Cockpit Drains

[Eric1803]

Thru-hulls above the waterline

Seems to me that a hull opening above the waterline eventually becomes a hull opening below the waterline if your boat is slowly sinking. And at that point, your boat is rapidly sinking. So, it is nice to have plugs, seacocks, or some other way to "turn off the tap."Eric

 

[Herb Parsons]

"COCKPIT DRAINS DONT HAVE SEACOCKS" (Well SOME Do)

"COCKPIT DRAINS DONT HAVE SEACOCKS" ... advice now and forever.REALLY gotta be careful with those all-inclusive statements.I have a 1971 Coronado 35 Center Cockpit. The drain in the cockpit has a hose attached, that goes straight down below into the engine compartment, and to a below the waterline through-hull.First time my wife and "visited" the boat, we dutifully closed off ALL seacocks, just as we had read. Next time we came back, there was an inch or so of water in the cabin. At first, I thought something major had happened, but we finally figured it out.The large cockpit captured the rain water from the few storms (not THE storm - Katrina - but some other storms the year before) we'd had in the intervening 5 weeks. The rain water filled the hose (which was "properly" closed off", the backed into the cockpit. When the cockpit filled with water, it drained over into the cabin. The bilge was relatively dry, but there was water all over the cabin.We now leave that one seacock closed, but are considering closing it and putting a "portable" type bilge pump in the cockpit.

 

[sailortonyb]

Herb !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is your boat still in Slidell? How are you and wife doing? And what is Lake Grapevine near?And BTW.........You just gave Bob some ammunition....the seacock almost sank your boat, LOL.

 

[sailortonyb]

NYSAIL !!!!!!!!!

I was born and raised in Brooklyn , the moved to Newburgh and worked in White Plains.....What a shame that i wasnt into sailing way back when. Now Im living on the Gulf of Mexico and love sailing. Too bad most of my life was as a non-sailor. But making up for it now.Do you sail the sound or the Hudson?

 

[seanshine]

I gotta agree with Bob. it's not a big deal on a Cat30. It's a little tricky if you have wheel steering and a left hand midget would be a benefit. Thru hulls for cockpit drains above the waterline, that could be a disaster if you left them closed. A cabin full of water may ruin your day......... Of course I live in Seattle and we did get that much rain last month.

 

[chuckwayne]

seacock lube

we use jc's process but apply the lubriplate with the spray on version-you can reach the seacock with the long nozzle even if you have grills over your thru hulls

 

[JC on Bainbridge]

Hey Chuck! Is your spray-on version....

also White Lithium Grease? Is it thick and gooey, or does it go on clear like WD-40? Did you get it at West Marine? If it is the same, then a spray-on version would be great. I am sure my paint brush doesn't get into all of the tiny gaps in there.

 

[Herb Parsons]

Tony

Reve de Papa is still in Slidell, still at Oak Harbor. We're going down in 2-3 weeks to move it to a dock in Eden Isles until Oak Harbor is repaired. We'll also be pulling it sometime soon and sand the hull, fill in the port light openings (prepping to repair all of the portlights), and then repaint the hull. Should look like a different boat if you ever make it down that way again.

 

[SAILORTONYB]

HERB

I havent been there since new years, but i go back and forth. I'm getting closer to resolving my insurance situation, after all, its only been 5 1/2 months. We are still living on the south Tx coast, but will move back to slidell as soon as we can.Nice seeing you again on here

 

[NYSail]

sailortonyb

I sail out of Mt. Sinai on Long Island about half way out on the Long Island Sound.....Great access to Block Island, Marthas Vinyard and other great spots. The trip up the Hudson is one that I want to take in the early fall one year....From people I know, it is a great place.Gulf of Mexico sounds like a great place also....Wife and I would love to take out boat down there as live a boards for a few months out of the year. Have you sailed to the islands?

