1st Night Out, Few Questions?
 

Hey all, we spent our first night out on the boat and had a blast. I have a few mechanical questions though.

1.) I cant get the toilet to flush. I had shore water hooked up, waste and water pumps on, and we got the flush sound but no water. Do I need the fresh water tank filled for it to work right?

2.) I am completely confused with the power. When we got back to the dock, we hooked up shore power, turned on the Shore Power and the AC power, and turned off the batteries. A few hours in, our CO2 detector started having a fit and the lights dimmed. As soon as I turned the battery switch back on everything worked fine. I was under the impression to leave it off, but maybe I was misinformed?

3.) For the life of me I cant find the cable input. There is a coax hooked to the TV and it runs towards the back the boat starboard side. I looked and looked and just cant find it. Any ideas?

4.) I hate camper canvas. Thats all.

On the plus side, the depth finder and speedo both started working. No go on the tach and compass. I took off the access panel, but cant seem to reach the little switch on the back of the tach. Compass sure likes pointing W.


Thanks in advance for the help!

There's some helpful info regarding both the cruiser electrical and cruiser water system in the contributors section, this is especially helpful if you don't have a manual for the boat. Click the "donate" button for more info.

The toilet pulls water in from a seacock located underneath the boat. I'm sure your valve might just be turned off, I'd check that first.

Why do you hate the camper canvas?

My fingers are all worn out trying to get those snaps! :yes_grin:

I didnt see a valve at all, would that info be in the contrib section as well?

Cable input should be located by the vhf antenna clip near the horn.

Where are you shutting the batteries off at? The control panel or the cut off near the rear of the boat?

There should be like four diffrent valves in front of the engine in the engine bay area. All have a diffrent purpose for use.

Have not had ours in the water yet, but will be doing some testing of my own soon.

Wolf Properties,
I have the Z260, similiar amenities.

I have had trouble with the head also, on my second one. There are two seacocks, both should be in the vertical position. One is for the head, the other will supply lake water to the transom shower. Sometimes the toilet needs to be primed. Clean the seaatrainer, if equipped. The pump on the head should work very easily. If it is offering resistance then you have other issues. The head I refer to is a Jabsco manual. Make sure the holding tank is empty also. Some say to lube the intake with mineral oil. That may make the holding tank odor problem worse. Also, ck the vents on your tanks. Critters love to get inside them and plug 'em up. I am considering an electric head, $$$$$$, as I am tired of this crap!

At the dock, I never turn off the batteries until I leave. Once hooked up to shore power, the charger kicks in and is recharging the batteries. The CO detector will go off as the batteries drain, or other boats nearby are idling.

My Z260 does not have an external cable connector. My cable hookup is inside the cedar closet or under the seat beneath the ac /dc panel. Guess we are supposed to feed a cable into the cabin through the hatch or entry way..? I have a splitter at that location to feed an LCD tv and DVD in the aft cabin. An antennae is hidden in the cedar closet, reception is terrible at river / lake level.

I know all about those damn snaps. There is snap lube available at West Marine that helps tremendously. Sometimes they need to be cleaned of wax and polishing compound.
Good luck, Gee, I wish I was on the water.
S.L.P.

Thanks for all the replies! I will look for the seacocks, I have no idea where they are. It seemed to flush with no problem.

I am using the battery control knob by the rear entrance to turn them on/off. Am I doing it right?

Z280, I will go and become a contributing member tomorrow when I get to work, thanks for the help.

The sea cocks should be right in font of the motor going out of the hull. The handle is lined up with the opening of the valve. The handle should run straight with the piping to allow water to flow. As for the snaps all I can say is you will get use to them. There are tools available to help. They are only a couple of bucks. I picked one up at Marine Max. Any boat supply should carry them (West Marine).
I also always leave my battery switch on till I pull my boat out of the water. Hope you have fewer problems next time.