Cockpit drain and bilge pump plumbing reno

[Troppo]

Windchaser came with two cockpit drain holes, both as thick as a pencil and spiders love to live in 'em. Consequently, with the heavy rain we got in Rocky earlier this year (about a metre in two days), the cockpit was filling up and overflowing into the cabin. I got used to jumping on board and having water above my ankles in the cabin. Manual bilge pump. Good for my biceps.

The cockpit had a fitting for a bigger drain but it went no where.

Old cockpit drain hole, plugged up and going no where.

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After heaps of mucking around (I'm an expert at it) this is where I am up to.

Heaps of pipes under the cockpit floor.

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Notice the jaggard board on the left? For some reason, a PO fibreglassed in some ply going from the floor up to the top, which is the cockpit floor. Perhaps this was to stop objects on the starboard quarter-berth from ending up down in this section. Pity it was made from non-waterproof ply. It was coming apart so I removed it to gain access from the quarter-berth with fitting the pipes. Still need to trim it clean.

In the outboard well, I removed the old through-skin fitting and installed a larger one with a non-return valve. On the left side, the thinner black pipe goes up into a loop and then back down to my new electric bilge pump. The loop is to stop any water which enters the main pipe from various directions ending up in the bilge. On the right are two pipes (and descending electric bilge pump pipe) one going to the cockpit drain hole and the other to the manual bilge pump. The manual bilge pump has a non return valve so hopefully water won't work its way from the cockpit floor or where ever and down into the bilge.

When I brought Windchaser up from the Gold Coast, twice I had water fill the bilge from sharp wind-against-tide waves against the stern pushing water through the outlet hole and down the manual bilge pump hose. Now with the two non-return valves on the manual pump hose that should be stopped. May be a problem if the valves jam open but better than the way it was.

Elbow replacing the old fitting.

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The elbow I put in to replace the mystery cockpit drain fitting was a tad thinner than the old fitting so I epoxied the hole closed and re-cut a smaller hole.

I still need to finish the job (properly secure the piping in place, trim the broken ply etc) but at least now the cockpit won't overflow into the cabin and the electric bilge pump is able to run (wiring is still temp) and sea water is not likely to make its way into the bilge via the bilge pipes.

Oh, after struggling with fitting the pipe to the connectors, I discovered that hot water was not good enough, boiling water made the fitting easy. Just used my little butane stove and saucepan.

[Miker]

Troppo, that's some repair! I've had water in the cockpit too, but only straight after the boat has been slipped and she's so fast there is a venturi effect . It always seems to drain away out under the outboard mount as fast as it comes in. The is no other drain, so your rain episodes must have been phenomenal.

Looks like you have it all sorted now though.

[Troppo]

Hey Miker, can you please post a pic of your outboard mount as I think it is different to mine? Here's a pic of mine from when I bought Windchaser and before I sanded, shaped and painted the epoxy:

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You can see the pencil-thin drains that just were not working very well at all. That was ALL that was draining my cockpit! When the little holes were blocked, the water would build up and overflow into the cabin.

[Brainless]

The outboard mount on Oberon is Wood with an thin alloy covering and does not go all the way to the cockpit floor so there is plenty of drainage underneath it

[Oberon11]

The best cockpit drain you can have is the outdoard well, keep the rest of the cockpit sealed, cheers John

[Peter57]

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i think Marinka's was the same as Brainless. SHe had a wooden spot where you could put an outboard and it did have the plug in it which could be easily lifted out anytime. I had diesel so never used the outboard well but it drained very nicely and is the best way to get water out - never could plug up. The wooden board was about the same high as Windchaser but could also drain underneath as well. If i could load the only photo I have I would. I might try and see how it goes. Cheers

[Miker]

Hey Miker, can you please post a pic of your outboard mount as I think it is different to mine? Here's a pic of mine from when I bought Windchaser and before I sanded, shaped and painted the epoxy:

You can see the pencil-thin drains that just were not working very well at all. That was ALL that was draining my cockpit! When the little holes were blocked, the water would build up and overflow into the cabin.

Sorry Troppo, I don't have one, and can't get out there before my OS trip, but the boys who have posted have similar to me. A piece of timber about 1/2 inch above the floor of the cockpit. Yours looks pretty much hand built and whilst strong, obviously doesnt drain well.

If it was me, I'd drill those holes out to about an inch, then epoxy some bronze or stainless tubes in there. Still be nice and cosy for the spideys, but would drain better.

[Troppo]

Ok, so that's why cockpit would not drain properly - no gap under the outboard motor mount. What were people thinking when they glassed that in? The through-skin fitting in the front of the cockpit used as a drain sits in a saucer shape which was formed in the fibreglass when the cockpit was made so that seems odd. I think as Miker suggested, making those rear pencil-sized holes bigger would be a good way to go.