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cockpit drain E35-2

steven

Sustaining Member
I am again looking at feasibility of gravity drain of the aft cockpit that would exit above the waterline for use while in port.
That way I can close the scupper seacocks (which drain below the waterline) when the boat is left unattended.

Looks like there is enough fall to exit at the very bottom of the transom. But it looks close.
Might instead have to go beneath the stern counter, exiting though the bottom overhang above the water line.

Has anyone done this ?

thanks

--Steve
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
>>Might instead have to go beneath the stern counter, exiting though the bottom overhang above the water line.

That's the way the mid-80s boats do it for the outer scuppers.


2-E32-3 cockpit drains.JPG
 
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garryh

Member III
"That way I can close the scupper seacocks"
Dealing with drains and seacocks on my 35-2 is on my list, I really do not like leaving seacocks open when I am away from the boat. But what about draining the main cockpit area..? if you close the seacocks off and get a lot of rain, it will back up into the cockpit quickly and get ugly.
I am planning a T just below the main cockpit drains with a 3/4 hose back to an exit in the transom above the waterline to take care of rain water accumulation (and T'd with aft cockpit drains)
 

steven

Sustaining Member
yes I have essentially the same plan.
Am also considering cutting a limber hole from the main cockpit to the skippers well so they both will drain.

but re "T just below the main cockpit drains with a 3/4 hose back to an exit in the transom above the waterline"
Do you think there enough of a drop to do this ?

--Steve
 

garryh

Member III
I have not got into the project but just visually it looks like there should be enough drop. Does not need much and not talking about a lot of water.
I don't think the limber hole plan would work unless you glass in a tube joining the two cockpit wells underneath the bridgedeck (if that is the right term...)
 

garryh

Member III
also, the main cockpit slopes forward to drain so a lot of water would need to accumulate before it would drain aft... and it would not drain the forward portion ever
 

Farlander

Member II
If you make sure the valves are good and hoses are good and secure and there's no way it's going down while at the dock... Agree the limber hole is bad idea, just tee the hoses... or maybe find another project that is also a safety item, like how is the bilge pump situation?
 

garryh

Member III
of course the bilge pump should be in good working order (I have yet to tackle this as there is nowhere obvious to put it and no access on the 35-2)
But it is just good form to shut off all seacocks when leaving the boat. If they are never ever shut off, as is the case with most 35-2'... why have seacocks at all? just pipe straight to a thruhull barb... one less fitting and one less source of leaking. Most will be frozen up due to lack of use.
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
why have seacocks at all?

Primarily, so that plumbing can be accessed, worked on, removed or replaced.

The notion that they are there to save you, and that open seacocks are unsafe, and that they must be closed every time you leave the boat, is an interpretation.
 

garryh

Member III
"Primarily, so that plumbing can be accessed, worked on, removed or replaced."
yes this of course... agreed. The above was an oversimplification. But most plumbing repairs etc are done between seasons and at haulouts and most by far of these seacocks are never exercised and likely will not move when needed.
This is very much a 'your boat your choice' kind of thing, but on mine I am not comfortable at all leaving seacocks open when I am away from the boat and will reroute the drains so I am able to close them.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
I am particularly concerned that about leaving seacocks open in freezing winter.

Frozen hose and thru hull and then a split in the hose.
That's what almost 90% sunk a sailboat in our moorage a couple of years ago. I used the club's gas-powered portable pump until a company with multiple large pumps could get there. Close call.
 

steven

Sustaining Member
right !
I currently close the thruhulls, fill the hoses with antifreeze, and stopper the scuppers .
So the cockpit becomes a bathtub. To drain the cockpit I have 12v bilge pumps on a float switches temp wired to the house battery. A kluge, but it works as long as the ships batteries stay charged, and debris doesn't foul the pump, and the float switch doesn't stick open or closed (for example, with ice).

A gravity drain for use only in port in winter would be much better I think.
 

Kenneth K

1985 32-3, Puget Sound
Blogs Author
This is very much a 'your boat your choice' kind of thing, but on mine I am not comfortable at all leaving seacocks open when I am away from the boat

Me too. I rely on seacocks (being closed), and not bilge pumps, to keep my boat floating.

I presently don't have an automatic bilge pump system at all. What good would it do--the boat is in an isolated location, on a mooring ball, and without AC power. An automatic bilge pump would only guarantee that the boat sinks with dead batteries during one of the 3-4 day peiods I might go without checking on it.

For me, closed seacocks are the best insurance.
 
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RCsailfast

E35-3 Illinois
New temperature gauge on order and blower switch dried and cleaned. Casualties due to water half submerging the engine control panel during an offshore race.

Yesterday there was shooting water up the starboard drain when healed over. Don’t like wet feet on a star filled night. There has to be a better way
 

garryh

Member III
just back from a sailing weekend. When I arrived at the marina on thursday I saw a buddy's (ex) boat (as in subsequently sold) on the hard and wondered why. Turns out the galley sink drain hose popped off the (left open) seacock and there was water up to the saloon seats until someone noticed and got it to the travel lift dock. Yes the hose could have likely used some maintenance.... but- stuff happens. Again, to each their own... but I want to be able to close all seacocks when leaving the boat.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Oh My

just back from a sailing weekend. When I arrived at the marina on thursday I saw a buddy's (ex) boat (as in subsequently sold) on the hard and wondered why. Turns out the galley sink drain hose popped off the (left open) seacock and there was water up to the saloon seats until someone noticed and got it to the travel lift dock. Yes the hose could have likely used some maintenance.... but- stuff happens. Again, to each their own... but I want to be able to close all seacocks when leaving the boat.

Site contributor Bob has a scary story about a sink drain hose that admitted a LOT of water in very short order.... Good Idea (!) to keep all of those sea cocks closed when not aboard.

This spring we had occasion to remove the galley sink drain hose to access some systems under there, and just to be safe replaced it. Nowadays I usually write the month and year on the hose with a magic marker, as well. Any of these hoses that gets to about a decade gets replaced. Only exception are hoses made of reinforced layers - with the spiral wires inside. (Bless their hearts, that is what EY put in for the majority of pumping systems in our boat.)
 
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Filkee

Sustaining Member
Open/Closed

I used to ALWAYS close them all, but I burned one too many impellers forgetting to reopen so now the only one that I absolutely always close is the galley sink because of Bob’s story.
 
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