 

[sailortonyb]

NYSail

When you refer to the islands, i assume you are not talking about Coney Island or Statin Island, LOL. Seriously, no we havent made it to the Bahamas yet but hope to do so someday soon.We live/used to live-aboard, But will be looking for another boat soon, our Catalina 30 is a victim of Hurricane catrina. If you ever get down this way, you will find the Mississippi/Alabama/Florida Gulf Coast ( the redneck riviera) surprisingly beautiful with our own share of uninhabited islands ( can see them with a road map) As for the trip up the Hudson....Definately a MUST DO. Whe you go past West Point Military Academy, you will agree that they could not have found a better place, and it gets prettier the further north you go. Nice ChattingTony B

 

[Paul Akers]

Food for Thought

Yes, I am also appalled at Bob's reaction to my answer. But I consider myself a rather accurate information giver. And it's not my demeanor to mislead anybody. So I 'googled' for ABYC standards regarding cockpit drains and this is what I found in an article written for Chesapeake Bay Magazine in January of 2003. The answer is not definitive regarding ABYC standards since the standards may only be voluntary and not regulatory. And this may not be authoratative, but it is printed in a reputable magazine. Again, IT IS ONLY AN OPINION. I have witheld the author's name so that he will not be maligned by individuals on this board. ...Cockpit Drains:"What, you ask, can possibly go wrong with cockpit drains? The water disappears and everybody’s happy, right? Maybe. Let’s say your boat was built in 1980. Chances are the cockpit drain hoses are original, meaning the safety of you and your vessel hinges on a 23-year-old piece of hose.First you should visually inspect the entire system, from cockpit drain to discharge through-hull, noting any leaks, splits or cracks in the hose or fittings. Is the hose double clamped with stainless steel clamps at both ends, and are seacocks used? The answer to both questions should be yes. Some boatbuilders, if they think the discharges are high enough above the waterline, omit seacocks on discharge through-hulls. You should verify that these remain well above the water all the time (whether heeling or planing, for instance), and install seacocks if you have any doubts. Inspect all hoses carefully for signs of deterioration, kinks or chafing. In colder climes look for hoses to be split or pushed off hose barbs, which can be caused by expansion and contraction during the freeze and thaw cycles. Heat and vibration can generate similar problems."...Now, I ask, would I put my integrity in jeopardy with bad information? It seems logical to me to use seacocks where they will do some good. There have been some good points made here on this post that show the pros and cons of having seacocks on cockpit drains. But, let me say that the answer could swing both ways and that it becomes an individual decision to put them on, or open them, or leave them closed. But, my feeling is that ANY thru-hull, either above or especially if it is below (or could go below from weight, etc.) the water line, should have a seacock.If any newbie is reading this thread, then he/she has something to base their decision upon. I also feel, that in the future, if I answer a question, I don't have to document the reason I responded as I did. BTW, the boat that I said could have sunk was a classic 1978 Pearson 35. Wether the PO put seacocks onto the cockpit drains, or not, I don't know. But the seacock/thru-hulls were located where the could not easily be visually checked. But they were accessible by any human being and could have/should have been checked - but hadn't been in a long while.

 

[Tony Thomas]

Traumaguard Thanks to Paul and Bob and everyone el

Thank you for all your interest in my cockpit drains. Tomorrow I will be off and tomorrow I WILL solve this problem. Not only will I need a left handed midgit, but I will also need a midget with a rubber neck. I am sorry that I did not assess the situation thouroughly. I will take a picture and post it sometime this weekend. I have had 2 H27's and 1 H23 ALL had cockpit drains above the water line with no seacock. The Catalina 30 however, has its two cockpit drains VERY close to the waterline. I am almost certain that they are full of wood debris from Katrina. I intially wrote this post because I was dumbfounded to see brass plumbing with especially 90 degree turns for cockpit drains. Thanks once again and I will let you know.

 

[sailme2]

Cockpit drain seacocks

On my Pearson 30, the cockpit drains are at the waterline. Under sail, they're usually clear. Under power, the stern 'squats' and they are underwater...thus....seacocks. The drain scuppers are connected to the seacocks by a short - approx 3" - hose. In 12 years, I've replaced those hoses four times.Being 6'5", and heftier than I should be...I don't know about the left handed midget, but a highly educated monkey might be nice....

