New to O'day 20, this drain near center of boat by cabin entry, been told it is rain drain. does it need to be plugged?

Jan 7, 2011
4,727
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
That looks like a “scupper”, which is indeed a drain to remove water (rain, waves, etc.) from the cockpit.
DO NOT block it off, or water can build up in the cockpit and overflow into your cabin.

You might want to trace the hose under that drain and see where it goes. It SHOULD exit the boat by way of an above the waterline thru hull.

My O’Day 322 has 2 scupper drains, but mine are located at the back of the cockpit floor, and mine have stainless steel drain covers (like a shower floor drain).

Greg
 
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BruceC

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Oct 6, 2008
37
Oday 26 So. Orleans
While I am not familiar with the O'Day 20, I have owned several O'Day sailboats and the photo you provide shows what appears NOT to be any type of drain, but what was the original set-up for the centerboard pendant. You will note that while the opening in question matches the color scheme of the boat, the present opening for the centerboard pendant does not. The cleat to secure the centerbord pendant is also positioned directly above the original opening for the centerboard pendant. While this opening will not serve to drain water from the boat, there should be no need to plug the opening. I do not know what may have caused a prior owner to relocate the centerboard pendant. I believe the only drain you have on the O'Day 20 is positioned in the transom well at stern of the boat.
 

BruceC

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Oct 6, 2008
37
Oday 26 So. Orleans
I should add that you will note that the present opening for the centerboard pendant appears to interfere with the companionway hatch and I suspect the hatch board when in place covers a portion of the opening; this is something that would not have been present in the original construction of the boat.
 
Sep 29, 2015
110
Oday 222 Lake N ockamixon, pa
It looks like a cockpit drain to me. On my O'Day 222 it's at the rear of the cockpit. I'm with Greg. Check out the attached hose to make sure it goes to an outlet in the hull above the water line. When it rains or if you take on water over the side, you want to water to leave the cockpit and go back from where it came!
 

Tfin

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Jul 12, 2004
2
- - Rockland
I agree with BruceC's assessment.....appears to be the original centerboard pendant hole.
 
Jun 2, 2004
1,923
Oday Day Sailer Wareham, MA
The fitting on the threshold for the companionway is the original centerboard pendant tube, boat is rigged stock setup. The fitting on the cockpit sole id the original cockpit scupper and should not be plugged ad that will prevent water from draining. Here is a picture of the setup on another O'DAY 20 (1974 model) I don't recall where I got the pic from, suspect a for sale listing somewhere. I used to have a friend with a 1977 O'DAY 20, and that boat's CB pendant was located exactly as the one in the original posting, he had a little notch in the bottom companionway board to clear the CB pendant. See pic #2 for another 20 with this same CB pendant setup, and #3 is a 1975 model.
 

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Luci

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Jul 27, 2018
1
Oday 20 1308 Goodrich
I have a ‘73 O’Day 20 with this same configuration. (See pic) the drain and the centerboard pendant both travel thru tubes below the cockpit and out thru the centerboard cavity. These tubes will partially fill up while sailing so be sure to check the tube connectors to make sure they’re tight before putting her in the water.
81858628-99CB-4964-BDDF-FC3F4EA41842.jpeg
 
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Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
While I am not familiar with the O'Day 20, I have owned several O'Day sailboats and the photo you provide shows what appears NOT to be any type of drain, but what was the original set-up for the centerboard pendant. You will note that while the opening in question matches the color scheme of the boat, the present opening for the centerboard pendant does not. The cleat to secure the centerbord pendant is also positioned directly above the original opening for the centerboard pendant. While this opening will not serve to drain water from the boat, there should be no need to plug the opening. I do not know what may have caused a prior owner to relocate the centerboard pendant. I believe the only drain you have on the O'Day 20 is positioned in the transom well at stern of the boat.
The centerbard has the rope on it. The OP is asking about the other hole, with the flange.
 
Sep 29, 2015
110
Oday 222 Lake N ockamixon, pa
I'm surprised that the cockpit drain goes directly to the bottom of the hull for discharge. I would have thought the engineer would have put it above the water line, as most boats do. If it were my boat, I would close the drain hole in the bottom of the hull and reroute the cockpit drain to a location above the water line. Since the pennant has its own tube, just leave it be.
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
I'm surprised that the cockpit drain goes directly to the bottom of the hull for discharge. I would have thought the engineer would have put it above the water line, as most boats do. If it were my boat, I would close the drain hole in the bottom of the hull and reroute the cockpit drain to a location above the water line. Since the pennant has its own tube, just leave it be.
Not sure where you get "most boats" from. A common problem is two drains both stopp up, and there is only like 4 inches between the cockpit floor and the hull. Beside, "some" boats might have the cockpit floor below the water line.
 
