Turtle Tap ©

Turtle Tap Installation Guide

 

The Turtle Tap is designed to be installed inside the hull of your vessel within easy reach by simply removing the seats, providing quick and easy access in those emergency situations where you require a tow.

The photo below shows the final location, with the valve in the OPEN position ready for normal operation of the ski.



Before you begin

To complete the installation, you will need the following:

 #Marine Grade adhesive (Neutral Cure)

You can use any good quality marine adhesive with a neutral cure.
Be sure not to use acid cure as this will corrode any exposed metals inside your watercraft.
We recommend the following adhesive:
______
Marine Adhesive (SikaFlex)
______
Before installing your Turtle Tap ©, ensure that the area is completely clean, dry and free of any oils or contaminants, failing to do this may result in the adhesive failing to bond correctly to the hull and the mount becoming loose over time.
_____
We recommend the following cleaner:
CRC Bio Degreaser
______
#1 Meter of 19mm automotive heater hose.
#Flat blade screwdriver
______
Your kit will include the OCD Turtle Tap © mount, the genuine TrueDesign © marine grade valve and 90 degree hose tails pre-installed, along with 2x DEKS © high quality marine grade black stainless steel hose clamps.

Step 1

Start by aligning the mount in the hull without adhesive, leaving the double sided tape covering (Red) on. Once you have located the mount in the correct place as per the image, mark the hull as indicated below by the black line to the top right hand side of the Turtle Tap ©. This will allow you to quickly locate the mount in the correct place once the adhesive has been applied.

Step 2

Clean the area where the Turtle Tap © mount will be installed with a suitable non-oil based degreaser and ensure it is free from any loose material or dust and completely dry.

Step 3

Add a generous amount of adhesive to the rear and top or the Turtle Tap © mount as shown below.

You can leave the double sided tape covering or remove it before applying the adhesive, the choice is yours.

Step 4

Remove the adhesive backing from the double sided tape.

Step 6

Install your Turtle Tap © into your ski, ensuring to press firmly and ensure the adhesive makes good contact with the hull, both behind and above the mount.

You should see the adhesive start to squeeze out slightly, as can be seen in the image below.

This ensures the correct amount was applied to the mount. If not, remove and add more adhesive to ensure a good bond.

It may be necessary to hold and apply pressure to the Turtle Tap © for about 10 mins, while the adhesive begins to cure, to ensure it does not come loose.

Step 7

This step is crucial and should not be skipped.
The adhesive must be left for at least 12 hours to cure before attempting to connect the hoses. Failing to do this will result in the mount coming loose.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RUSH THIS

Step 8

After allowing the adhesive to cure for at least 12 hours, you may continue the installation and connect up your Turtle Tap © to the water cooling system.

Remove the hose clamp, and cable ties from the hose at the rear of the ski, as indicated in the photo below by the red arrows.

Pull this hose back below the engine and feed it up the side of the hull to the Turtle Tap ©.
You can use either of the hose tails on the Turtle Tap © to connect the hoses the order does not matter, select the one that aligns best with the hose.

Install the new length of 19mm heater hose you purchased to the same factory outlet you removed the above hose from on the ski. You can remove a section of the hose covering from the factory hose and install it on your newly added length of hose to cover an protect the hose, especially where the cable ties are installed for the mounting bracket.

Replace and tighten the hose clamp, and add a new cable tie to the plastic bracket and secure the hose in place.

Step 9

Route the new hoses to the Turtle Tap ©, install the supplied hose clamps (You may need to open the clamps slightly more that they are to facilitate installing them on the hoses.)
Securely push the hoses onto the hose tails of the Turtle Tap © and secure the hose clamps with a screwdriver. Give some thought to how you position the hose clamps on the hose so that you are easily able to access them to tighten once on the Turtle Tap ©. 

Once installed it should look like the photo below.

Correct Operation

The Turtle Tap © has two positions of operation.

The OPEN position shown below, is for normal operation of your ski, and this is the default position that you should keep it in when operating the ski.

The CLOSED position as indicated in the below photo is for when your ski is being towed behind another vessel and your engine IS NOT running.
Move the blue lever to the CLOSED position during towing, making sure to move it back to the OPEN position before operating the ski under its own power again.

NORMAL OPERATION

UNDER TOWING

Congratulations!

You have successfully installed your OCD Turtle Tap ©