Diy hot water shower

[itch]

OK so I have been itchin to ride and the ice is gone and I got some tax money to spend on the boat.
I remember seeing someones shower install on here but can not find it in a search was Erik or Wes?
Someone point me in the right direction I hope to ride as soon as the weather maintains 60 degrees consistently.
ITCH

[gene3x]

You can do it yourself for like maybe $50 or $60 bucks with stuff from home depot. There is a post here and on Wakeworld about it. I was gonna do the same thing. Just have not had the time!

[gene3x]

I do have a question related to this: Does anyone know if it is a big issue when installing a Ht water shower if you relocate your knock sensor? I seem to have them on both sides in my new 06.

[wesgardner]

Hey itch,

I did one...key words might be "quick connect" as I did a quick connect deal on the transom to allow my shower hose to be disconnected and put away...(not a necessary feature)...read the Wakeworld post to familiarize yourself, there's some good info there....

I bought just the Aquatik mixing valve from skiDIM (I think) and got an on-demand pump off e-bay for about $50 - those are the two "big ticket" items...the remaining stuff is mostly hose and fittings you can get from Home Depot. You'll need to tap the engine for the hot water supply (I used one of my block drains - it's 1/4" thread and hose clamped the hose from it to the "hot" side of the mixing valve...when winterizing comes around, I just pull that hose loose to drain the shower and the block), the cold side you need to cut your raw water hose AFTER the raw water pump and install a "T" - mine is 1 1/4" x 1/2". Run a hose from there to the cold side of the mixing valve (1/2"). From the center fitting on the mixing valve, run a length of hose to the INLET of the pump. (Remember, the pump is actually SUCKING water thru the system) On the OUTLET side of the pump, run hose to your hand held shower (I got mine from a medical supply house - it's made by Rubbermaid and has an ON/OFF slider "switch" on the handle (this will cause the on-demand pump to shut off when it's placed in the off position and then the pump will automatically come on when the slider is placed in the ON position...

I surface mounted my mixing valve back aft so the rider can adjust the temp before jumping onto the swim platform,I've got some pics somewhere but I'm not at my picture computer...

The electrical side - I just wired mine to the Access switch on my helm panel - basically I just turn mine on in the morning and let the slider switch on the hand-held activate the pump when required.

Lemme know if I can help you further....my total cost was about $250 as I recall...

Wes

[itch]

Cool Wes when you get a chance the pictures would be handy as well as a list of materials. I hope to be riding in a month so I have thirty days to do this, the Perfect Pass and hopefully a heater.
ITCH

[wesgardner]

Here are some pics:

the first one is my quick connect system for the hand-held...the second one shows how I tapped my raw water line for the cold side- it's a pvc "T" fitting AFTER the raw water pump.... the third one shows the mixing valve installed and the location of the pump...I don't have a pic of the tap for the hot supply...sorry...my motor is old and has no knock sensor or fancy fuel injection (EFI) so it's just a matter of removing a petcock (block drain) and threading in a 1/4" x 2" bronze nipple and securing a hose on it....

Hope these help...the one pic is blue cause I'm working "under the big top" - blue poly tarp...

The remaining bits and parts are just hose and fittings


Wes

[Liquidmx]

Check this place out, pretty cheap compared to most other places: http://www.boatersoutlet.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=767

I ordered mine from them and everything was legit.

[TheSpleen]

I added a shower to my boat a couple months ago. It was pretty easy, but it did take me a little time (and a few trips to hardware/boat stores) to figure out what parts to use - the places would tend to have parts close to what I wanted, but not exactly right (e.g. I wanted a "T" piece of pipe with an 1.5 inch hose barb on the straight sides and a smaller, threaded end on the "T", but I couldn't find this).
One thing I did was just skip the pump, which ended up keeping my cost down to just about nothing. I didn't really care about full-on showers, I just wanted hot water to warm up wetsuits before riding and toes after riding. So to get pressure you put the engine in neutral and rev a little bit. It's not like your home shower but it works well for warming up.

[thedocta]

hey whats up Rick? Ya hope that works I'll come test it for you as soon as theres open water hah