Typhoon self-draining cockpit retrofit question

[cdcascobay]

I have never liked the thru-hull arrangement on my Typhoon for draining the cockpit, and I am wondering if anyone has ever devised a better solution that is easier to inspect and has easier to access.

I am considering eliminating the original thru-hulls and re-plumbing both scuppers to a single thru-hulll located low in the transom or even in stern overhang where it would be more accessible for inspections and where the seacock could be mounted directly against the hull, instead of the somewhat unconventional arrangement original to the Typhoons with the thru-hull tubes and seacock valve located some distance from the actual hull.

Anyone ever tried anything along these lines or anything else as a solution?

I have only handheld electronics on board, like it that way, and am reluctant to start down the battery road just to power a bilge pump.

Thoughts?

[cdcascobay]

By the way - I love my TY, and the self-draining cockpit! The weird thru-hulls always have been the one chink in the TY's otherwise unassailable armor for me and I am trying to remedy. Any insights appreciated.

[Steve Laume]

Have you looked at any other Typhoons? I am not positive what you are describing is the original set up. There is a liner in the area of the through hulls but I would not describe it as tubes. It serves well as a backing plate. I can't imagine how a through hull in the stern would be easier to get at than the ones right at the base of the companion way. I had always considered a battery for lights so we could keep sailing after dark. Our bilge pump was one of those tall grey jobbies with the hose directed into the cockpit and then draining out the scuppers. The backup pump was a bucket, Steve.

[ronkberg]

Hi cdcascobay, I sail my Typhoon in Saco Bay and am confused about your plan to redesign the seacocks. I replaced my gate valves with seacocks last winter so am very familiar with them. Steve described how mine are situated and they can be reached from the cockpit. The cockpit floor slants toward the bow and the drains are at the entrance to the cabin. Hoses connect from the drains to the seacocks and then through hull below the water line. Draining them aft would call for longer hoses and might not be gravity feed if through transom.

I do not know what advantage you would get from the redesign.

My boat is on her trailer in Old Orchard Beach if you want to see the original seacock design.

Ron

[wingreen]

... but I'm on the fence. I was working on my through hulls a few weeks ago, and wondered if it might be better to drain the cockpit through the counter right above the waterline. Even though the cockpit drains forward when the weight is evenly distributed, when we're underway it often pools up aft in the cockpit since I'm usu. at the tiller (205 lbs) w/ one or more other passengers aft or near the center of gravity. I think there are a few inches between the cockpit floor and the waterline, so it might work to install through hulls in the stern.

[cdcascobay]

Hopefully this will clear up the confusion and not just make me seem more crazy.

Mine are situated same as the others described here in what I believe is the original configuration. The seacock is installed against the pan in the convenient location just below the companionway as you describe.

The issue, as I understand it, is the gap between the bottom of the liner (the side of the liner you can't see) and the actual hull of the boat.

I do not believe the liner in this area is directly against the hull. As a result, the seacocks are not directly against the actual hull.

If a leak develops at the hull or at any point between the hull and liner, the seacock will not stop the water from entering the boat. My boat has always been bone dry and I'm rigorous about having the thru-hulls inspected to guard against this issue.

In the stern of the boat, there is no liner, so the sea cock could be mounted directly against the hull. I haven't looked closely enough to see if this location is low enough to drain the cockpit or if the hull in this area is strong enough to take installation of the seacock. Alternatively, I've contemplated removing a section of the liner where the seacocks are located currently and, with the liner out of the way, mounting the seacocks directly against the hull where they already are located.

Thoughts? Am I crazy?

[ronkberg]

First, I agree with wingreen's comments about sitting way aft or with passengers but the cockpit drains are left open when the boat is empty and then the gravity drain is as I stated above.

Secondly, as I recall ( and will confirm this weekend ), my seacocks are attached directly to the hull and I had to increase the through hull holes slightly to install the seacocks. No liner beneath the base of the seacocks. I used 5200 and have a tight fit that did not leak last year. My Ty is a 1973 model so it might be different from yours.

Regards, Ron

[cdcascobay]

Ron -
If you can let me know the location of your Ty, I'd love to have a look. My hull is 1974, not sure if there is a difference between those two years. Anyway, OOB is close enough that I'd appreciate being able to swing by and compare notes. How should we connect?
Thanks,
-Chip

[ronkberg]

I hope we can plan a meeting here in OOB.

Ron

[Greg Ross]

This link should bring up a view looking aft showing the stbd. thruhull on my 1985 CD 19. The seacock is mounted on a plywood pad which sits in a liner cutout sized to accomodate it.
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-1/1 ... pDrain.JPG
The cockpit floor sits only nominally above the waterline. If I knew I was having 3 or 4 people aboard I would close the seacocks. Those scuppers do work btw, I was pooped once and the cockpit cleared I thought remarkably quickly.

[wingreen]

Hey Greg,

Are those Spartan 3/4"s? I've been wondering how those would fit in my '74 Ty. Did you have to custom fit the backing blocks? There's a little curvature in that area on mine.

[Greg Ross]

Yes they're Spartans and as far as I could tell they were fitted at the CD Factory/ OEM.
Occasional servicing/ regreasing and they're an excellent thruhull.
IRIE now resides in S.C.

[Paul McCary]

Depending on what else you stow on your Ty (mine had a decent anchor, a small but sort of heavy battery for running lights and a bunch of other stuff that I probably didn't need) and how much captain and crew weigh, there isn't much tolerance between the cockpit floor and the waterline. I wouldn't give away a millimeter of that space by trying to drain the cockpit above the waterline. Trying to install the drain hose as gravity fed (and, more to the point, keep it that way over the years) would seem to be very tricky. You might gain some peace of mind by eliminating a hole in your boat below the waterline, but it would come at the price of a cockpit that didn't drain like it was designed to.