Never understood why original owner did this ... tiller offset / cockpit drains 90 deg

[Refueler]

For all the years I've owned the boat - the tiller bracket has always been offset from straight ahead ... makes the Tillerpilot less effective one way (turning to port) .... I did have the bracket altered couple of years ago - but its still offset ...



Ignore the scruffy look ... that was all cleaned up today ... but you can see my point ... rudder is amidships but tiller is ~10 deg to side ..

Ok .. second point ... you can see the cockpit drains in the photo ... nice and big ... but need to close once motoring as stern digs in and water can come in at over 5kts or so .. But the main problem is the origional guy used 90 degree union below that drain. Any crud that goes down it gets trapped by the valve near transom and it blocks. You cannot get a rod or wire to clear it due to the right angle unon. To do it from the outside at stern - needs to be in dinghy as its just below waterline.
I have a plumbers snake wound in the worst one to try keep them clear.
Its why my boat was full of water one year in UK when I couldn't get back often enough.

One day when she's out of water - I will remove the union and do a curved pipe to them. I tried debris traps over the drains .. but they just clogged and water didn't drain anyway.

 

[rogerthebodger]

How far is the base of the cockpit above the waterline when static and motoring.

You could modift the drains to go straight down with a flap type NRV that wold allow water to drain away but stop water sloshing upwards.

A cross over would also stop water coming up when healing.

 

[Refueler]

How far is the base of the cockpit above the waterline when static and motoring.

You could modift the drains to go straight down with a flap type NRV that wold allow water to drain away but stop water sloshing upwards.

A cross over would also stop water coming up when healing.

Cross over would work for sailing ... but because she has a 43HP engine in there with a great big concrete lump up forward to compensate - she sits a cm or so deeper than design. This puts drains only just above waterline ... with the actual pipes below. That engine and big prop makes the stern dig in enough at cruise speed to put the drains below w/l .... you soon find out when the water starts gurgling in !! You then stop boat - let water drain out - then close the valves - which should have been done before moving !!
I did consider NRV ... but because the problem of blockage is leaves / crud that goes down the drains - NRV 's would get stuck open. The manual valves in the locker I'm happy enough with.

The bit I don't like as I said is the 90 deg union guy fitted to the drain ... instead of a pipe curved to the transom.

 

[Jamie Dundee]

Many years ago I bought an Atlanta 25 which needed a new rudder. It wasn’t obvious until the boat was in the water that the tiller was offset, too late to collar the fabricator. In fact it wasn’t a disaster as it was easier to stand next to the tiller when close manoeuvring under engine.

 

[Refueler]

Many years ago I bought an Atlanta 25 which needed a new rudder. It wasn’t obvious until the boat was in the water that the tiller was offset, too late to collar the fabricator. In fact it wasn’t a disaster as it was easier to stand next to the tiller when close manoeuvring under engine.

I realise that the engine I have does create a transverse moment to movement (big prop etc.) but its just too much offset and it limits the tillerpilot when I tell it tack to port. The arc it can use is smaller than to stbd.

 

[Refueler]

I have a 'drain snake' now wound through that stbd cockpit drain with the end hanging out stern !!

In cockpit ..

You can see the white curved 'line' of the snake hanging in water ...

The rudder to tiller is now near aligned .. a degree or so is not an issue!!

Here you see the re-aligned rudder post junction (and the short rod keeping bench drain clear !)

Not long before she's all rigged again and then its trials on the river !

 

[MoodySabre]

My old Snapdragon had crossover cockpit drains.

 

[Refueler]

My old Snapdragon had crossover cockpit drains.

Crossed over won't cure the stupid 90 degree sharp joint in the drain to pipe that blocks up regular as clockwork. But now I have the 'snake' in there .............. I can keep it clear ...

Plus when she motors - the drains are just below W/L ... so crossing them over won't cure that either.

It took a lot of patience ... cussing ... and wriggling to get that snake to get round that 90 deg bit .. so it will stay there now !! I will just pull most of it inboard and lay in cockpit channel - but make sure enough is still past that cursed joint !!

