scuppers

[creighton]

Received so many excellent responses to my last query thought I would post another. I have an Ontario 28 and she has bulwarks which I regard as an excellent feature. However in this instance drainage from the deck is directed through hoses that run under the cockpit and out through seacocks. I am not keen on the idea of bringing water off the deck down below deck no matter how secure the drain hoses are and would much rather it drained directly overboard. Has anyone cut out scuppers in a glass boat ? Is there a risk of weakening the deck hull joint?

[Pblais]

Well, having full bulwarks and my drains are in the forward lazerette hatch (two on each side and two large ones just at the end of the deck as you step down into the cockpit. All I can say I would rather have bulwarks than slide underneath the lifelines. Mine don't have seacocks as they exit above the water line. The cockpit drains similarly. Last boat the cockpit drained from two large seacocks from 4 drains.

Cutting scuppers is an option I suppose. I had them in a sunken foredeck on a previous boat. One leaked and was a horrible pain to repair with PO using large amounts of 3M 5200 sealant as a poor attempt. More sealant is always the wrong answer. My own track records says scuppers are worse than hoses. Hoses you can see and replace even if not easy. Scuppers that leak always leak over a bunk - the one that's mine. If the hoses are old then replace them using double 316 stainless clamps. Use your fresh water hose at the dock to blow them out regularly. You accumulate a lot of crap in them being attached to land but not at sea.

Scuppers that also have a cleat on the inside are exceptionally cool though expensive. The cleat part is even better than the scupper part.

I think it comes down to if you have a problem or you just think you might get one. Peace of mind counts for a great many things and if it is a bother then dealing with it helps you sleep. Sleep should be restful and pleasant. Water dripping slowly on your head is not anything close to peace. Not ever having had a hose leak, I'm sensitive to holes in the boat above the waterline too.

[jrd22]

We just finished a major refit and as part of it we changed from traditional thru the deck scuppers to thru the bulwarks. We originally had two 1.5" scuppers on each side deck that went into a "T" on a single 2" seacock and thru hull. We pulled all that out and glassed the holes in the hull. We cut three 1.5" X 4" oval holes in the bulwarks on each side and glassed the insides so they are smooth and watertight. The deck slopes slightly outboard and we followed this slope through the holes so they drain well. I haven't had a chance to take any water over the bow, but I can tell that it's going to drain out very quickly from washing the boat with an open hose. I really like eliminating two below water thru hulls, and I definitely like the looks of the new scuppers. They were a bit time consuming (grinding and fairing inside the holes), but well worth it.

John

[creighton]

Thank you John and Paul. We have taken blue water over the bow and it did take some time for it to drain off the deck so based on your comments John believe we will punch some holes through the bulwarks. Hopefully there will be no leaks over my bunk.