floor is only a few inches. Tough to get you arm and elbow into!

We also installed a water filter (carbon filtered) onto the end of the faucet at the galley.

The reason most of us bought sailboats, was to go sailing. Unless you have a very long season, lots of spare time, prefer projects to sailing, or are tight on cash, why go with a boat that will be more work than "fun"? I agree with the cautious crowd. There are other boats out there, ... and maybe think about a MkII wing keel,... they're sweet!

My 2 (CAN) cents!

Yep, forward v-berth for the admiral and captain, and the crew sleeps in the aft cabin. At ages 8 and 10 they fit better than we do. ;-)

Now that should be at the top of your "To Do"/"Must Do" list! 

Cory,
Looks good! I'll be heading up shortly today, with my tank, but whon't be getting in today. Today is for removing the winter cover and having Shane review the spots that need some repairs. It's still too cold to do the fiberglassing, but I might think about cutting out the through-hull for the macerator. We'll see hoe the day goes. Maybe I'll see you up there.
Cheers, Fred.

I quess what I asked wasn't clear. I'm wondering if the original vent line is acting as a second vent line to the tank (i.e. two vent to the tank), or is Roc saying that the original vent that he kept is open to the locker and venting the locker space (which is what I understood) and not the tank. Ergo, my concern about water getting in the boat.

Roc,

Doesn't the original vent then allow water to leak down? How do you have the interior end of the hose set up?

Looks beautiful! I can't wait for summer!

The Admiral and I were just thinking about it, and we'd have to agree with Indian Falls. Get a cheap or old shop vac, and suck it out, bit by bit. Haven't got the disposal part worked out quite. Kind of depends on how much it is and where the boat is. If you're on a cradle, you might find a nearby washroom to flush it down (assuming you only have a bit left). If it turns out the thing is actually full and the pump out was actually messed up, then I hope you're in the water and can get to a pump out, 'cause while getting it out is easy enough, disposing it is going to be the greater issue. IMHO.

Yes Ken,

Kathy and I discussed it. We were torn between loosing easily accessible storage, versus a few (maybe 6 US) more gallons. Remember that the storage area starts to get narrower in the forward area and thus the cross-section is much smaller. Had the electrical switches not been at the aft end of the locker, I would have gone all the way aft. That definitely would have given more volume, but I wasn't ready to re-due the electrical at this point. Definitely both options would work for someone else that is looking at it differently.

Heck, in many ways I wish the tank was under the aft section of the head. Then the run would be really short and we'd have tons of storeage in the settee. But that area is not as accessible for a simple tank replacement job (IMO) or maintenance (hose replacement).

It has been some time but I finally got around to look at the dimension more of the three tanks (existing B212, potential but non-fitting B179, and the custom). I thought I had allowed for adequate space for the fixtures/fittings, but Peggy note has rearrange my sense of reality. I've had to consider dimensional changes to allow for the fixtures. I came up with what I figured to be my idea fixture layout, and then the "practical" layout. In the end we opted to not perform any heavy or overtly visual modifications, and keep the tank in the existing storage locker area. I was going to attach the PDF with the info included, but it seems too big for the site... so I have posted it to a public folder on my SkyDrive (https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=03c397d808384593&resid=3C397D808384593!154&parid=3C397D808384593!152).
I am hoping to talk with HMP this weekend at the Boat Show about it getting it made this coming February. I am still curious about construction material however. Cory has been investigating a stainless tank for considerably less cost than the welded poly tank. I also figure that the difference in material thickness could gain you about 3 US gallons in capacity. However I've been told that what makes stainless rust resistant in an oxygen environment, does not in an oxygen deprived environment. Which apparently is why there is corrosion of the stainless lifelines under the white vinyl covers and why the shrouds weaken at points where the stainless wire/rod get embedded into other fixtures. How much a concern this is I do not know. Our marina apparently does produce stainless tanks for clients as well. While we plan to pump out basically after every weekend, there is always something that remains on the bottom, and I do not fancy the idea of having the tank bottom weaken (probably at the welds) to the point that some wavy storm sail causes the slug stress the tank to fail an spill into the bilge. Does any one have any thoughts about this?

Much thanks, Fred.