Self draining cockpit

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airborne1

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At the moment my cockpit has no drains, except leaks around the floor panel into the bilge. So I want to keep my feet reasonably dry by making it self draining.
Question is how do I do it properly if the base of the cockpit is below my waterline??.
Do I put a hull fitting in each forward corners (P&S) and run a pipe to the opposite side of the boat and then just use a plain hull fitting, or do I need to fit a small sea-cock to the fitting.
What is the optimum size cockpit fitting and pipe.
Any suggestions or advice??
 
I would think you can't have it "self draining" if the cockpit floor is below the waterline.
I think the only way would be to fit a drain from the floor to some sort of sump or container then have it fitted with a pump and float switch to pump it out when the water in it gets to a certain level.
 
If the base of the cockpit is below the water line then I would be very cautious about trying to drain it by cutting to fit conventional drains. You might have to use duck boards and rig up an electric or manual pump for emergency use.

Are you sure that part of it is below water level? One way to check is to moor up to a pontoon and rest a straightedge at right angles across the cockpit (it needs to be level and wide enough to reach over the edge of the boat).

Then you can take a measurement from the straightedge to the water and compare that to a measurement from straightedge to cockpit floor (obviously make allowance for the boat dropping slightly with someone - preferably slim- clambering on it).

If it turns out you can fit drains then - as an example- my boat whichis 25 foot and has a cockpit comfortable for 3 /4 people has 2 drains (made of nylon I think) each with a diameter of about 60mm and are glassed in and exit straight through the transom.

Good luck
Rob
 
I have a dinghy self bailer on either side just above the cockpit sole. It is just above the waterline when the boat is flat and with any heel it is under water. The forward motion of the boat drains water out and a flap stops water coming in if the boat is stationary. They can also be closed.
 
If your cockpit floor is below the waterline, your cockpit needs to be seriously modified for self-draining.

Some long-haulers have been known to fit a smaller, shallower "inner cockpit" inside the original. This can then be fitted with drains in the normal mannner.
 
A Luke 5 tonner..tricky as you probably have a nice deep (secure) cockpit instead of a shallow trough above the waterline..
I take it that you fit a boom tent or cockpit cover when you are away from the boat.
I presume the floor comes up to gain access to the engine?
Can you post a pic..what you do will to an extent depend on how original you wish to keep things (?lots of lovely teak tongue and groove around the sides ?) and how handy you are.
You could remake the cockpit sole in either grp and/or plywood but at a high enough level to be at least one inch clear of the waterline and with a sealing engine access hatch maybe RAISED higher than the surrounding floor. And add slats for dry feet.
In that event a couple of 25mm or larger drains,crossed hoses and throughhullseacocks will do.When the drain holes are too small they bung up easily with dirt,leaves etc creating more problems.
I would have thought the simplest solution is to remake the floor as existing but make it watertight and fit one 50mm drain and hose channeled directly to the bilge sump?
 
My early Contessa had a similiar design feature.....deep cockpit draining directly into the bilge.

Like similiar boats the cockpit has been been modified by raising the floor 12-12" and from this raised floor had a self drainage to just above the waterline via a stockcock.

The following picture of my boat gives a better idea:

http://www.contessa26moonshine.me.uk/job02.htm

Advantages of this design is that the false cockpit floor can be taken up for easy access and for the vertically challenged like myself it's a provides a more comfortable sailing platform !, the disadvantage is that if not sealed properly it will continue to leak into the bilge as happened with the boat I bought. I've got around this by having an automatic bilge pump deep in the bilge connected via a Y valve (with a non-return valve in front) to the self draining outlet.

If your going down this route a deisgn enhancement I would add is not to put the self drainer in the middle of the cockpit floor like mine as usually your heeled when sailing and the water is not going to go in but instead put in two self drainers as big as reasonably possible (connected to a Y valve outlet) in the aft port and starboard corners of the cockpit floor.

Cheers
 
Is it similar to this ? Nice boat. I think you have to ask yourself why you want it to be self draining? My boat has the cockpit sole level with the waterline and so I let any water drain into the deep bilge. I have a manual and auto elec pumps.Some people dont advise elec pumps on wooden boats...to do with rot I suppose.
The only water I have ever had in the cockpit of any of the boats I have owned is rainwater. I have a cockpit cover for when I am away. If you were to get a green in the cockpit then the pumps would have to work hard to clear it, but you have to ask if the risk of this is greater than the risk of having yet more holes in the hull. In your case you would have to raise the sole above the waterline anyway. If you do raise it then these may be of use. They are not water tight just upward splashproof.
 
Do you have a copy of "Cruising Under Sail" by Eric Hiscock? He gives advice about this subject and describes a simple way of manging without a self-draining cockpit. If you don't have it, and don't want to buy it, you can probably get it from the library.
 
I think especially for a wooden boat, keeping the rain out of the boat is most critical. I reckon self draining cockpits are the greatest invention mostly cos the rain drains out. Perhaps if you have a lot of water in the bilge from a sterngland then a bit more rain doesn't matter but if you have a dry bilge but for the rain then a self draining cockpit could get bilges dry.
i wouldn't trust a boom tent in foul weather. Mine have always been flogged to death.
So raising the floor is the only option. A deep cockpit of course is more comfortable in cold blowy weather. I guess the 5 tons of the baot would mean pitch of the boat doesn't change much with crew

In but mine being light sees the cockpit floor go from about 9 inches above water when on mooring empty to below water line with an excess of 5 people jambed in cockpit. It actually collects some rainwater in the front of the cockpit when unattended.

So go carefully measuring to decide how high your floor must be. I think if I were fitting drains I would go for pipes straight through the transom one ech side at the back. This gives you less concern about water getting into the boat if a fitting fails. Hopefully normally above water line. good luck with your decisions olewill
 
I do agree with others on here that water won't flow uphill.....
However having had this same problem long ago on an old gaffer I would suggest you seal the existing drains to the bilge and create a new sump just big enough for a decent bilge pump in one corner of the cockpit. As long as you don't spend hours on one tack in the pouring rain this will work OK. If you are fussy you need two sumps.......
 
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