Valves on cockpit drains or not??

[iantomlinson]

Any views on cockpit drains? our are going straight down to drain below the waterline. fitted tru-design through hull fittings with new pipe and double stainless jubilees straight through. havent got stopcocks as they are never gonna be used. any thoughts about surveyor/insurance/moral purposes of fitting shut off valves. why would they be needed to be shut off if you have a bung to hand on each one???

 

[Bodach na mara]

I have often thought about this problem. I did reach a conclusion. The whole point of cockpit drains is to drain the cockpit, which they will not do if there is a shut-off valve which is closed. As you want the cockpit to drain if it rains when you are away from the boat you will never close them. So they are useless.

 

[steveeasy]

Actually they are very important. If a hose breaks or leaks your boat might sink and you get water backfilling the hoses when going forward. a leak and your done for. so they are a crucial safety feature.
Steveeasy

 

[jwilson]

I once had a boat that had - as was traditional - twin crossed cockpit drains each fitted with pipes to seacocks. To open or close one seacock you needed to empty the deeper cockpit locker and hold a child's feet whilst he was in it head downwards and get him/her to reach under the cockpit sole. To reach the other the same procedure was needed except that you would have had to remove a stainless diesel tank and it's piping first. Funnily enough I never closed the seacocks.

 

[Bodach na mara]

So, Steveeasy, do you close them when you leave the boat?

 

[iantomlinson]

steveasy. when we are not on the boat then it doesnt matter obviously. when we are onboard, if a clip loosens, pipe splits, etc then the the bilge pump will kick in, alarm sounds and i quickly put the bung in, tighten the clip etc. im trying to weigh up why there is a need for a valve compared to my reaction to solve the problem on board. this is for surveyor/insurance recommendations. throwing around the ideas and reasons why or why not??

 

[Poignard]

I have often thought about this problem. I did reach a conclusion. The whole point of cockpit drains is to drain the cockpit, which they will not do if there is a shut-off valve which is closed. As you want the cockpit to drain if it rains when you are away from the boat you will never close them. So they are useless.

I used to have the cockpit drain seacocks fully upen when sailing but when the boat was unattended I had them almost completely shut.

My thinking was that rainwater could still drain out of the cockpit, but in the (admittedly unlikely) event of a hose becoming disconnected the seawater would enter the boat so slowly that there was a reasonable chance of someone noticing her settling in time to do something about it.

However, the seacocks on my boat were very accessible so operating them only took a few moments. If they hadn't been, it's doubtful I would have bothered.

 

[steveeasy]

When I recently removed one of my cockpit drain pipes, I then refitted it incorrectly at the top. I went off for a few days sailing and after 30 mins noticed a bad water leak. water was being forced up the cockpit drain tube and in to the bilge. (to my surprise, the water raises almost to the level of the cockpit sole) I spent the entire two days pumping the boat out every 30 minuets. If Id been smart id have closed the cockpit drain seacock, but im not. My point is that without a seacock, one would not be able to prevent this happening. you might not be able to repair a pipe at sea to prevent a leak. with a seacock you can. When on a mooring, I dont close the cockpit seacocks, as the cockpit might fill up with rainwater.
Im sure most boats have them for a reason, even if they are never used. One day you may regret not having them!! Its all about having a back up option.

Steveeasy

 

[Refueler]

I have stopcocks on my cockpit drains for very good reason. My cockpit sole is only just above waterline.

When boat is underway by engine - the stern sits down and depending on speed - water can backfill. Therefore on leaving berth under engine - drains are closed. When sailing and she heels - I can get backfill because hoses are not crossed ... but I have no intention to cross them as I can live with present arrangement.
When boat is idle / moored - drains are open.

 

[fredrussell]

To the OP, if cockpit sole is high enough (relative to waterline) can you not raise the drain outlets above the waterline and seal off old ones? Bit of a faff but what price peace of mind?

 

[vyv_cox]

The cockpit of our motorsailer would flood under power. I closed the seacocks when we were aboard and opened them otherwise to allow rain water to drain.

