Cockpit drainage Hunter 19

[Paulmag]

Hi, We have just bought some old 19's and are renovating them for use in sea conditions, also they will be moored when not in use. So we figure cockpit drainage is essential when moored as well as in rough sea conditions. Anyone had experience of designing a good system? I am currently going down the track of 2 external holes just above the waterline in the transom cross coupled to 2 holes in the lazerette as close to the hull as possible. All comments welcomed.
Paul

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

What year of the boat and a photo please as there were a couple of 19's.

 

[Benny17441]

Check with Crazy Dave, he has tons of experience with those boats.

Wow he chimed in while I was typing!

 

[Paulmag]

Guys, not exactly sure of age, probably 1980's. We bought 3 boats, 1 is the more modern Europa model which has the self draining sorted directly through the hull. But 2 of them have the cockpit heel lower than the waterline and slightly longer lazerette with no facility for drainage, does that help?

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Photos please. I am not that familiar with the older 19 prior to 1985. Some of them were kit boats. Then maybe we can help you sir.

 

[Paulmag]

Dave, I am working on them tomorrow morning so can take some pictures. any particular angles you would like to see?
Paul

 

[Paulmag]

So this image shows the cockpit through the lazarette, notice how the heel of the cockpit is almost in contact with the inside of the hull.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

I need an overhead shot or picture of the entire cockpit with no equipment in it. What is that big hole in the back of the transom below just to the right of the outboard motor bracket attached to.

 

[Paulmag]

Dave, I will try and arrange the picture over this weekend.
The hole is part of my solution to the problem, coupled to a similar hole in the back of the cockpit/ Lazarette wall (which you can see the inside of in picture 1). However this is not ideal because to get the levels right it is quite high in that wall and you get 5-6 inches of water in the cockpit before it starts to drain out.

 

[isaksp00]

While waiting for the other photo and Dave's advice, think about this: it looks like (as far as I can see in these photos) that the floor of the cockpit is just about the same level as the waterline, or maybe even lower. If that is the case, it explains why the scupper hole leading to the transom through hull is 5 inches above the floor. If that is the case, I don't think there is anything you can do to exhaust the water other than maybe a hand pump (which of course is useless when unattended on the mooring). Using the 5 in high scupper may be sufficient for rainwater drainage, if the 5 in would not get into the cabin.
I assume a hose connects the scupper to the transom hole. My H23 has that arrangement, though the cockpit floor is above the waterline. Make sure that hose is robust and well attached - a prev owner of my boat had problems with that, and was lucky not to lose the boat.
But listen to what Dave says ...

 

[Paulmag]

Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions guys, much appreciated.
Hopefully these images help clarify.
Here you can see the whole cockpit from the stern

Here from the cabin

Here you can see I have installed my imperfect solution. 2 external holes in the transom, they could have been maybe 1cm lower but that would not have made a major difference.

Here are the internal holes which are approx. a diameter higher than the externals to create a fall, all this assumes I got my levels correct as we have not had the boats on the water yet.

Here is the internal crossover pipework.

And here you can see the step up into the cabin. I filled the cockpit with water and the current arrangement makes sure the water level is 1-2cm below the lip of this step. However just to be sure we prevent water getting in the cabin we intend to split the washboard with a small 6 inch section at the bottom, this will be fixed in place and silicone in position.

So the heel or floor of the cockpit is definitely below the external waterline. I think we will be safe when moored with this current system but when sailing are we only left with a mechanical/ pump solution to get rid of this considerable weight of water????

 

[isaksp00]

I would have double clamps on each end of each hose. How robust is that corrugated hose?
If the inside scupper hole is only maybe 3 inches above the outer through hull, think about whether any kind of waves or following sea from behind may push water into the cockpit. On my 23, where the height difference is probably 6 to 8 inches, some water does sometime get pushed up through the cockpit strainer, though it exhausts pretty quickly becasue the scupper is at the lowest point of the floor, in a shallow recess. In your setup, any similar incursions would gradually fill the cockpit, at least up to the level of the scuppers.

 

[Paulmag]

Peter, all points well taken, we hope to get the boats in the water next week and will be monitoring this (white) boat very closely before implementing a similar solution on the blue boat. This was obviously a slight design weakness of the older craft as the orange boat (Europa) design has the cockpit floor above sea level and a scupper in a recess as you describe going vertically down a pipe through the hull (below water level).

 

[isaksp00]

By the way, you are in South Africa, right? I have never seen that type of Hunter before - was it made by the UK-based Hunter company?

 

[Paulmag]

Yes, Cape Town. We bought the boats (sight unseen) from a club up country and had then trucked down, so we really don't know too much about their history. I understand there are a few boats which were imported direct from the UK but most were made by a Durban based company, I guess they bought the molds. There are supposed to be upwards of 500 built of one design or another. That's quite a few for just one country in Africa.

 

[isaksp00]

Just one country, but with a lot of water around it.

 

[Paulmag]

Sure, but it's pretty rugged for boats this small. We have upwards of 3000 known historical wrecks around the coast. Cape point is not known as the Cape of Storms without reason. I think most of the Hunter 19's have been sailed on dams and inland waterways. That's why we are venturing into new territory with these little guys.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Peter;
Smart move on your part to cross the lines due to the heeling. I need a photo of what appears to be a molded in box in the bottom of the cockpit floor. Also is there a drain up forward as I noted something dark in the deck being round? Double clamp those hoses and second clamp needs to go the other direction.

 

[isaksp00]

Here is a thought: can you buy any sort of (reliable, not prone to clogging) check valve for each hose that would prevent water from flowing into the cockpit but of course allow outflow?