Has anyone fitted a shower in a Moody 31 Mk II??

AntarcticPilot

AntarcticPilot

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www.cooperandyau.co.uk
Capricious is a Moody 31 Mk II, and I'd like to fit a shower in the heads. She has a calorifier, and it would be a simple matter to replace the tap unit with a suitable mixer tap with a shower head. But the tray in the floor of the heads, although fitted with a nice teak grating, has no drain, and is very shallow, with no obvious access below it (and possibly little space below it; Moody 31s are quite flat bottomed aft).

Has anyone fitted a drain system to the heads in a Moody 31? What I have in mind is a pump to be fitted in the vanity unit under the hand basin, connecting via a T piece and a non-return valve to the outlet for the hand-basin. Is it possible to put a neat drain in the bottom of the tray? I can't see any way of getting access at present, but is it possible at all? Otherwise, I will need to put a strainer box in the bottom of the tray. A submersible (or partially submersible) pump would be too bulky; there isn't that much space.

Anyway, if anyone has done a project like this, I'd be interested in your experiences!
 
If you can hold out a couple of wks more, I am going up to Kip to have a look at Pete's boat, will have a look at it if you would like.
Cheers, C_W.
 
We've not done it, but I think there would be no problem in fitting a drain to the shallow floor, which would then drain directly into the bilges. I'd have to crawl around the heads door to make sure of ours to make sure, but I think that would work. Then fit an automatic bilge pump. Let me know how you get on.
 
My Moody 31 mkII has a shower - a pull out spray head that is the faucet for the hot and cold taps. I've never used it because it just drains into the bilge - an open plug hole with no pipe on it. An auto pump would be preferable which is what the bigger Moodys have.
 
My Moody 36 has the same grating and sump arrangement with an outlet connected to a pump in the vanity unit. Mind you having looked at it I am not sure how the drain and pump connection could be retrofitted withou some surgery if it is not there already.
 
I should say that right now we are sizing up possibilities; it is probably a winter job!

At present it is beginning to look as if fitting some sort of sump arrangement may be the most practical way forward. That could probably be done without requiring access from below, and would also overcome the problem that the tray is flat bottomed, so a strum box in the tray would a) never have a great depth of water and b) would always leave water in the tray. So, the thinking is:

1) Install pump in vanity unit, with T piece and non-return valve to hand basin drain. Pump would be one that will run dry.
2) Run pipe from vanity unit to beneath the tray - this is probably the tricky bit!
3) Cut hole in base of tray and install sump with drain fitting, using screws and a gasket rather than epoxy or Sikaflex to allow access for recovery of lost jewelry and maintenance.

Thanks for everyone's contributions.
 
What about a sponge? Cheap, easy to fit and nothing to go wrong! I had this "system" on my Contessa 33 during our Atlantic circuit.
 
I managed to fit a shower with all the necessary bits in a M27. I fitted the pump in the cupboard under the sink, and managed to reach under the shower tray to get the drain. I can't exactly remember how I did it, but it wasn't that difficult. I would think you would have more room than I did. But smaller hands?

I think that having removed the floors in the saloon, I could just reach up to feel the drain from the tray. 'Course, Murphy says yours will be different /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
Cutting a hole is the easy bit!

Just thinking out loud about this. If the pump is higher than the drain then there will always be some water that doesn't get away and will become whiffy (won't there?). There is room for a pump under the floor right where the heads door opens so the pump could be down there and any water left in the pipe would be north of the pump, held by a one-way valve.

In fact - there is an inspection hatch in my floor just by the door and I've wondered what it was for! Now I know!
 
I have had a Moody 31 since 1984. The quickest and most cost effective way is to frill a hole in the starboard forward corner of the shower tray. The water will drain down to the bilge which can be pumped out using an automatic pump or the hand pump (you then know it works!). A little water will remain at the bottom of the steps to drain into the main sump. I dry it all out after my cruise and at the end of each season.
I suggest sealing with silicon rubber or sikaflex all gaps between mouldings and bulkheads otherwise the carpet will get wet.
Nick
 
Hi there, I was in my mate's grumpy 31 mk2 yesterday : his shower was original equipment - shallow fitting accessed from under the cabin floor, piped direct to a jabsco "nodding donkey" diaphragm pump (up in the cupboard), then out. The drain pump is manually switched by the person undergoing degunge. I could possibly get pics if required.
 
It is very interesting to see that Moody 31 Mk IIs seem to be very variable in this area! My brother has checked on Capricious, and there is no access from forward; the bulkhead has no openings in it. There is pretty much useless access from the engine compartment; the sort of access that would only be useful to someone 6" tall with 3' arms - you know the sort of thing!

Still thinking!
 
Some M31s were built in Plymouth and some in Portsmouth so perhaps they just had different methods. A good example of another difference is the ventilator positions for the heads and the aft cabin. You can see this in these pictures and mine also has purpose built slots in the ridge by the sprayhood for lines to come through. http://www.moa.myzen.co.uk/cgi-bin/discus/board-auth.cgi?lm=1155109069&file=/3999/3785.html

How about fitting a shower on the transom - I thought you were hardy folk up there /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Well, I don't actually live up there but down here (in Cambridge!), and I was born about halfway between the two. My username reflects the work I do - I am no stranger to cold/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif, and indeed I do find an English summer too hot! But I don't think I could convince my teenage daughters /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif to shower on the transom, and it's at least partly to make yachting more acceptable to them.
 
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