Cockpit Drains

[boeing1]

While working on a friends boat I found the cockpit drain hoses dry rotted, allowing all water from the cockpit to drain into his boat, might be a good item to check due to most of the hose is hard to see. Might be a good thing to check when you wonder where is this water coming from.

[tkeithlu]

If his cockpit drain hoses are rotted I hate to think what all his hoses that attach to underwater seacocks look like. Those are the ones that can sink him in minutes, and manufacturers take the quick cheap way out, adding a seacock wherever they need water in or out, without regard for safety. Bet you can't even reach some of them.

[JPA Cate]

boeing1,

Quite right. Those hoses should have been replaced long ago, and usually are not too hard to get to to inspect, either.

tkeithlu,

You just discovered an opportunity to cut yourself some access ports. Old through hulls, often the fittings require maintenance or replacement, you need to be able to get at them, and wise to keep bungs tied to them, as well. It's good to turn the handles, too, once every 3 months or so, if you liveaboard, or every time you visit the boat, if you don't. Some of us even do our handles once a week on a designated day, but that might be a bit of overkill.

Ann