Two-Inch Cockpit Drain Check-Valves ?

[Jim Cate]

G'Day Sven,

If I read your OP correctly, you are considering having the outlet of your proposed 2" drains above the static WL, and you are worried about water coming in through them when heeled enough to submerge them. If this is so, one thing you might consider is putting aft-facing cowls over the outlets. One assumes that they would only be submerged when you had good boat speed, and the cowls MIGHT be enough to keep water from rushing in. They shouldn't have much effect on discharge rate... possibly could even improve it.

Cheers,

Jim

[Ex-Calif]

Short term - Clean the drains.

Ours were slow and I finally cleaned them. Hair?, barnacles, Water balloons (twilight race hazard) and assorted other crap.

They drain a hell of a lot faster now as evidenced when we dump the melted cooler ice in the cockpit or the rare occasion we wash the boat.

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

G'Day Sven,

If I read your OP correctly, you are considering having the outlet of your proposed 2" drains above the static WL, and you are worried about water coming in through them when heeled enough to submerge them. If this is so, one thing you might consider is putting aft-facing cowls over the outlets. One assumes that they would only be submerged when you had good boat speed, and the cowls MIGHT be enough to keep water from rushing in. They shouldn't have much effect on discharge rate... possibly could even improve it.

Cheers,

Jim

I like that. Could be a venturi effect going on there.

OK, add on my "to-do" list.

[SabreKai]

Originally Posted by hpeer

We (for silly reasons not to be discussed) have two steel boats. A Murray 33 with an aft cockpit and a 44' Pape center cockpit. Both have 2 - 2-inch cockpit drains straight down through the hull. Both boats are about 1985 vintage.

One of the things I don't like about the drains is that I can't think of a good way to maintain them. How the hell do you get in there and clean them up and give em a good coating? So I have been thinking of doing something different.

On the Murray, aft cockpit, I could fairly easily reroute the lines out the stern. Replacing the steel (2" galvanized conduit?) with muffler hose out the transom or out the side. I would then weld up the existing openings. It would be a PITA but so be it.

On the Pape it is a much bigger deal as the bottom of the cockpit is low chest high. I can't figure any good way to do it. And of course the drains are all covered up behind furniture. #$%^.

While I probably speak blasphemy, I had thought of simply ridding myself of the drains or putting in a sump with an electric pump and manual back up. The cockpit is not that big to start with and the chances of her filling with water are pretty small considering the freeboard.

This is one of those things that I worry about at odd times when all else in my life is quite and I need some entertainment save I become peaceful. Not much danger of anything happening very quickly.

Heh heh, your silly reasons are probably as entertaining as mine. I too have two steel boats. One you've see the cockpit drainage for already, the other is a conventional system, two drains, cross connected with rubber host to thru-hull spigots welded to the skin. Being under the cockpit they would be murder to close if the hoses ever broke. I think I'd let her sink before risking my life climbing in the hell hole to try plug a busted hose leak. My intention on this one is to relocate the thru-hulls farther forward so they can be reached from the galley access panel. This will also remove the problem of backwash every time I hit the throttle in reverse. But being 1 inch, I'm going to increase them to two inch. I was planning on using check valves just below the cockpit sole but everyone says that's a no-no so will give it a miss.

As for cleaning and repainting your drains, if they are straight pipe welded to cockpit sole and the hull with no valves, then I would get a bronze or steel wire wheel that you can chuck in a drill, weld an extension on it and then shove it down the pipe. That will remove the surface rust and crude, then take a rubber ball just a tad bigger, and put it on the end of a 1/4 rod long enough to go from end to end. Shove it in from the top, and start pushing it down. Pour about 2 inches of Interprotec 2000 into the pipe and keep working the ball down the tube. The epoxy will coat the walls and what little is left when the ball comes out the lower end will just run out onto the plastic sheet you were careful enough to put there to catch the drips. Problem solved, shaft now epoxy coated.

Now if the pipe is bent somewhere it becomes more complicated. You will have to get a plummers snake and attach the wire wheel to it so that it can twist and bend while you spin it. In fact it may be simpler to call a drain cleaner and have them do it, I"m sure they have wire wheels that they can attach. The epoxy process is the same only use a 1/4 inch lanyard run thru the ball and feed it down thru the tube, then slowly pull the ball thru.



Sabre