I once flooded a boat when the cockpit drains blocked with leaves. Not often a likely scenario but more than likely in Port Dinorwic.

 

[tillergirl]

On Tiller Girl I had a pair of ball valves and a pair of bungs. Left them always open. Water only entered the cockpit when I was late reefing! To reach the valves required vertical upside down to reach. I always exercised the valves each winter to ensure they were fine and free.

 

[Refueler]

The cockpit of our motorsailer would flood under power. I closed the seacocks when we were aboard and opened them otherwise to allow rain water to drain.

I once flooded a boat when the cockpit drains blocked with leaves. Not often a likely scenario but more than likely in Port Dinorwic.

I have tried so many ways to avert flooding due to leaves etc ... but never found a successful solution.

It caused flooding of my boat on the hard one year .. that led to my trusty old 4-99 Perkins seizing and needing replacement.

I now have a 'drain snake' on board - that I can use to 'worm' its way in and clear any blockage in the pipes ... I did leave it threaded through one side - but the snake rusted quite quickly ... so now I just have it handy.

 

[Poignard]

I have tried so many ways to avert flooding due to leaves etc ... but never found a successful solution.

It caused flooding of my boat on the hard one year .. that led to my trusty old 4-99 Perkins seizing and needing replacement.

I now have a 'drain snake' on board - that I can use to 'worm' its way in and clear any blockage in the pipes ... I did leave it threaded through one side - but the snake rusted quite quickly ... so now I just have it handy.

Wouldn't a canvas cover over the cockpit prevent leaves entering?

 

[Tranona]

Wouldn't a canvas cover over the cockpit prevent leaves entering?

That is what I have for the winter.

 

[Refueler]

Wouldn't a canvas cover over the cockpit prevent leaves entering?

I've had tarps - covers etc - but it would require a cover custom made due to the boom being short in relation to the cockpit.

This winter as example has the mast down and has provided a support beam for the tarp ... its lasted 2 months before tarps started to shred.

When the cockpit flooded - that was when boat was still in UK and I had already set up in Baltics ... the boat sat for months inbetween visits.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

Any views on cockpit drains? our are going straight down to drain below the waterline. fitted tru-design through hull fittings with new pipe and double stainless jubilees straight through. havent got stopcocks as they are never gonna be used. any thoughts about surveyor/insurance/moral purposes of fitting shut off valves. why would they be needed to be shut off if you have a bung to hand on each one???

When I sold and bought a different boat not too long back , the insurers wanted pictures of all the seacocks/outlets before agreeing to insure the boat. All of the seacocks had opening and closing valves.

 

[BobnLesley]

It is a conundrum. Our Challenger 35 had cockpit drains exiting well below the waterline but it was impractical (I looked) to relocate them any higher. If left unattended with the seacocks open a failure would sink the boat, but if you closed the seacocks, then a heavy/tropical rainstorm would quickly fill the cockpit and flood through the lockers and companionway. We never did come up with an answer, but ours generally remained open and those hoses, seacocks and their associated connections were perhaps the most regularly checked items on boat.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Reading the thread and the issued raised may be there needs to be a rethink of the design of the cockpit drains.

Clearly using a skin fitting and hoses has a issue if the hose splits of comes loose a seacock it closed would help but the position make it less likely for the seacock to be closed ever the boat is left.

On my boats I hev an open aft to the cockpit which is above the static waterline.

A drain that is integral with the hull and the cockpit even if the outlet is below the water big enough to prevent blockage would be better and overcome the issue of hose damage / breakage and the need for valves to be closed

 

[Blueboatman]

A proper cockpit cover as Tranonas keeps the cockpit smart and leaf free so is an asset imo..

My last boat had a 100mm dump drain at the back of the cockpit to remove a wave dump more quickly.

When I had a 21ft boat, you had to close the cockpit drains when entertaining more than 2 people in the cockpit otherwise we would get wet feet with the extra weight aft!