The plumbing on R&R is a departure from the normal plumbing in some ways. The design is simple but yet offers some features needed for the trailer sailor.
Forced Feed Fill - Instead of using a gravity deck fill, filling is done via the on board fifteen foot hose and is done under pressure. This has some advantages. Its easier because there is no need to monitor the filling of the tanks as is necessary with a gravity feed system that has a tank vent within the hull and below the deck fill level. It also allows the tanks to be overfilled or back flushed out the vent line that leads into the anchor locker. This helps keep the tanks and lines fresher.
- It uses a forced fill system rather than gravity fill.
- It incorporates a blaster pump with the ability to either draw fresh or sea water.
- The water supply to the head can either be fresh or sea water.
- The fresh water tanks can be easily drained.
The Blaster Pump - The blaster pump becomes very versatile because it has the ability to draw either fresh or sea water. Compared to a traditional blaster pump that usually draws either sea water or possibly fresh water, this setup allows a choice. I use the on board hose to rinse the decks, clean up after raising the anchor, wash the scum line off after a haul out, rinse the dishes, take a bath and variety of other purposes. One time after arriving at an anchorage at midnight and furling the headsail, a multitude of gnats were trapped on the sail. The pressure hose rinsed the sail and saved having to take it down for a cleaning.
The Marine Head - The head water supply can be either fresh or sea water. Closing off the seacock and placing the Y valve in line to the seacock allows the head to draw fresh water while using the boat as a camper on the way to the sailing venue.
Draining Tanks - On most boats its a real pain to empty the fresh water tanks. Doing so between use prevents the build up of black scum in the lines and foul water in the tanks. The versatility of this system allows opening the seacock with the Y valve in line to it and the tanks easily drain.
This is a copy of the plumbing chart, which is
laminated and taped to the bottom of the hatch cover
near the water valves.
The hose - is a 15 ft hose which coils and lives just within the galley door so it is central to the boat and will reach any part, and is quick to use and store.
The blaster pump, Y valve and fill valve - are located on the bulkhead between the starboard settee and the galley cabinet.
The Seacock - is located in the bilge under the aft berth.
The water tanks - are 9 gallon Todd tanks located in the V berth locker.
The vent line - exits into the anchor locker.
The blaster pump - is wired to the same breaker as the princess stove igniter as neither need to stay energized when not in use.
This plumbing diagram - is laminated and taped to the underside of the starboard settee hatch cover.
Check valves - are at the sink and lav, and one integral to the head.
Cautions - As can be seen in the plumbing diagram, the positions of the valves are clearly marked to avoid confusion about what goes where. I haven't fount it necessary however to need the reference as it all seems intuitive on board. There are however two areas for caution;
Sink / Lav - I labored over the decision to set up to pump seawater. Doing so eliminates using the pump to pressurize the sink / lav. And, it requires that they have check valves. I don't use the seawater feature often but have used it on a few occasions when cruising and the boat got nasty enough to require more water than I was willing to spare from the fresh water tanks. This system could be altered to provide pressurized water to the sink / lav and forgo the option of pumping sea water or of course, another fresh water pump could be used to pressurize the sink / lav.
- When using the hose with sea water, I always flush afterward with fresh water as the hose is used to fill the fresh water tanks and no growth within is wanted.
- There is a very remote possibility of contamination of the fresh water tanks. It's not something that would happen inadvertently as it would require the fill valve which is used for no other purpose to be open. And, the fill valve can't be inadvertently left open as neither the blaster pump or the sink / lav pumps would work and the problem noted and the fill valve closed. Also, other things would have to combine. The seacock would have to be open and its normally left closed. The Y valve would have to line up the seacock and the pump and normally its left on the fresh water setting. And last, the pump would have to be energized. Even though like most sailors, our drinking water is either bottled water or carried on in a water jug, I still would not like to back fill the fresh water tanks with seawater as the tank water is used for cooking and clean up.