 

[tom h]

OMG

I start reading this thing and am constantly amazed how it goes from "how do I..." to Oprah! First: Get a Wet-Dry Vacuum.Take off the cover to the drain hole (if there is one) in the cockpit.Attach the vacuum to the drain to SUCK first.Suck what you can out.Then reverse it to BLOW and blow anything out.Clear yet?If still clogged, find a hose connector downline from the drain and disconnect it (MAKE SURE this is above the waterline if your boat in in the water!Now SUCK the hose from the cockpit to the connection. Clear the problem out on the upper hose? If yes, SUCK it from there on the downside hose. Still plugged? If's yes, BLOW it out. Still plugged? You will ahve to take it apart and clean it another way. Eliminate the 90 degree angles if possible. They should have never been used in the first place. Got corrugated hose? Replace it with hose that is smooth internally. What you are doing is cleaning the line starting from the cockpit to the first connection. Then the first connection to the second. Till you solve the problem.Replacing the 90 elbows and corregated tube will enhance the flow of water and reduce the possibility of debris from clogging anything. DON'T use chemicals.REPLACE 90 degree turns with 120 degree or eliminate it all together.Replace corregated hose with internally smooth hose.

 

[FrankR]

yo Bob

Bob - I KNOW that anyone can call themselves a marine surveyor. The insurance/finance company required a SAMS associated surveyor. I questioned about a dozen people who had used surveyors and picked on reputation. Do you ever consider others are might be just as intelligent as you assume you are? - no offense - I just seem to detect some lack respect in your responses.

 

[Sailor Tim]

Way to go tom

Sometimes the simpilest and most obvious; is the best solution.Thank you for stating the obvious,Very well done.I was afraid to touch this post with a ten foot pole.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Some manufacturers have both

Interesting thread.Our 1981 Catalina 22 had two drains at the forward end of the cockpit. Forward folks, the cockpit deck sloped forward!!! The drains combined underneath the deck into one through hull, underwater. With a valve. Made no sense, but we learned the hard way: closed the seacock one day and filled up the cockpit for a "hot tub!" Took forever to drain.The Catalina 25 we had next had the cockpit deck sloped aft to two holes through the transom. While the holes were somewhat smallish, which would require a long time to drain, they were better than the arrangement on the C22.Our C34 has two cockpit drains at the aft end of the aft sloping cockpit deck. They go to thru hulls above the waterline. Sometimes, when we're sailing hard, the one on the lee side will back up water onto the deck, which on a nice day gets my deck shoes soaked!The way to deal with this, when I get around to it, will be to cross the hoses inside the lazarette - a simple fix - extend the port side cockpit drain to the starboard side through hull so the hoses are longer and the water won't backup.I fully understand the idea of having seacocks on cockpit drains even if they are above the waterline, but I'm guessing that if your boat is sinking ya got a whole lot of other things in mind than to close the seacocks to your cockpit drains.I also understand that some designers had the cockpit drains designed to go to underwater thru hulls. If I designed boats, which I do NOT, I wouldn't do it that way - there are more than enough thru hulls to begin with.Soooo, survey says: boats are a COMPROMISE. There is no one right answer, like my rant about people who ask: "What's the BEST...."Thanks for the giggles, let's lighten up.Stu

 

[chuckwayne]

white lithium spray

Hey JC, it's white and goey! the brand I'm using is lubrimatic-it's called Heavy duty white lithium grease with teflon. It's generic lubriplate, and sprays on as a thick white grease-but much easier to work with and get pinpoint delivery. works great on throttle and shift cables, steering and misc gears(I have the whitlock cobra steerign on my 356). Also great for hinges and hood and trunk latches on cars. You can get it at home depot and loews

 

[Paul Akers]

I've use the white spray, also

I was introduced to this by my boat yard's Asst Mgr. I had an engine throttle that froze at the lever on the engine. The Heat Exchanger raw water intake hose dripped down onto the lever. WD40 and a lot of elbow grease only loosened it. He then told me to soak it with PB Blaster! (Penetrating oil) and let it sit overnight. I did, and it loosened nicely. Then he told me about the "magic" White Lithium Grease spray. Went on like water, but then thickened. It forms a water barrier and also lubricates. Turns out it is the same stuff used by car dealers, etc to spray onto hinges, etc. when one has their car serviced. I now use it on my seacocks as a PM each spring. Close the seacock & spray from the outside and into the seacock. Then work the seacock lever from inside the boat to spread the lubricant.I now keep the can on board for any number of lubricant jobs.