Ex-Aquasport/Wellcraft employee (Bob C)...

[seabob4]

Cdoyal,
The water tank feeds your cockpit shower.  The faucet in the cabin was an additional option (yeah, stupid!).  You can add one by snaking a fresh water line teed off the transom mounted pump forward, if you want...

[cdoyal]

So my aft control panel controls the fresh water, raw water, and live well?
Also, my boat apparently came with a water temp gauge. Any idea why? Was it wired so it was reading both heads at the same time?

[seabob4]

So my aft control panel controls the fresh water, raw water, and live well?

This is how your Explorer is set up.  You have a common pump that feeds a 3 port valve at your tackle center.  Turn the valve one way, you have "Washdown".  Turn it the other way, you have "Livewell".  They are by no means connected to your fresh water system.

Open the small door adjacent to your livewell on the port side.  You will see a pump located either on the transom wall or atop the stringer.  THAT is your fresh water pump, and is is energized by a switch on the helm panel, probably an "Accessory" switch as it was an option.

If you want to add a cabin faucet, see my above post...

Bob C

Also, my boat apparently came with a water temp gauge. Any idea why? Was it wired so it was reading both heads at the same time?

Are you sure this isn't a Water Pressure guage?  They were standard on all Wellcraft/AS's at that time.  If it's water temp, some owner added it afterwords.  Look at the back side of the gauge and see if there is a tube coming off the back.  That would be a water pressure gauge.

[cdoyal]

So my aft control panel controls the fresh water, raw water, and live well?

This is how your Explorer is set up.  You have a common pump that feeds a 3 port valve at your tackle center.  Turn the valve one way, you have "Washdown".  Turn it the other way, you have "Livewell".  They are by no means connected to your fresh water system.

Open the small door adjacent to your livewell on the port side.  You will see a pump located either on the transom wall or atop the stringer.  THAT is your fresh water pump, and is is energized by a switch on the helm panel, probably an "Accessory" switch as it was an option.

If you want to add a cabin faucet, see my above post...

Bob C

That's bizarre. You can fill the freshwater tank but emptying it was an "option"???  

[seabob4]

Alright, I'm not getting something here, so let's go over it again.

Your Washdown/Livewell system is completely separate from your fresh water system.  The fresh water system was an option, so the pump is most likely energized by an accessory switch on your helm panel.  To drain the water tank, simply pull out the water line at the tank that feeds your pump and let it drain into the bilge, either via the garboard drain of let the bilge pump get rid of it.

Are we clear?

[cdoyal]

I understand the two different systems. No problems there.
I have a small compartment aft with a hose fitting and a y-handle that handles the raw washdown and the livewell. We're all good so far.
I also have a fresh water tank with a pump that's most likely controlled by an accessory switch at the helm. My only confusion was not having a galley faucet or an aft shower head, hence my question on how to empty the tank (other than draining it from the bottom of the tank where I'm guessing it's a pain to get to). Could there be a hose or other type of fitting on the outlet of the pump? The boat's covered with a tarp and a foot of snow or else I'd be out there right now with a flashlight.

Thanks a ton for your help. You've provided me with unbelievable amounts of info on my boat and I truly appreciate it.

[seabob4]

...not having a galley faucet or an aft shower head...

Wait a minute, you're telling me you DON'T have a transom shower?  Port side in the transom walk thru area?  So you just have a fresh water tank that does nothing?  Weird....

[cdoyal]

Nope. That's not to say the PO didn't remove it though.
And you thought I was just crazy...

[seabob4]

Now I get it...

So, do you want to re-plumb?

[RickK]

Sounds like the pump and it's intended shower are in the same general area so it'll be easy to trace the output of the pump to wherever it goes (or doesn't).
I fished a pullstring down each side of the boat (easy to do and plenty of room to do it) and then pulled 2 drinking water quality hoses from the bilge, where I put my fresh and raw pumps.


I pulled these up to the helm area, fresh on Port, raw on starboard so that I had centralized water for washing the boat down.  I installed the outlets under the seats at the helm and put 2 different connectors on the 2 different spray hoses that you plug into the outlets so I could never use raw for fresh and vice versa.


I can wash the entire boat down from those two points.

[Capt. Bob]

I would venture to say that your seat is a little tough on the "southern end" in a chop

[RickK]

[Capt. Bob]

Ahhhh.
That feels a lot better

[Irish Rover]

Was wondering if anyone knew how much weight the transome on a 1999 248 Explorer could handle in a single engine?  Have a single engine on now that is I believe to be about 520 pounds.

Thanks for any help.  Might be repowering this summer.

Justin

[cdoyal]

I have a 500+ pound Johnson 225 on my 245 Explorer with no issues.