GRP tube for cockpit drain

JumbleDuck said:
Does the hull material matter here? Surely the only reason to have a seacock on a hull opening is because you think the skin fitting or hose might fail - it won't help if the surrounding material springs a leak. Or am I missing something?
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I think the meed for seacock in like when cars had starting handles. Battery reliability has improved to a point where these are not now needed and removed ny the manufactures for cost saving.

The fittings and hoses used on boats now are much better but old habits die hard.

I have gone over to stand pipes on my sink drains to reduce the number of seacocks but my boat has a steel hull so my be considered to be safer but I don't think a GRP hull/boat is much different if designed correctly with proper supports/joint strengths.
 
Tranona said:
No, it should not matter but think back to the good ole days when all fittings had to be attached, sealed with tarred hemp or some such thing, pipes were lead and boats leaked all over the place.

Fast forward and materials and fittings have changed and it is possible now to build wooden boats that don't leak. so it is all in the mind, but based on the views of the past.
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I'm still not clear on why seacocks were seen as more important on leaky old wooden boats. Not trying to be argumentative, just wondering what I've missed.

BTW a "proper" wooden bot like inbe does not have a self draining cockpit so the issue never arises.
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Indeed. I was invited aboard a charming 1932 double ender in Tobermory (she had come up from Bangor) and was reminded just how nice deep cockpits are.

Rogershaw said:
I think the meed for seacock in like when cars had starting handles. Battery reliability has improved to a point where these are not now needed and removed ny the manufactures for cost saving.

The fittings and hoses used on boats now are much better but old habits die hard.
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Ah yes, dodgy old rubber hoses against modern plastic ones may be the factor I'm missing.
 
I also think that the traditional (i.e., planked) wooden boats 'worked' more than those built out of modern materials, hence the requirement for flexibility in the tubing.
 
JumbleDuck said:
I'm still not clear on why seacocks were seen as more important on leaky old wooden boats. Not trying to be argumentative, just wondering what I've missed.



Indeed. I was invited aboard a charming 1932 double ender in Tobermory (she had come up from Bangor) and was reminded just how nice deep cockpits are.



Ah yes, dodgy old rubber hoses against modern plastic ones may be the factor I'm missing.
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No, you have not missed anything. Think Roger and I have explained it. Habit, just like double clipping hoses and heavy anchor chains, drawing keel bolts and all the other things that don't stand up to rigorous scrutiny or are made obsolete by changes in materials and processes.

I only referenced to wooden boats because their demise was a major turning point in the development of materials and practices, and why the previous truths had some validity.
 
Tranona said:
No, you have not missed anything. Think Roger and I have explained it. Habit, just like double clipping hoses and heavy anchor chains, drawing keel bolts and all the other things that don't stand up to rigorous scrutiny or are made obsolete by changes in materials and processes.
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I'm really wondering why wooden boat builders ever got into the habit of putting seacocks everywhere in the first place. dodgy hoses and pipes seems the only reasonable explanation.
 
JumbleDuck said:
I'm really wondering why wooden boat builders ever got into the habit of putting seacocks everywhere in the first place. dodgy hoses and pipes seems the only reasonable explanation.
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Who knows. In an era without any formal standards (apart from Lloyds) it would likely be word of mouth, following somebody else's example. Thinking about it Lloyds might have had it in their classification rules - there's a good research project to use up some spare hours - which probably means it came from big ship requirements. You also have to remember that most yachts were one offs built to a naval architect design which would have specified such details.

You never know, could be a book in there somewhere "Unnecessary fitments on yachts - a sociological account". Remember you first heard of it here.
 
My old Jeanneau Eolia 25 had twin cockpit drains from the aft of the cockpit to an inch or so above the waterline either side.

The drains were about 3" in diameter GRP tube, positioned about 2" in front of the transom. They worked well, didn't leak nor did they crack. They also doubled as the drains for the gas installation.

Splendid boat. Sailed well too. Shouldn't have sold it...
 
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