New 272LE Owner- some initial questions

[Daniel Reichman]

I recently purchased a 272 LE for use in Barnegat Bay in New Jersey, and have some questions:

- The ice-box has a drain hole, but it does not seem to be draining. I can't easily see to where it drains - is there a stop-cock i have to open up somewhere to drain it, and where does it discharge?

- After sailing, some water (maybe 1-2 inches) is present under the water tank under the starboard cushions in the cabin. Wondering if that is a common occurence or if i have a leack in the water tank...

- What is the easiest way to get to the transformer [where the battery is connected to all the electronics] to add/remove wires (i want to remove the loran and connect the GPS)...

Anyway, i just purchased it about a month ago, delivered it 190 miles from its berth north of Philadelphia down the Delaware River to Cape May, AC and up to Brick NJ over 4 days. It was a triumphant voyage.... So far its a great boat - love the small draft and perfect for my first real sailboat....

Thank you in advance,

DanR

 

[Capn Pete]

Hope this helps

First of all, congrats on the 272LE. I had one that I sailed for 6 years, almost exclusively on the skinny waters of Barnegat Bay, and it was a great boat. I'm sure you'll love yours every bit as much. (Don't let the 2-foot-11 draft fool you, though. I still managed to find the bay's soft bottom every once in a while.)

I last sailed my 272LE in 2003, so I have to scour my memory banks for answers to your questions. Here's what I can recall:

The icebox drain hole was connected via a hose to a hand pump that drained meltwater into the sink, and thence overboard. Assuming the hand pump is there (near the sink?), check under the icebox for a hose. I don't recall there was a stopcock involved.

Does the water under the tank accumulated whether or not the boat has been sailing -- say, after a day or two at dockside? What kind of water is it -- fresh (clean, as it would be from the tank), or salty, which might suggest intrusion from outside the hull? (My recollection is hazy, but isn't the Bay salt water?) If it's fresh water, I'd guess that the fittings on the tank are a more likely culprit than the tank itself. Start with them. Drain the tank, remove and inspect the fittings, and if they're good, wrap them with Teflon plumber's tape and reinstall. See if that makes a difference.

I can't quite help you with the electronics issue, since it's hard to say if previous owners did anything to upgrade or modify the wiring.

I hope some of this is helpful. Now get out there and enjoy the hell out of your boat!

Pete
s/v EmmieLou (O-322)
Little Silver, NJ

 

[Daniel Reichman]

Thank You Pete,

I appreciate it.... As for the water that accumulates below the water tank, it is not salty so i'm faily certian it is from the water tank or somehow rainwater getting in there (Barnegat Bay is brackish/salty).. I will do what you recommend.

Now i also want to focus on getting a cruising spin and spinnaker blocks for the boat - any suggestions on where to procure an inexpensive downwind sail w all of the tackle? Next some seat cushions, re-upholster the interior cushions etc....

Fired up.

DanR

 

[Capn Pete]

Best suggestion I could offer would be to ask around your marina or boat club. I'm not sufficiently familiar with the local boat-supplier scene, so you'd be better off asking other Barnegat Bay sailors where they got their cruising chute and related gear. (That being said, there are plenty of places online where you can search for and buy pre-owned sails.)

Pete
s/v EmmieLou (O-322)
Little Silver, NJ

 

[Oldhokie64]

Also a new owner of a 272LE, it took me a while to figure out the sump pump arrangement for the ice box.

As far as the water in the starboard side, my fresh water tank is on the port side and the starboard side only has the through hull for the direct discharge for the head. There is also a cheezy corrigated hose that I assume functions as a limber hole to drain the aft engine area sump to the sump below the sole of the cabin. If there is a leak there, it could be the bilge from aft. I am not certain of the function of that line and if someone knows what it is, I would appreciate the info.

 

[Daniel Reichman]

Actually, the water is accumulating under the Port cushions under the water tank (not Stb, that was a mistake).

BTW Old Hokie, On your new LE, where is the [transformer] (i.e. where the electricity lines from the battery are hooked up to the lines that go to the control panel and to the lights, water pumps, etc) and how to access it easily? I want to hook up a GPS to it...

DanR

 

[Oldhokie64]

Hi Dan - just saw your post. My two batteries are on the port side hard against the transom. Three cables run from that point through the Guest switch, one negative combined and the two positive run one from each battery. The guest switch is accessed from the forward stbd. locker in the cockpit. forward of that is a car type fuse link and from that the 12V panel is fed by lines as I recall that run under the weather boards and in the hull liner. You can use one of the breakers in the panel to feed the GPS or what ever. I am 100 miles away from my boat but as I recall, it is the third breaker from the top. you can unscrew the plywood panel that covers it from the aft "cabin".