• Untitled Document

    Join us on March 29rd, 7pm EST

    for the CBEC Virtual Meeting

    All EYO members and followers are welcome to join the fun and get to know the guest speaker!

    See the link below for login credentials and join us!

    March Meeting Info

    (dismiss this notice by hitting 'X', upper right)

38-200 holding tank choices

Mike_W.

Member I
Our ’87 38-200 came to us with a Lectra-San. Not legal in the Great Lakes and a bad idea in our home waters of Lake St. Clair. There is a Ronco B-188 at the bottom of the starboard cockpit lazeratte currently used as a water tank. Yesterday I removed the water heater, removed the“floor” board covering the tank and wiggled the tank out. The plan was to convert this to a waste holding tank. At 25 gal. it seems perfect. I am struggling to decide how to add a pump-out fitting. The bottom front corner is a good location but I don’t know what kind of fitting to install. As a holding tank it better never start to leak.

I had thought that this tank was the standard holding tank from Ericson and since our boat was a special build many things are not normal. Searching this site suggests that some 38-200’s have the holding tank at the forward end of the locker area, forward of the tank I pulled. It looks like a good spot. That’s where the Lectra-san is currently, nestled against the hull, and it looks like plumbing is straight forward. Shorter hoses even.

Should I rework the B-188 into a holding tank? If so how do I install another 1 ½” fitting for the outlet?

If I go with a new tank, in the front of the locker, does anyone know which tank model fits best? I found one post that lists a B-130 but it is not listed on the Ronco website.

Mike
 

Attachments

  • 20190702_081611.jpg
    20190702_081611.jpg
    39.8 KB · Views: 130

supersailor

Contributing Partner
Ronco will make a tank of any size and outlet size and position for you. It is critical this tank not leak ever. :mad: I would go with a new one and heavy hoses. The hoses are the source of odor in most installations. I used Trident 101. There are also many hundreds of already made tanks out there. I can't help you with the dimensions as Terra Nova is the next size smaller Ericson.

Just contact Ronco with what you want and they will work with you. They might have something suitable already made. They certainly make tanks for enough different boats.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
A "Saga" about waste

Actual Vikings would record their exploits in handed-down stories, IIRC.
Here we share experiences in Threads....

When I did a rebuild of our boat's HT plumbing and hoses, the adventure (!?) was certainly not up there with conquering oceans or slaying sea monsters, altho that might have been more fun! :rolleyes:

Some mention of the E-38 system here also. I will say that the reformatted hoses and parts are still all in place with no smells or problems.

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoex...-Holding-Tank-Piping-amp-Valves&referrerid=28

Be sure to buy a box of vinyl gloves...
 

supersailor

Contributing Partner
That looks like an underberth fuel tank. It is probably origional from the 80's. The waste tank is normally found in the cockpit locker. Ronco should have the design for the 38-200 on file.
 
Last edited:

Second Star

Member III
The picture is an exact sample of the E28+ water tank on the stbd side under the cabin bench. My 28+ came with a large tank fwd and to stbd under the V berth with all the correct penetrations for a holding tank. It is almost square in shape and holds about 20 gal.
 

supersailor

Contributing Partner
Hmm. Water tanks are a different composition than holding tanks. Also that tank would not fit properly in the cockpit locker. I wouldn't want the "pooper" tank under my cabin. Also, the space available to plumb this tank is minimal so the options of where to put the tank are limited. As a wag said "The ability to swear is an important ability for this job". The pump out hose (1 1/2") is impossible (or near impossible) through the cabin. Of anything on the boat needs to be done right, it is this job. If you spill diesel, it is annoying. Water is a mop up. The odor of poop lasts forever in the boat. The owner of another 38-200 should be nearby so that you can see the installation or maybe one can send you photos of the factory installation.
 

u079721

Contributing Partner
Yes originally on the 38-200 the poo tank was forward of the water tank in the lazarette. I guess I would keep the water tank and just remove the Lectra San and put in a poo tank in the original spot. Depending on how you use the boat I would also try and upgrade to more than the original 25 gallons, but if you don't cruise that won't matter.
 

Mike_W.

Member I
Yes, I am beginning to think a new tank at the forward end of the locker is best. Next comes lots of pondering, measuring, and re-thinking. If anyone knows which model tank fits well in that space it will save me some stress while waiting to see if the tank I order actually works. My experience is on boats with tanks closer to 15 gal. and that was not enough. I hate to think I need more than 25.

