Mikey
P-19 Beluga, P19 #375, Tampa, Fl
>>
Hey Bob,
Here is how my drain looked before any work: straight plastic
fitting (1" inside dia), rubber hose (automotive heater type), another 90
degree elbow(metal), some more hose, and the thru hull. The problem
seemed to be the metal elbow. It was actually lower than the thru hull.
The leaves would congregate here and cause a bath tub effect in the
cocpit. I didn't plan on replacing it, but then I discovered that it was
the cause of the water in the bottom of my boat.
The original plastic fitting for the drain was epoxied to a piece of
¼" plywood, which in turn was glued with silicone adhesive to the bottom
of the cockpit. Only about ¾" of the fitting protruded through the
plywood to allow a flush finish in the cockpit. I removed everything,
and bought the following parts: 90 degree plastic elbow (1 ¼" inside
dia), 2 ft of clear hose (1/8" wall, 1 ¼" inside dia), SS hose clamps (2
ea), a plastic thru hull (1 ¼" inside dia). The plastic parts were all
Sea Sense products. Oh yea, some 3M 5200 also. I used a hole saw (door
installation kind) to enlarge the holes. You have to be very steady to
prevent wandering, since the center pilot bit has nothing to grab on to.
I made a new plywood piece and epoxied the 90 degree elbow at the proper
height to ensure a flush fit in the cockpit. To find the proper height,
I crawled in the dungeon, held the plywood to the bottom of the cockpit,
and inserted the 90 degree elbow. When it sat flush with the cockpit
floor (observer in the cockpit is necessary), I marked the elbow. To
insure a strong fit, I also drilled 3 holes in the plywood and through
the cockpit floor. 3 SS machine screws and lock nuts were used here to
give some mechanical advantage. I know 5200 is some great stuff but…
Anyway, bed everything in 5200 and assemble. The installation of
the clear hose went easier after leaving it in the sun for a while. The
reason I chose clear hose was to let light into the dungeon. It works
remarkably well. I also bought a drain plug (Sea Sense) that would fit
the new drain diameter. Hope this helps, and I hope it wasn't to long
winded.
>> Reply
Bob, here are the answers to your questions:
>>1) Why use a 90 degree elbow? Why not just use a 1 1/4" through hull in
the cockpit and another in the transom and >>does there have to be a 90
degree turn in the system? Doesn't the through hull have an overlapping
flange on it so it could be seated in the cockpit floor, or am I wrong?
The 90 degree elbow makes a nice turn towards the transom through hull
fitting. I doubt you could make a smoother turn with hose alone. The
cockpit drain and the transom through hull are not very far apart, height
wise. This is part of the reason that in the old system I had, the 90
degree metal elbow was below the level of the transom through hull.
Also, if you tried to make the turn with the hose you would end up
reducing the inside diameter at the turn. Probably pinching it.
All the through hulls I looked at had at least an 1/8th inch lip
(overlapping flange) on them. This would cause some standing water in
the cockpit. The entire cockpit with an 1/8th inch of water is too much
for me. The flush mount through hulls looked as if they would weaken the
cockpit floor where they were installed. There is not much fiberglass
covering the balsa in the cockpit floor, and the taper of the flush fit
models would penetrate a lot of balsa. There would still be the problem
of making the turn. As I said, the height from the cockpit drain to the
transom through hull is very small. That is the main reason I chose the
90 degree plastic fitting. The water now has a nice downward slope
(guesstimate 25 to 30 degrees) to flow down.
>>2) How in the world could you work in the "dungeon"? You must be even
smaller than I am.
5' 7 1/2", about 185lbs. Pretty flexible though.
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