48DA Simple upgrades

Rich122

Rich122

Member
Aug 7, 2007
295
MYC-Stony Point, NY
Boat Info
'10 540DA, t/t:Amanzi350-40hp
Raymarine G150s HD MFDs/48kw Radar/DSM300 Sounder
Engines
Cummins QSC8.3-600s
Pod Drive/Skyhook
21.5kw Onan
I think you all know how much I enjoy this boat, however after 1 yr I found a few things that could be easliy improved. So here are 2 changes and 2 addtions I did over the summer and winter layup.

1-Shower/Gray water sump pump. This had to be the stupidest design I've seen, and called SR on it. The sump on the 48DA looks like the oil sump of a V8. The pump sits in the lowest part (ok so far so good), BUT the seperate float sits up in the higher end therefore it never pumps out all the dirty/greasy water, leaving at least 4 inches. It promotes mold in the box that must be cleaned at least bi monthly and you can never get those spiral hoses clean. It also causes this dirty water out the overflow tube into the aft bildge in the salon when getting on plane, and then that needs to be cleaned. Since it was not "broken" SR would not correct a "non problem".
I took out the old pump and float and installed a Rule 2000 single unit. Pump and float in one. Now the the sump actually pumps dry, and no mold so far this season and I've been on the boat since March 20th.

2-The sunpad for the 48DA is big and heavy, and I leave it on the deck all season. However since the middle and bottom section is "hinged" at the bottom the wind (when cruising) will lift these two sections slightly reducing visibility.
I drilled through the fabric and deck on the outside and inside edge of each the port and starboard pad and installed canvas snaps. Done no more lift.

3-Not enough AC outlets in the cockpit. The only one is under the sink and the TV and DVD are plugged in. So there is nowhere to plug in the Margaritta machine and my portable ice maker.
I installed a "double" GFI outdoor outlet behind the helm area on the "kneewall" where the cockpit AC is located and since I was at it, I added another below the salon floor on the bulkhead near the water pump, just to have for a work light or drill.

4-The overhead cockpit reostat lights (5 or 6) do not go back much more than the raised helm area. My old eyes are not what they were, so I will be installing 3 more (same ones as factory) further back along the back edge of the hardtop to light the table and cockpit aft seating area.

Just wanted to share these ides with you.

Rich
 
I love your gray water sump idea. I have the same setup on the 58, with there always being some water in the lower portion. But I do not have an overflow so the water remains in the gray water tank and never gets out to the bilge. Also, I never thought of the gook in there as a problem. I clean it out about every 2 months while the boat is in use. As long as the pump keeps pumping the water, I don't care how dirty and smelly the inside of the tank is.
 
Good idea on the sump! My little boat has the same problem:grin: and after cleaning it again I was wondering how to resolve. Looks like a good project for this spring!
 
Stan

Check out Air & Water .com I got the red one (of course) that makes 22lbs per day. They have untis upto 35lbs per day. This is the same output as a standard marine ice maker. But these units only make ice and will not keep it for long periods.

You fill lower tub with water and replace the "catch" basket. Select cube size and in about 7 minutes the first cubes come out, and the process repeats. The machine is insulted so as you make ice the water below gets colder thereby making the process faster. I had a party on the dock one evening with 25 people and never ran out of ice. $149.00 paid for itself over buying 7lbs bags at the marina. Sometimes I just make ice Friday afternoons when I get to the boat and put them in 1gal zip lock bags and into the freezer.

I felt this was a better option then a cockpit ice maker. I rahter have the extra fridge and guest getting cold drinks WITHOUT going below while underway.

Rich
 
Rich,

I love the sump idea, need to figure out how to get that one done ASAP. I made the dealer clean that sump out when I bought the boat, I couldn't believe how nasty it was - but replacing it is the right solution. Just for clarification, you left the big sump box and just replaced the pump, right? Can you PM me with any more specifics I can pass along to whoever I can get to do this (way beyond my abilities) ...

I also bought two more of those lights to add to my hardtop, probably should get one more and add three as long as I'm doing it. For whatever reason (bad design is the reason in reality) the seating area outside is very underlit, the hardtop lights only go halfway back or so. I had an electrician come out in Key West during our trip but he was hesitant to install them for fear of overloading the dimmer switch used for the existing lights. After some research, I'm pretty sure it will be fine - I plan to do that mod as soon as I get home. When you do have it done, please let me know how it works out and if there are any 'gotchas'.

fyi - I had an ice maker installed in the transom compartment, gave up a little space to do it but it's a nice place to put one and I still have the cockpit fridge this way.

The other immediate mod I made to the 48 when I bought it a month or so ago was to take out all the batteries and replace them with AGM batteries. These AGMs are more powerful than the factory batteries but take up half the space. This enabled me to cut out half the board where the original batteries used to sit, which gave me new and easy access to the seacocks (previously I had to get down on the floor and reach under the batteries to get to them) under there. Great, great mod.

Regards,
Jason
 
Jason

I pm'd you on the sump and lights. Pump only was changed and the reosat can handle 3 more lights.

