Thru-transom fake a lake install

[tg0824SSVGG]

Hey all, about to start this one -- may need to do this in steps.



The part to put the valve in line with the water intake seems like cake.

However, the 1" hole I have to drill thru the transom is a little unnerving.

I will be updating this post as I make progress. Going to try to cut the supply line and install the main part today - the other steps may have to wait for another day. Just got REALLY windy here.

bought it from skidim:

http://www.skidim.com/prodinfo.asp?number=0457DP7

Gotta cut 5.5" out of the bottom hose here -- and this is a HONKING hose ... contemplating methods for cutting out a piece - I was hoping to be able to take it OUT of the boat to do the cut, but the other end is far away ...

NOTE: [edit] -- I later determined that this WOULD fit into the hose between the inlet and the
tranny cooler - wish I had put it there, it is where it REALLY belongs. I will probably move it
later this year - and just deal with a splice in the other side.



I did take it out of the boat to cut it. I am now contemplating putting the actual device at the end closer to the inlet, rather than next to the pump -- if the hose to the transom is long enough. The intake
hose is straight at the other end ... - curved at the water pump.

I hadn't expected to see the water line come in from the lake inlet, into the v-drive/transmission to cool it- then out the other side before going to the water pump.

(yes, I STILL have sprinkler valves - we don't use the ballast much around here)

In from the intake and into the drive:



Then out the other side to the water pump: (sorry, some of the phone pictures are a little blurry)



(Man, I need a garage for this ... today is freaky warm, 78 degrees, but the wind is constant at 21 MPH gusting to 45MPH -- hard to work outside in this)

Got it all put back together except for drilling the 1" hole in the transom. Besides making me a touch
nervous, there is SOO much dirt blowing around out there, I wanted to just come inside - and will finish this and update the hole process later.

(Continued in the next post due to the 4 image limit -- you would think a MODERATOR could change this, but alas ... I can't)

[tg0824SSVGG]

part 2:

Here is the Perko in the cut line - ready to go back into the boat.



For now, here is the device inline with the water intake:



Total time so far, about 45 minutes to an hour -- I still have to drill the hole (REMEMBER, always run the drill in reverse until you are thru the gel coat -- keeps it from cracking and chipping).

This wasn't hard at all - now I can sell my "never used" fake-a-lake that I bought when I got the boat!!

[Fman]

Todd,

Did you have problems with the standard fake-lake? I used mine the other day and it worked great and took about 30 seconds to set up.

[tg0824SSVGG]

Travis,

My driveway is DIRT -- the fake-a-lake works great at the start until it gets wet underneath it -- then the thing is hit or miss -- the pressure from the hose wants to push it off. This way, I won't even have to find the thing (even though it lives in the garage toolbox).

Just put a hose on the bib on the back of the boat and bingo!

Oh yea, and no crawling under the boat. (again, in the dirt -- I live in the country)

[dusty2221]

What is going through the transom? I'm confused how this thing works I guess. I was under the impression that the piece you spliced in would accept a water hose directly to it, making it the source for water.

I live in the country to, so i understand the dirt issue. If I need to start the boat out of water, I pull the intake hose from the thru hull intake and loop it around to a bucket sitting in the floor of the boat full of water. With waterhose kinked in one hand, and intake hose in the other, i just regulate the water hose and keep the bucket full. Works like a charm.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Great writeup and great pics. Good luck with that transom drill.

The ghetto option is to put the hose over the side of the boat, open the engine hatch, disconnect the fresh water strainerm and pop the garden hose in it's place. Done.

[Nate54SoCal]

I hope your install goes well. Have you seen this fake-a-lake version? It's not my design, but I did duplicate it with parts from Home Depot for around $15. I tried it out this past weekend before I took the boat out and it worked perfectly. Just had to wait for the water to start exiting out of the boat to make sure there was plenty of water flowing. Like a boss.

[Fman]

Travis,

My driveway is DIRT -- the fake-a-lake works great at the start until it gets wet underneath it -- then the thing is hit or miss -- the pressure from the hose wants to push it off. This way, I won't even have to find the thing (even though it lives in the garage toolbox).

Just put a hose on the bib on the back of the boat and bingo!

Oh yea, and no crawling under the boat. (again, in the dirt -- I live in the country)

That makes sense, dirt would be ugly and messy. Nice write up, looks like another nice upgrade on your boat.

[tg0824SSVGG]

Dusty,

What this particular kit does is to add this thing to the Perko gadget.



The main Perko thing would take just a hose that you would snake into the motor and
connect. That would be just this part:

(notice the white connector - that is a hose bib)



What this does is to have a hose permanently attached to that device, and then
comes out the hull to a permanent hose connector. I won't even have to open
the hatch -- just connect the hose to the back of the boat - and go.

Make sense? BTW - if you're cheap, this thru-hull connector is nearly $60, so you could go the homemade route above, but you have to disconnect stuff to use it. With the
stuff I used, it's pretty easy to just use.

Also note, I couldn't fit the Perko device in before the tranny cooler (I didn't have enough room)
-- I hope that I don't regret that, but I also don't think I will be in gear while just flushing the motor
either, so shouldn't be a big
deal - the homemade one certainly hooks into the intake side of that cooler.

[tg0824SSVGG]

The last few steps. Oh, and today, I can see that I WOULD have had room to
put it on the other side of the tranny cooler -- ARGH.

The hole, step 1:



The hole, step 2:



The finished deal, ready for the hose!



Next up -- the shower. Gotta figure out where to put the pump.