I do like the idea of a second outlet even though we do not expect to be leaving the Great Lakes and heading off shore anytime soon. There is a discharge thru-hull currently employed by the Lectra-san. I am also saving up some sailor-ly language for the job. I used to hate plumbing jobs around the house, but then I found that I just wasn't drinking enough.
 

Merrimist

Hammy, 'Merrimist' E38 in sunny Bda
38-200 pooh tank

My suggestion would be to purchase and fit seperate new holding tank, If you have room in your stbd cockpit locker as this is what is fitted on my 38.
Hope the following gives you some ideas.
Onboard my 1986 38200 'Merrimist', the Black water tank is heavy duty opaque colour plastic purpose built, manufacturer unknown pooh tank built and fitted, looks original to me, fitted in the stbd cockpit locker, it is mounted to the deckhead forward outboard top of the locker if you will.
It is supported by shelf with steel straps, it looks original, and judging by the occasional cologne, has original flex 1.5" hoses attached. One hose from the Y valve in the bathroom cupboard, and one to the disch fitting on deck. It also has a screw cap fitted into the top of the tank accessible with clearance can be used for flushing the tank in the event of annual clean tank out fun.
Or to put end of shore side black water suction hose into. It is fitted well above the 110v Battery Charger.
The head discharge setup is fairly standard, through a Y valve discharging to the the black holding tank or overboard.
I must follow the fitted hoses as I do not recall, if the Gusher stlye hand pump fitted in the bathroom outboard of the head, pumps to the deck fitting to pump out the pooh tank ........ , but am thinking it does.

There is fitted a standard tank SS screw cap for the pooh pump out on the stbd cockpit coaming on deck just forward of that SS FW tank filling cap which used to fill the FW tank, the one in your picture, which is under the floorboard of the cockpit.
The SS FW tank as you have pictured on my boat is fitted in the bilge against the rubber pads I fitted under the wooden board as you descibed. This has to be removed to remove the FW tank, as you have done.
In fact, my aft FW tank fitted in the stbd side cockpit bilge looks the same as the picture your posted. I removed this same tank in my boat a couple of years ago as the plastic screwed into SS threaded tank fitting that was the FW supply to the fitted Fresh Pressure pump fitted under the sink had broken and the FW was leaking into the cockpit bilge if you filled the tank, which was the cazse when i purchased the boat.
At that time of removing the tank, a lick of paint to freshen up the stbd side bilge area and I fitted some rubber mat under the tank and cleaned before replacing. I also put in a T-piece and purchased an additional FW pressure pump to supply water to fresh water shower/wash down hose aft in cockpit - very handy after swimming or washing the odd drop of red wine or other spillage off the cockpit deck if ever the need arose :)
I have fitted this aft FW pressure pump against the inboard forward hatch coaming in the same locker. It required the purchase of and fitting new breaker panel switches, fuese, Marine grade wiring run from behind chart table which i did, but I digress, another post ......
I removed the hot water heater and then custom cut the floor panel so as to make easier removal and replace for whenever next time the tank was to be removed.
When I am next back at my boat, Nov, Dec, will post pics and follow up with the exact to and from of the fitted pooh tank hoses.
Hammy cruising in the Med. :)
 

fool

Member III
Yes, I am beginning to think a new tank at the forward end of the locker is best. Next comes lots of pondering, measuring, and re-thinking. If anyone knows which model tank fits well in that space it will save me some stress while waiting to see if the tank I order actually works. My experience is on boats with tanks closer to 15 gal. and that was not enough. I hate to think I need more than 25.
...snip.

Might be worth looking into Nauta or Vitus flexible tanks too. That's what the PO placed in a forward settee (on by E-35 iii) to accommodate space for the windlass battery.

https://tinyurl.com/Vitus-Black-Water

https://tinyurl.com/Nauta-Black-Water

No smells at all in the saloon under light use and fresh water flushes. I can't recall who made ours and now have a reason to rummage around up forward. I do recall it is 50 liters, so in the range of 14 gallons +/- small change, although they come in other sizes too. Pump out stations are directly across the harbor channel, and a small private barge comes around once a week for those who don't go very far very fast.

I won't begin to describe the assortment of vented loops, through hulls, Y-valves, pumping mechanisms, and hoses:
Vented loop.gif Head Layout.gif

Yep... all that is stuffed behind the head cabinet except for the holding tank...

http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/installing-head.asp

Cheers,

Max
 
Top