Fitting a fresh water shower in AR 230 06

[Geoff Cooper]

Ok as most people who have read my posts by now will realize that living by the sea in Thailand i naturally go boating in Salt water so during the day when I'm out in the boat and swimming etc a fresh water shower is most welcome, I fitted this shower a while ago and it has been superb, Sometimes i will go out to the Islands and sleep on the Boat and cook on the beach so you can imagine how useful it is, I have constructed this post and will try to explain how i did the job so if i have missed anything out please feel free to contact me and i will do my best to help you if your going to have a go at fitting one, It's quite simple and makes a big difference, There are some photos on here to help you along, Ok here goes.


If you go onto Ebay you can find these Whale 12 v pumps they will cope with Water/Fuel etc, There not expensive and a really good piece of kit i always have 1 as a spare just in case they cost around $12 or so, Go to your local DIY and get a length of pipe about 10 ft is ok a pipe clip and a shower head, Some cable and a decent plastic covered switch and a small fuse block and a couple of 2 or 3 amp fuses one for a spare.


They are very reliable and pump a really good amount of water


Next i used a 20 or 22 litre water container and made 2 holes in the top one for the pump cable and one for the water pipe, Ok after making 2 holes feed another piece of cable through the hole that is going to be used for the pump cable and into the tank then undo the screw top and locate the cable you have put through the hole with a wire coat hanger and pull it through the filler neck, Do the same with the water pipe push it through the hole you have made and locate it and pull it through the filler neck, You should now have both the tube and a cable coming out of the filler neck, Ok connect your pump to the water pipe and just neatly tape the pump cable to the cable coming through the neck and gently and evenly pull them through making sure that the pump sits close to the bottom of the container, Ok now you have the pump in position you choose what shower head you want and length of pipe.


The next step is to wire the pump


I ran a fused and switched spur direct from the Battery across the back of the engine compartment and into the opposite storage compartment the reason for this was 2 thing's it counter balanced the weight of the Battery and kept any water well away from the Battery also, I screwed the switch in a position that could be reached easily by just lifting the hatch and the shower head clipped into the original clips that were there already, I chose a switch that had a plastic cover just in case of any spillage.


This is the sealed switch i used


I can just fill up before i go out and have enough water for plenty of showers


I suggest about 10 ft of plastic pipe that's what i used and that pump gives me about a 15ft to 20ft jet of water using the head you see here, If you use a proper shower head it may cut down your jet range but it will still be adequate, The reason i use this small head is it works good as a shower and i use it to wash the boat down a little before i take it out of the water for a good clean that also empties my tank so i get fresh water next time i go out, I debated whether to secure the tank and thought a couple of eyelets and a elasticated strap would be sufficient but after trying it first it never moves and it's been there for maybe 2 years now, I think i have covered everything but let me know if there's something your not sure about, I assure you it's worth the effort, Total cost about $45 Good Luck.

 

[Ronnie]

Another great write-up Geoff. $45, until now I wouldn't have thought that possible.

Incidentally, I think yamaha's fresh water shower kit is between $300 and $400 uninstalled. The smallest wash down pumps alone that I've seen at west marine are $100+ And are far more powerful than stock at 3 gpm.

 

[Gym]

Nice write up Geoff. Just wondering how you vented the tank as you mentioned only 2 holes. Do you just loosen the fill cap?

 

[Bruce]

That is an amazingly simple and inexpensive shower solution! I easily spent 5 times as much.

We did not have a shower on our LX210 and every time we went out in salt water someone would get itchy and make me wish we had one. It was great having a shower on the boat in Bimini. Even on fresh water lakes we use it for cleaning feet when boarding and cleaning for meals on the boat. I also use it to hose off the swim deck after boating.

 

[Julian]

Nice job @Geoff Cooper ! Yet another thread added to the FAQ (under popular modifications #31)

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Nice write up Geoff. Just wondering how you vented the tank as you mentioned only 2 holes. Do you just loosen the fill cap?

I thought about drilling a small hole in the filler cap but as the pump was fully submersible and i hadn't put any silicon sealer around the water or cable outlets and this allowed them to slide i considered that to be enough of a vent and it proved to be right as no vacuum was formed so everything worked well and no spillage, It's been installed for about 2 years now without any problems and it would be a very easy and cheap job to replace the pump if it ever failed.

 

[Geoff Cooper]

That is an amazingly simple and inexpensive shower solution! I easily spent 5 times as much.

We did not have a shower on our LX210 and every time we went out in salt water someone would get itchy and make me wish we had one. It was great having a shower on the boat in Bimini. Even on fresh water lakes we use it for cleaning feet when boarding and cleaning for meals on the boat. I also use it to hose off the swim deck after boating.

Yes i agree i have found it very useful for the exact same reasons, I had considered fitting the shower head via some sort of connection around the swim deck area somewhere but after careful thought it only takes a second to open the hatch and turn the pump on so i dismissed the idea.

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Nice job @Geoff Cooper ! Yet another thread added to the FAQ (under popular modifications #31)

Thanks for that.

 

[Geoff Cooper]

Another great write-up Geoff. $45, until now I wouldn't have thought that possible.

Incidentally, I think yamaha's fresh water shower kit is between $300 and $400 uninstalled. The smallest wash down pumps alone that I've seen at west marine are $100+ And are far more powerful than stock at 3 gpm.

Ronnie I'm retired and apart from a few small trim shops and ill equipped and over priced chandlers there's not much else out here to choose from so it gives me time to consider how to at least try to prevent or overcome problems, I have been boating since the mid 70s so i have come across many problems over the years which have had to be overcome one way or another and i don't believe in throwing money at thing's just because it says Marine on the box, I have an engineering background and i regard these jobs as a challenge and get great satisfaction if they can be successfully completed at a fraction of the cost of going to a chandlers and paying full retail and if i can pass on what i have found to others then were all happy, These Whale pumps are really good and I've used them for a few years now and always keep one as a spare, I got my daughter to buy a couple for me from Ebay UK and bring them to Thailand with her when she last came for a holiday just in case mine ever failed, They were about 6 UK pounds each roughly $12 let me know if you have them on Ebay over there and how much just for curiosity.