E29 - increasing cockpit drainage

[adam]

I sailed out the Golden Gate in a friend's Tayana 37, and steep 10' waves right out the gate were a definite wake-up call for me.

My E29 (tiller model) has only one small drain in the cockpit; not nearly enough.

I'm considering cutting one or two fairly large drains through the transom.

Does anyone have any advice on this project:

* One drain or two?
* Size of drains?
* Where exactly to locate them?
* How should they be constructed?
* Should I add a flap to keep water from washing in through these holes?
* Any other ideas?

Also... I'm considering temporarily "gluing" one of my hatchboards in place. What's best to temporarily secure something in place?

Thanks!
-Adam

 

[toddster]

That single scupper has been bugging me, too. Especially since it's under the propane locker.
I hadn't thought of going horizontally through the transom, but it should be fairly easy. I put in a deck plate in the middle of the transom, when I changed the traveler, so that gives good access to the hardware inside. You'd need two through-hull fittings and a short piece of hose for each.

I've seen other boats where people put scuppers in the forward end of the cockpit, with hoses hanging down into the quarter berth and running aft. I don't like the looks of those or the long hose-runs.

 

[Rocinante33]

If you put holes in the transom, the hoses should cross to the other side. That way, when heeled, you won't take water in through the hose.

What I mean is, the port side cockpit drain hose goes to the starboard side transom drain.

 

[adam]

If you put holes in the transom, the hoses should cross to the other side. That way, when heeled, you won't take water in through the hose.

What I mean is, the port side cockpit drain hose goes to the starboard side transom drain.

Ummm...., no offense intended, but are you sure about that, or do I misunderstand you?

If seems that if the port side drain exited to the starboard, then when heeled over to the port the starboard drain exit would be above the port side drain intake and wouldn't drain at all.

 

[adam]

Note - Though some research, I've already answered a couple of my own questions.


* One drain or two?

Two drains, port and starboard.

* Size of drains?

Offshore racing specs calls for a minimum of 2 x 1" drains on old boats or 4 x .75" drains on new boats. I'm not racing, but this seems like a reasonable guideline for me to approximate.

So, I'm thinking of adding 2 x 1.25" - 1.5" drains in the transom. This should exceed offshore racing standards, and drain my cockpit quickly.

 

[clp]

The cockpit scuppers can easily be made out of PVC pipe glassed in, or tubes made for that purpose. I just did a quick look at Fisheries Supply and found one quickly. This type goes in with a special flaring tool that is not very expensive. Very easy job.

On the hatch board, put small barrel bolt latches on the upper corners of the board sliding into the side of the companionway. You can do that to the bottom board, or all of them. Even put it on the number two board if you think you're going to ship that much water, and whatever board it's in, it will hold down the boards under it.

 

[toddster]

What would be the advantage to a tube like that, over a threaded fitting? It seems to me that a threaded piece with a backing nut and a bead of sealant would be more secure. The tricky bit may be that, near the cockpit sole (as far as I recall without actually going down to measure it) there is only 3 or 4 inches between the cockpit liner and the outer transom, so the tailpieces of the inner and outer fittings, and any hose connecting them, would have to be pretty short.

I wonder if there is a single continuously-threaded piece that might go through both holes with separate sets of nuts? And if so, would there be too much vibration between the liner and the hull for that to seal? Hmm... maybe not as easy as I thought at first.

Edit: scratch that last thought - wouldn't work because the liner and the hull are not parallel.

 

[Randy Rutledge]

the flared fitting is to be used on one thickness not on two separate panels. The two sections will flex and the tube would work loose. If there is only 4" to work with that would be tight but doable, mount one through hull and fit the hose on it, insert the other through hull through the transom and the nut, tighten the nut and force the hose on the barbs of the second through hull. That is as clear as muf but I hope you get the idea.