Plumbing adaptor Whale to Scandvik

Oct 26, 2008
6,259
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
I'm having a difficult time with this one ... I bought a Scandvik cockpit shower to replace the original unknown model on my Catalina 320. I completely destroyed the box getting the old one out so there is no turning back. It looks very much to me like the original plumbing used a Whale 90 degree bend for the adaptor between 15 mm pex that Catalina installs and the 1/2" female BPS receptor. I can't find the right adaptor. Scandvik provides an adaptor that has a 1/2" male NPS thread but literature says that won't fit with BPS. All the adaptors that I can find have BPS male to NPT female. I can't seem to find a suitable adaptor.

Has anybody made this type of conversion from the Whale fitting to a Scandvik product? I'd like to avoid cutting the PEX tubing if I can but that may be the only solution. I'm pretty confused by Catalina Direct's offerings because they don't seem to match what was in the boat (and they are expensive and/or not currently available). I've already purchased the Scandvik product so no turning back. I'm just trying to figure out how to adapt the plumbing.
 
Dec 4, 2023
137
Hunter 44 Portsmouth
Hey Scott. I have replaced my Scandvik cockpit shower and adapted it into 15mm pex before. Can you grab a picture of the connection you're having issues with? I'll compare it with what's going on with my setup, unless someone else can help.

PS - are any of these the right adapter? I see that you mentioned BPS, but I just looked at a Scandvik cockpit shower and they had an 1/2" NPS adapter listed. Sorry, I'm having a bit of an issue visualizing what the issue is if you're trying to go from 15mm marine PEX (on the boat's water system side) to 1/2" NPS (on the cockpit shower inputs).
Watts AquaLock/SeaTech - Female Connector - 15mm x 1/2 NPS
https://defender.com/en_us/whale-qu...2Ee6kP_qQStmlcQx42WPkTVjF4fIXpMRoCRjIQAvD_BwE
 
Last edited:
Oct 26, 2008
6,259
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
Hey Scott. I have replaced my Scandvik cockpit shower and adapted it into 15mm pex before. Can you grab a picture of the connection you're having issues with? I'll compare it with what's going on with my setup, unless someone else can help.

PS - are any of these the right adapter? I see that you mentioned BPS, but I just looked at a Scandvik cockpit shower and they had an 1/2" NPS adapter listed. Sorry, I'm having a bit of an issue visualizing what the issue is if you're trying to go from 15mm marine PEX (on the boat's water system side) to 1/2" NPS (on the cockpit shower inputs).
Watts AquaLock/SeaTech - Female Connector - 15mm x 1/2 NPS
https://defender.com/en_us/whale-qu...2Ee6kP_qQStmlcQx42WPkTVjF4fIXpMRoCRjIQAvD_BwE
The existing pipe terminations (hot & cold) are a 90 d bend (it looks like the Whale version) at the end of the PEX pipe with a female threaded end to connect to the water connection shafts from the shower box. I don't know for sure what I have, but the Whale description of these fittings indicate to me that the female threaded ends are BPS.

The Scandvik shower box water connections have 3/8" threaded shafts, which won't mate with the Whale fittings. However Scandvik provides the 3/8" to 1/2" NPS-M adaptors to be threaded into the bends - it would be the same as the straight Whale connection that you show. The problem is that BPS and NPS aren't compatible. But the adaptors are nylon and I was half-wondering if the fittings can be forced without issue, assuming I use pipe dope.

I didn't want to cut out the existing bends because there isn't a lot of room. However, I think it will be a real struggle to make the connections anyway if I don't use the flexible supply lines that Dave shows. So, to resolve this, I am just going to put new compatible fittings at the end of the PEX pipes and use the flexible lines.
 

jviss

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Feb 5, 2004
7,089
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
Just a nit: I think it's BSP, not BPS, as in British Standard Pipe.

Threads

Why not just abandon the Whale stuff and go to NPT stuff that's compatible with Scanvik? I have Skandvik stuff on my boat and have had no issues with NPT fittings.
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,259
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
Why not just abandon the Whale stuff and go to NPT stuff that's compatible with Scanvik? I have Skandvik stuff on my boat and have had no issues with NPT fittings.
Yep, I was just trying to avoid removing the connection. I doubt I can preserve it anyway in a new configuration.