Another Positive Grady experience!

[LUNDINROOF]

I'm confused (which is not an unusual state for melately), the hose connects to only one side of the fresh water flushing fitting on the motor? What do they do with the other side of the fitting?

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

The other side of the fitting is just to hold the hose with the female fitting. It is like a plug.

 

[townvet]

I wish I could answer the question. I do not know how it was hooked up. My involvement (by design) was to hook up the hose and watch it flush all the while still inside my cockpit (rather than hanging over the transom).

Sorry
Dave :sorry

 

[LUNDINROOF]

Nothing Else Matters is right, the other side is just a plug. Not that I doubted him but I checked it out yesterday evening. So, I must assume that there is pressure on the fitting when the engine is running so I will need some kind of back flow preventer, a few fittings, some hose and a bunch of wire ties. This will be #1 on the list of January things to do.

Your pictures of the Grady factory were great, if I ever order another I am going to visit the factory while it is under construction.

They put all the pumps, float switches, tanks and hoses in before they put the major hull pieces together. Then they leave a 12"X14" hole for us to climb through, upside down and with a drill motor in our teeth to replace/repair them. I'll bet if those engineers had to replace a float switch it would be a lot more accessible.

Anyway, thanks for your pictures and enjoy your new boat. I'll bet the next few months will feel like years until you get to splash it.

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

LUNDINROOF, you don't need any back flow preventer, if you see the pictures above, the fitting that you connect the hose to has a black cap. Let's say if you running the motors and you remove that cap, water will slowly start to come out of there. You have to make sure when you install the system that the hoses that run in your hull don't bind or touch anything sharp, because if they get cut somehow(don't forget that they are only 1/4") you will end up with a bilge full of water and god forbid, if your pump(s) fail you are in a disaster situation, food for thought. If i do it, i will do everything external, maybe a pvc pipe in the middle of the two motors coming up behind the transom with a fitting just below the transom fish box lid.

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

:doh :-| :hmm Now that I'm thinking it again, a back flow preventer BEFORE you enter the hull solves all the disaster problems.

 

[LUNDINROOF]

This is going to get done, one way or the other because I think it's the best thing since apple pie. There are more times than I'm proud of that I skipped flushing because I didn't want to climb my old, fat self into the motor well to connect a water hose to two motors.

I cannot tell from the picture if the fitting that receives the hose from the dock is male or female. The end of the water hose is going to have a male fitting so the fitting on the bulkhead of the boat normally would be a female. Problem is, the female fitting at West Marine is $77 and the same male version of this fitting is $26. I can jimmy-rig a short piece of hose with two female fittings to tie between the water hose and the cheaper bulkhead fitting.

You raise a good point about flooding the bilge if everything is run inside the motor well. I think I will use a check valve or back flow preventer and run it like townvet's pictures. It will keep the hoses neater, wire tied to the rest of the cables/hoses that run between the rear bulkhead and the engines. If/when the check valve fails, the only time water will leak into the bilge is when the engines are running. I should have plenty of battery to run the pumps if the engines are running.

I am still planning on installing two LED's on the dash to alert me when one of the bilge pumps is activated by the float switch. If either pump starts cycling, I know something is amiss.

I guess this is why they made January's.....down time to play with our toys.

 

[townvet]

I am sure if you call Clyde at Baert Marine in Middleton Mass he would be willing to describe the set up in more detail. He is the one who designed it in the first place. Just ask him about the fresh water flush system on "Knot@Work".

 

[LUNDINROOF]

Townvet:

I did indeed contact Clyde and he was very helpful. He cleared up the two questions I had left and offered to send me Perko part numbers on all the fittings. I definitely took him up on this.

He uses the female Perko fitting and I guess I am going to do the same. I just cannot see why the female is $77 and the male is $26. I'm sure that remark will bring plenty of suggestions. I guess I should not worry about the $50 difference when I don't worry about dropping $400 of fuel into the boat.

He also suggested using 3/8 inch fuel line instead of some king of water line. More flexible and easier to get correct fittings to fit.

You have a good dealer there, tell him thanks for me next time you talk to them.

Thanks for your help also.

Ed

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Ed, because i don't want to bother Clyde, when ever you can , i could use that list of materials my self. :mrgreen:

 

[LUNDINROOF]

He also offered to put a kit together for me. I will forward everything to you when I get it.

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

He also offered to put a kit together for me. I will forward everything to you when I get it.

:goodjob :goodjob :goodjob

 

[LUNDINROOF]

Nothing else matters:
Below is the list of parts that I got from Clyde at Baert Marine. The total comes to around $240, including some sales tax that I do not think I would have to pay if they are shipping out of state.
I have his exact estimate that is much clearer and easier to understand I just couldn't figure out how to paste it to my reply.
Send me a email at ed@lundinroof.com and I will send you the origional. Maybe you could post it for everyone else.
I'm still not sure which way I am going to go.
Ed





==================================================================================
***** P A R T S *****
55 2L THMBSR1KDP BULK HEAD FITTING KIT 18.99 37.98
20 L TRC3090386 TYPE B1 FUEL HOSE 3/8IN 2.32 46.40
1 L PKO0499DP0CHR WATER INLET FITTING W/P 86.59 86.59
1 L GROPTH500 1/2INNPT X 1/2INHOSE BA 5.00 5.00
1 L MLM33432W PL HS BRB T 1/2 X 3/8 X 1.89 1.89
4 L IDE630040016 9/16IN ALL300SS SZ1611 2.79 11.16
15 L SHI1640126 1/2IN X 50FT CLEAR W/BL 2.10 31.50
4 Y YB6AW041 CLAMP 15.7-706R .95 3.80
2 Y 6R3243771000 PIPE, JOINT 3 2.20 4.40

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Thanks Ed, i send you an email too.