 

[cagey]

Water coming into cockpit when motoring at anything above a shuffle I had the same problem in my Hustler 30 in the end I made and put some duckboards because I noticed the water only sat in rear of cockpit and wouldn’t get any deeper than about 2in, as soon as I shut engine down water drained almost sucked away. I admit initially it was scary and I’m only mentioning it on the off chance you hadn’t pushed on to see how bad it would get.BOL Keith

 

[ProDave]

My only thought is be careful pushing drain rods down while afloat. Bad news if you puncture a weak hose or disconnect a loose joint with the outlets below the water line.

I used to unblock mine just using a sink plunger. Have you tried anything so simple?

 

[Refueler]

My only thought is be careful pushing drain rods down while afloat. Bad news if you puncture a weak hose or disconnect a loose joint with the outlets below the water line.

I used to unblock mine just using a sink plunger. Have you tried anything so simple?

Point taken ... but here we have Wire Spiral wound hoses and joints that have been untouched for nigh on 40yrs !! Highly unlike a 'Drain Snake' will damage this.

The Drains are set down in gulley that no way a plunger can get there ... the portside drain is a single and my dinghy air pump clears that one ok ... but the stbd one has a vertical drain from the bench halfway along which needs to be closed off to use air-pump ...
The easiest solution is the Drain Snake ... which will now stay as a permanent install ... just pulled back so end is not flapping about in the water astern !! The inboard end can lay in the drains gulley either side of cockpit decking.

 

[rogerthebodger]

I cleared heads outlet seacock by blasting it with air from my SCUBA tank. 3000 psi shifted all the crud accuminalted.

 

[graham]

The tiller pilot problem is easily cured.Move the pivot position the tiller pilot attached to towards the tiller enough that it can move equal distance port and starboard.
unless of course the tiller runs out of room before hitting the side of the cockpit .Another option is too plane 10 degrees off the end of the tiller where it sits in the fitting and glue a 10 degree wedge to the other side.

 

[Refueler]

I cleared heads outlet seacock by blasting it with air from my SCUBA tank. 3000 psi shifted all the crud accuminalted.

On board ship - we used to have what was called : Scuppergun.

It resembled an upright high volume air pump for dinghys ... With a vertical pump handle and a trigger release of pressure.

As Cadet - it was usually our job to clear the necessary .... bogs, showers, scuppers etc. So we would pump up to nice high pressure and BHAM ... problem solved ... making sure the required rubber bung was secure on the business end in the bowl or why.

Vessel ST Latia .... french built 274,000 ton tanker ... typical of french build - amazing accommodation. But with flaws !

Master one day tells Ch. Off his bog is blocked ......... so its call in the Cadet Cavalry armed with said Scuppergun. The other cadet is first time with this and he gives it one hell of a pump up .....
I stand back - too bloody experienced to stay too close !! He pulls trigger .....

We hear a yell through the bulkhead from Ch. Engr ...

Yep ... the pressure was enough to have dire consequences for the 'next bowl inline' ....

Later in the voyage - the sink on the bridge blocked .. the French were clever ... like my boat - 90 degree right angle joints in pipes ...
Cadet Cavalry again .... we turn up and pump up the gun ... BHAM ... sink empties fine ...

Bosun and an AB spent next few days replacing the split plastic pipe that ran under deck but above Masters bed !!

The Gun was banned on that ship from accommodation !!

 

[Refueler]

The tiller pilot problem is easily cured.Move the pivot position the tiller pilot attached to towards the tiller enough that it can move equal distance port and starboard.
unless of course the tiller runs out of room before hitting the side of the cockpit .Another option is too plane 10 degrees off the end of the tiller where it sits in the fitting and glue a 10 degree wedge to the other side.

Strange font size you use ... makes my old tired eyes squint to read !!

The tiller pilot mount is a permanent screw fixture on the stbd bench and to move is serious damage. The tiller was 10 deg to stbd creating a very short movement for TP to turn to port. But extra long to turn boat to stbd.
The easiest and best remedy has been done ... the bracket ro rudder post has been cut and rewelded to put tiller back to centre.

I would not cut or modify the tiller itself as its a work of art ... with turks heads etc. on a beautiful laminated wood stock.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Reminds of a story by Blaster Bates who used too much explosive to remove a septic tank. S**t every where.