Icebox drain

[Dulcinea]

Hello all:
I recently purchased 323 hull#148, 1978.  Owned a number of larger Pearsons over the years and am definately a Bill Shaw groupie, so it's not like I'm a total newbie.  The former owner of my new old boat passed away prior to my purchase so is "unavailable" for questions, but deserves a great deal of credit for his stewardship of the boat. 

Question 1 - We spent our first weekend on the boat over the 4th and I noticed there was some traces of red antifreeze around the ice box drain and and the box would not exit water from the melting ice.  I looked around for a drain valve but couldn't find one.  Is it just clogged or am I missing something? 

Question 2 - What's the best way to gain access to check/change the oil in the Volvo v-drive engine. 

Question 3 - I cannot figure out where the h... is the access to the seacock valve for the raw water intake to the head. 

Any tips on these would be much appreciated.  The boat is very standard and not a lot of modifications have been done. HELP.
Thanks,
Dennis Roberts

[selene]

From hull # 212:

1) I think I may have a different setup.  My icebox drain is connected to a Jabsco Topsider pump on the left(stbd) of the sink.  Pump the pump and it drains the icebox.  I have heard in some boats the icebox drains to the bilge...not the best idea, I think.  The red antifreeze worries me - perhaps it was laid up for a while (we don't get that cold around here) with the antifreeze...could that have gummed things up?  You may want to try and trace the pipe, and use a piece of wire or similar to ensure it is clear.

2) I have a different engine, so can't help 

3) Under the fwd storage box in the main salon I have the head inlet, head outlet, impeller and sounder. Oh, and the electrical connections for masthead equipment.  Maybe you have a similar setup?

[Dulcinea]

Selene:
Thanks.  Very helpful.

[rhpurcell]

Hi,  I have the Wind & Spirit hull #262 moored in Monroe Harbor Chicago.  It has a Volvo Penta MD11-c.  I watched the mechanic check the oil by reaching around to the Starboard side.  His arm must have been six foot long, because I can not reach the brass plug.  I crawl down the Starboard Locker from the deck to check the oil.  There has got to be a better way but that is what I do.  Bob Purcell  rhpurcell@aol.com

[Dolce_Vita]

Question 1 - We spent our first weekend on the boat over the 4th and I noticed there was some traces of red antifreeze around the ice box drain and and the box would not exit water from the melting ice.  I looked around for a drain valve but couldn't find one.  Is it just clogged or am I missing something?

Our icebox drains into the shower sump.  There is a pull switch in the shower area to start the pump that drains the sump.
It drains through a small gate valve to an above-the-waterline through-hull on the stbd side.

[Dulcinea]

Thanks to all.  All set now.  Results of your advice are:
1.  Oil check/change access is on the starboard side and a pain in the butt. Uptake: get used to it.
2.  Found the intake thru hull for the head.  My problem was that I didn't know that the "storage bins" under the setee seats were removable.  I took it out and there the two sea cock were along with the wiring for the mast lights I had been also looking for.
3.  The ice box on hull #148 is indeed "drained" by a Jabsco topsider pump on the sink that seems to be yet another pain in the rear if there's any more than a cup of water there.  Way too slow for me.  Thinking of leading it into the bilge.

Thanks again for your help.
Dennis Roberts
Dulcinea
1978 P323 hull#148

[selene]

Yes, the Jabsco pump is a bit slow, but personally I like having the bilge dry....one of the advantages of an encapsulated keel is that it is possible!  And getting the bilge dry forced me to find a couple of FW leaks - one in each water tank (the inspection hatches were not screwed tight enough) and about 4 in the HP water system. But since then I have had a dustbowl in the bottom of the boat :-).  So although letting the water drain into the bilge is an option, you may want to wait a bit, to be sure that is what you want to do!

But I am happy that you found what you are looking for.  Exploring all the nooks and crannies is part of the fun of a new boat - and the P323 has quite a few hidey-holes. For example, you may want to check under the plastic bin under the chart-table seat - a pain to get out - I discovered that was where the PO kept his engine parts!!

Have fun!!

[Dolce_Vita]

Thinking of leading it into the bilge.

You really really really don't want to do that.  All the various bits of food and drips and spills in the icebox will end
up in your bilge.  This organic "soup"  will get to smelling like an open sewer quickly in the summer.

[Now or Never!]

On Now or Never! I use the foot pump located in the galley to empty the ice box.  There is a "Y" valve kind of arrangement that allows me to either pump the melt water from the ice box (which we use for washing dishes and the like) or to pump sea water.  A very convenient arrangement.  Since the water from the ice box goes through a filter, it is important to keep the melt water as clean as possible.  We have several plastic boxes (Lock & Lock brand) in which we keep things like meat, cheese.  The boxes also make it very easy to organize the ice box.

Peter
Now or Never! Hull#125

[Dave]

Just wanted to add that until we rebuild our Jebsco pump (low on priorty list) we have been using a long tube type Super Soaker to drain the melt water from the ice box and draining it to the sink. We can empty all the water in less than a minute and we keep the Super Soaker in the ice box.

We stole the idea from some other sailors. There are now four of our boats that are equiped with cooler draining super soaker. It also adds an added bonus. We have a "pirate" sailor that will attack you with water ballons when sailing on the bay. When we are at close quater attacks, having a Suoer Soaker filled with ice water is an advantage.