Never thought about an ice maker in the locker. I like the smaller batteries mod. I will keep that in mind when I finally need to replace mine. Thanks

Rich
 
Rich,

I don't think this would interest you ... but I just had a very cool custom table made to replace the table in the seating area. This table has a pull out extension with legs that come out/fold down so that the table extends all the way across the rear couch. We often feed large groups so this will be very helpful and it easily folds back up (for access to the bilge). If anyone is interested, PM me and I can send pictures and contact info.

Do you have an online link to the exact light that matches the factory lights in the hardtop? I need to get one more and the two I bought took me forever to find while I was out of town. I'm sure I could find one here in Atlanta but it's easier/faster to just click and buy ...

Thanks,
Jason
 
I ordered the exact light fixtures from the dealer. I looked on line but was never sure if they were EXACT matches, not only in looks but also intensity. It's and easy DIY but I didn't want it to look DIY if you know what I mean.

Rich
 
jff said:
Rich,


The other immediate mod I made to the 48 when I bought it a month or so ago was to take out all the batteries and replace them with AGM batteries. These AGMs are more powerful than the factory batteries but take up half the space. This enabled me to cut out half the board where the original batteries used to sit, which gave me new and easy access to the seacocks (previously I had to get down on the floor and reach under the batteries to get to them) under there. Great, great mod.

Regards,
Jason
Click to expand...

Jason,

Be careful with AGM batterys, check your charger, i called the manufacture and they told me that the one in my 2005 48da will not handle AGM's

Wayne
______________
______________
2005 48DA
 
Thanks Wayne. Scary. I've been running them for about four months with no problems so I must be okay ... for what it's worth I did check with the dealer prior to putting them in, in fact the dealer ordered and installed them (after confirming with me they were compatible). I sure don't miss checking the water levels in batteries.

Regards,
Jason
 
Great idea...I just ordered the ice maker tonight since we had upgraded to the fridge in the cockpit instead of the ice maker. I am sorry we did that. It is just a soda beer cooler as far as I am concerned.

I replaced my batteries this summer also. We did get AGM sealed versus servicable lead acid.

PS: the rest of the ideas are great. We have the same issue with the shower sump. I already replaced the float once as it gobed up with crap from the shower.

We have added a water maker and underwater lights to date. We don't use the water maker as much as I thought we would.

I am editing this as I thought about the batteries. We put in AGM's, we could not put in "GEL" batteries as they were not compatible with our charger.

Ken
 
Last edited:
If you have a ProTech-4, ProTech-i or ProNautic they will accomidate GEL type batteries.

Jim Mitchell
ProMariner
 
I went with a traditional home-type RO system under one of the salon floor storage areas, I think it's four stage plus a U/V light and we have a small tap next to the kitchen sink. Best $1500 we've put in so far, we use it all the time. Just wish we had a much larger water tank, somehow we end up running out every weekend and have to go to a marina just for water. I put in the biggest water pump so we have amazing water pressure, the downside is we blow through water soooo fast. Still figuring out what I'm going to do about this ...
 
Ken,
Congrats on the lights and water maker. What water maker did you get? Be sure to flush it frequently per the mfr specs to keep the membranes in good shape. I'm sure you'll use it plenty over time, and for sure if we go back to Boca Chita!!
 
Rich122 said:
Stan

Check out Air & Water .com I got the red one (of course) that makes 22lbs per day. They have untis upto 35lbs per day. This is the same output as a standard marine ice maker. But these units only make ice and will not keep it for long periods.

You fill lower tub with water and replace the "catch" basket. Select cube size and in about 7 minutes the first cubes come out, and the process repeats. The machine is insulted so as you make ice the water below gets colder thereby making the process faster. I had a party on the dock one evening with 25 people and never ran out of ice. $149.00 paid for itself over buying 7lbs bags at the marina. Sometimes I just make ice Friday afternoons when I get to the boat and put them in 1gal zip lock bags and into the freezer.

I felt this was a better option then a cockpit ice maker. I rahter have the extra fridge and guest getting cold drinks WITHOUT going below while underway.

Rich
Click to expand...


Thanks

I am already looking into this ice maker :thumbsup:
 
jff said:
Thanks Wayne. Scary. I've been running them for about four months with no problems so I must be okay ... for what it's worth I did check with the dealer prior to putting them in, in fact the dealer ordered and installed them (after confirming with me they were compatible). I sure don't miss checking the water levels in batteries.

Regards,
Jason
Click to expand...

Jason

If you have a PDI Inteli-Power 2050 like i do don't trust the dealer...

PDI does have a new 2100 series that will work with AGM, Lead Acid and Gel. My 2050 is "cooking" my batterys so I'm looking for a replacement.
 
Waynezworld,

If you are interested in purchasing a ProMariner charger at a discounted rate we would be happy to help.

Let me know if I can help.

Jim Mitchell
603-766-7603
 
Same issues with my sump. Every month (at least) had to clean grease, food, hair, etc.

End of last year I started to put a 1/2 cup of West Marine Orange Bilge Cleaner down the stateroom shower drain at the end of the weekend. Every sense no smell, and not had to clean the sump again. Its been over seven/eight months, so knock on wood, I think this solution actually does the trick.
 
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