Jul 30, 2019
216
Seaward 25 777 Fort St. James
To confirm this is the forward cockpit scupper. Notorious for getting plugged, because it has a convoluted route to get out of the hull. But the through hull is not at the "bottom of the hull" in my 1974 boat, it is just below the waterline on the starboard side. I think this is original, but cannot be sure. There is a stopcock on my hose too.

There is a secondary scupper hole at the rear of the cockpit, with an above-water through hull. I have never had this one plug however. I keep a rubber sink plunger in the cabin to clear the forward scupper hole, and try to check soon after heavy rain.

The occasional problem can be that with the forward hole plugged and the rear hole being about 4" higher, an amount of water accumulates in the cockpit sole and any subsequent rocking will see water slosh into the cabin, then into the bilge. It would take a lot of sloshing about for any significant amount of water to enter the cabin, but it is a little difficult to dry the bilge out completely, and this could lead to excessive humidity in the cabin: never good for a boat.
 
Jun 2, 2004
1,923
Oday Day Sailer Wareham, MA
The cockpit drains at the forward end of the cockpit are used on several boats that I am familiar with, O'DAY Marine, Cape Dory Typhoon, Northstar 500 (25' racer-cruiser), Sea Sprite 23, most of these boats have hull shapes that lead to the cockpit footwell being deeper forward than aft, so having the drain forward makes sense and they drain to thru-hulls with seacocks located on the hull bottom or the keel. On some larger boats, the scupper drains are basically straight tubes that lead from cockpit sole to out through the bottom of the hull and the speed of the vessel can almost be measured by the amount of "gurgling" from those drains <GRIN!>
 
Sep 20, 2006
367
Oday 20 Seneca Lake
It is a cockpit drain and does go through the hull. Make sure you inspect hose every year as mine developed cracks and it could possible sink the boat. I had a hard time installing a new hose. Used hose with wire inside otherwise every thing I tried kinked. Poor design as practically no height to make two 90 degree bends. D&R did not have a pre bent hose for it. Next time I go to replace I will take old hose to auto parts store and try to find pre bent hose with the right bends and then cut it out to fit the connections. Storing for winter I always make sure it sits with stern higher so it drains. I also put a couple boards with plastic screening on the the seats to try to keep leaves out so it doesn't clog.
 
Jul 26, 2020
9
oday 20 I trailer were I want to go
It is a cockpit drain and does go through the hull. Make sure you inspect hose every year as mine developed cracks and it could possible sink the boat. I had a hard time installing a new hose. Used hose with wire inside otherwise every thing I tried kinked. Poor design as practically no height to make two 90 degree bends. D&R did not have a pre bent hose for it. Next time I go to replace I will take old hose to auto parts store and try to find pre bent hose with the right bends and then cut it out to fit the connections. Storing for winter I always make sure it sits with stern higher so it drains. I also put a couple boards with plastic screening on the the seats to try to keep leaves out so it doesn't clog.
I had a crack in hose, and I also had hard time fitting new hose, this is what I found on Amazon. Amazon.com : MonkeyJack New Boats Parts White Thru Hull Fitting for 1" Hose 90 Ddgree Boating : Sports & Outdoors
 
Oct 20, 2014
135
O'Day 23-1 Lake Champlain, Vermont
I'm surprised that the cockpit drain goes directly to the bottom of the hull for discharge. I would have thought the engineer would have put it above the water line, as most boats do. If it were my boat, I would close the drain hole in the bottom of the hull and reroute the cockpit drain to a location above the water line. Since the pennant has its own tube, just leave it be.
A similar discussion came up on the O'Day FB group and I too was surprised that the 20 doesn't drain out the transom. But, as someone else here noted, it apparently can't drain that way because the cockpit floor is too low. It is true that many boats, including most or all larger O'Days that I know of, drain out the transom.

In the FB discussion, one 20 owner noted that water sometimes splashes back (via the drain) into the cockpit in a swell. On my 23, the drain is a straight thru-hull which I am replacing with bronze. But on my last boat I replaced the drain hose with a good quality sanitation hose because it is such a crucial fitting. A few years ago, a group of us tried to save a MacGregor that was sinking because that hose failed.