Tips on Removing the Port V-Berth Panel on J42?

[James Ashton]

Hi All,

I'm replacing forward head plumbing on my J42 and I am having a hard time figuring out how the below top v-berth panel is fastened/removed.   The builders have made it painfully unclear with fasteners that seem to lead nowhere- of course this panel provides helpful access to the hoses leading to the head.

Can anyone provide any tips?

Thanks in advance!

James

J42, Arcadia, #17

646-262-3037

[Ed Sitver]

That is strange. Mine has very obvious screws through the panel, from the top down. That one looks like it’s just laid in there. 

~Ed

[James Ashton]

Indeed it is.  It's just really not clear on how to remove..all screws are removed and still in there like cement.  Just weird.

[William C. Wohlforth]

Just noting that lack of responses may be because of different construction on many other 42’s.  I replaced all head hose on Hotspur (#71) and access to that area on port side of fo’csle is easy via standard removable plywood cover.

 

Bill

J/42 Hotspur

 

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[Todd Stevens]

I seem to recall having it off to run AC ducts, but have not recollection of how it came off.

Todd

s/v Wild

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[jeff thayer]

Possible, at some point, a PO used adhesive on the joints to keep it from creaking?   I have removed many of the interior panels of our J/42 (#46) but not that specific one.  

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[James Ashton]

Ah that's possible.  It is attached like cement - however not a terribly smart move for eventually needing access.  Thanks all. 

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[Sean Motta]

Yours almost HAS to be in with adhesive. Mine has been out at least a couple times. Think it was 6 or 8 screws and out it came - no hesitation at all

S

Sean Motta

USA 52910

J/42 Hull # 50

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[Steven Novak]

My J/37 had that same panel glued in place, seemingly from the factory, with some sort of very strong adhesive.  Rather than damage things trying to lever it out, I was able to install a large deck plate there for the access I needed to re-do the hose run.

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[James Ashton]

Hi Steven,

Great idea...thank you.

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[Dennis Boyd]

All, 

I had a chance to inspect my Port V Berth a couple weeks ago,  and it too is glue in.   There are two access points on front/side face.    One is a removal drawer,  other is access door to valve.

Hope this helps.

[James Ashton]

HI Dennis,

Thanks for the confirmation on your end that it is glued. 

Without removing that VBerth panel we were able to replace the plumbing.  We had to remove the left/aft drawer panel to access the through hull from above, in order to replace the hoses..thus we made it work.   

To have all the forward head plumbing finally replaced and reconfigured in a simpler way is a huge relief - no more manual whale pump.  It was not a fun job but well worth it!

Cheers,
James

Arcadia, J42, #17

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[Dennis Boyd]

James, 

N. P.    Guess being new,  am I incorrec to assume that the manual pump, was to enable pumping the holding tank over board when and where legal?   I assume in no discharge zone, you can still vac the tank out without use of pump.   Am I missing a trick here?

thanks, 

Dennis

Jaywalker, J42 #6

[James Ashton]

Hello Dennis,

Yes, that's correct.  

When I acquired the boat, the whale pump was not working.  Being very hard to access and seldom used, we just left it that way for a while.  With the macerator, we can evacuate the tank when legal and thus did not need it.   I believe the whale pump without a macerator was the original set up or at least that's the design in the original j42 manual.    Unless power has been lost, the whale pump to evacuate the tank is really unnecessary, so we finally removed it and simplified the system.   Also, not having so much hose squeezed into that small space, there are fewer spots for effluent to linger.  

Attached is my new head plumbing design. 

If you search on "forward head replacement" or similar, on this owners group, there are some good additional conversations on this topic.

Cheers,

James

Arcadia, J42, #17

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[Ed Sitver]

Search "here's Ivan Getting's note” for a write up on the manual pump that TK copied from the Yahoo Group ages ago. 

[Wayne Cassady]

You are correct. We have our head holding tanks vac’d out regularly and have manual pumps on both which are not operated during the vac clean out.

 

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 24, 2025, at 9:39 AM, Ed Sitver <esi...@gmail.com> wrote:

Search "here's Ivan Getting's note” for a write up on the manual pump that TK copied from the Yahoo Group ages ago. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/j4x-owners-group/4cd97d94-c93c-4da3-bbb8-39afbfbd7d19n%40googlegroups.com.

[Dennis Boyd]

Thank you  everyone.   Another mystery solved.  

How about this?   I found it over my engine behind the companionway stairs.     Now I think i believe this must be the vent loop for the aft head.   The substance must be the pixie goo everyone is raving about. 

Dennis

[Todd Stevens]

> On Dec 5, 2025, at 08:55, Dennis Boyd <dennis....@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Thank you everyone. Another mystery solved.
>
> How about this? I found it over my engine behind the companionway stairs. Now I think i believe this must be the vent loop for the aft head. The substance must be the pixie goo everyone is raving about.
>
> Dennis
>

Pretty sure the vented loop over the engine is for the exhaust water injection. I also put the vent for the PSS shaft seal in there.

[Ed Sitver]

Dennis,

That’s looks more like the vented loop for the raw water cooling circuit. Can you trace that back to the raw water strainer (under the aft head sink in my J/42). 

Ed

[Dennis Boyd]

Ed,

Thanks.    This is why I am glad i have this group.     I will trace it.    I'm  still crawling around, in and under taking photos,  I 've just begun to explore engine area.  

Dennis

[rers...@netscape.net]

The vented loop in the space above the engine, hidden aft of the companionway ladder functions as the vacuum breaker for the raw water cooling supply to the exhaust elbow.  It has nothing to do with the aft head vented loop, which can be found on the forward bulkhead of the cockpit locker.

R.  Erskine, former owner of J42 #65 Cayenne

On Friday, December 5, 2025 at 10:55:17 AM UTC-5 Dennis Boyd wrote:

[Dennis Boyd]

Thanks all.     I'm still learning the boat,  I bought her sight unseen, and have been preoccupied with with rig.   mast, chainplates, spin pole, furler, standing and running rigging,traveller.     Just starting to look around inside.   It's like a box of chocolates.   I really appreciate having this group to offer insights and pass on learnings.  

Dennis

J42 Jaywalker   #6

[York.richardw]

It may be like a box of chocolates, but don’t chew on any of the head plumbing…. 

Actually, you will spend a lot of time maintaining heads.  Good info on these threads.

Thank You … Dick York 

On Dec 6, 2025, at 18:36, Dennis Boyd <dennis....@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks all.     I'm still learning the boat,  I bought her sight unseen, and have been preoccupied with with rig.   mast, chainplates, spin pole, furler, standing and running rigging,traveller.     Just starting to look around inside.   It's like a box of chocolates.   I really appreciate having this group to offer insights and pass on learnings.  

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