Go check your seacocks!

[rwthomas1]

Hello All,
Working on my E38 today, getting it ready for the season, etc. It wintered in the water so there isn't much to do to prepare it. My boat has two of the four cockpit drains connected to a single 1 1/2" drain that dumps through the bottom of the hull. In the course of working on the boat I opened the seacock that controls that drain hose. I was greeted with the sound of rushing water! Closing the seacock immediately I went to check on this. The "T" that connects the two cockpit lines to the single line, the hose had been pushed off the T completely. My best guess is that the line filled with water, iced up and the pressure pushed the line off. The creepy thing about this is I could easily not have heard the water running and left the boat. Or the hose might have not been pushed completely off, just almost, and waiting to fail at a worse time.

Bottom line, go check your seacocks and make damned sure the hose clamps are secure.

RT

 

[Glyn Judson]

Seacock hose routing.

Rob, I have two of my three cockpit drain hoses leading to the 2" starboard seacock, each attached to its own bronze barb. I simply used a T-fitting on top of the seacock with two bronze 90's, then the barbs. The 2" port seacock accepts the third cockpit drain hose. Years ago I got rid of the T-fitting in the galley sink hose drain that the port cockpit hose led to, it was way too messy and cluttered that way. Regards, Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA

 

[rwthomas1]

Glyn,
On my boat the T is actually aft of the rudder post with the single line running to a dedicated seacock under the galley sink. I know why this is so, the cockpit needs to be able to drain when heeled over, but I have never been comfortable with the setup for exactly the reason I just experienced. RT

 

[treilley]

Locating the T as far above the WL as possible and still allowing drainage from the scuppers would be the best solution(I think).

The outer scuppers on my 35-3 hold water because they have low spots. So when heeling past a certain angle, all the water and dirt and other "stuff" comes out of them onto the cockpit sole. They are also more likely to clog because of this.

I am in there now installing a new Raymarine S1 AP and RPS. I am thinking of making the following changes:

Inner scuppers have a T slightly to stbd as high as possible. Drains through seacock under galley sink.

Outer scuppers have L fittings that allow a gentle slope to the opposite side seacock so as to allow draining when level and not allow syphoning when heeled.

 

[rwthomas1]

Locating the T as far above the WL as possible and still allowing drainage from the scuppers would be the best solution(I think).

The T is located as high as possible but since the outer scuppers are on the T, it must be fairly centered to work. The inner scupper line on mine are crossed to the opposite side to keep from siphoning when heeled.

The only problem I see with your plan is if you take a cockpit full of water when heeled over it will not drain! Well, it will drain but only to the lower inner scupper. The benefit of having the outer scuppers drain through the seacock is they will get all the water out even when heeled.

I have a slight "uphill" section in my T drain line but its right before the seacock so I don't really get water in the cockpit from it. Maybe a judicious rerouting of the hoses will correct this for you?

RT

 

[treilley]

That plan makes a lot of sense Rob. I wonder which design was factory?