Clogged cockpit drains

[ronkberg]

I noted that one of my Typhoon cockpit drains had clogged at the end of the season and wondered what caused it. My boat sits in a river that always leaves a scummy growth on my hull at summer's end. Wherever my bottom paint has washed away, some little shelled critters start a colony. This is the first time that the little shelled devils had decided to setup home inside my drains. The haul and wash down crew cleared the drain with the power washer so I will stay dry during the fall rains and spring thaw if any snow gets through my winter cover.

Is there any methods that are suggested to keep the growth minimized, other that swimming down and digging 'em out. I recall some notes about using a plunger but wonder if that would be strong enough to remove the barnacles? I prefer to stay out of the cold Maine waters.

Thanks, Ron

[Oswego John]

Hi Ron,

To me, this is a very interesting thread. I am wondering if the little shelled critters that you speak of are zebra mussels. If they should turn out to be zebra mussels, I have some very good news for you as well as some not so good news.

The good news is that the person who comes up with a method to prevent the formation of clusters of the calcium cloaked cloggers will become wealthier than if he won the Mega-Million lottery.

Alas, the bad news. To the chagrin of the miserable boat owner, after myriad experiments with all materials known to mankind, the little shelled devils still thrive.

Personally driven by the desire to become a mega-millionaire, I have been toying around with nefarious and improbable schemes to outsmart the little zebra mussel beasties that thrive here in the Great Lakes area.

For the last few years, I have been having moderate success controlling the mussels by schmearing Morey's Red waterproof grease deeply into one of the through hull outlets. On the alternate through hull outlet, I have been experimenting with the use of anhydrous lanolin. The mussels seem to have a problem anchoring themselves to the slick, greasy surface. They both seem to work but the Morey'e grease seems to cling better and last longer. In the short season in Maine, the length of service is probably a moot point.

When all else fails, a person can always fall back on a flexible drain auger with a variable speed hand crank.

BTW, if anyone should come across a superior recipe for Zebra Mussel Chow-dah, I would really appreciate it if you would furnish a copy.

Who wants to be a millionaire?
O J

[ronkberg]

OJ, I know someone will chime in and clear this critter problem but I wonder if they could be the same critters? I am moored in a river at the ocean's edge and is thus mostly salt water. You, on the other hand, hang out in saltless climes. Are the Zebras able to bother us in both types of water?

I like the idea of running a drill through the drains but it would be difficult to run down through the Typhoon cockpit hoses and then through the seacocks. I rather like the idea but will need your coaching as to what tool to buy that will run throught that route.

Thanks, Ron

[Bob B]

I use an electrician's wire tape. This is the stiff wire that is used to pull wires through walls and such. It is just flexible to make the turn on a typhoon.

[Joe Myerson]

Hey OJ:

I don't know about zebra mussels, but I tried using anhydrous lanolin on my prop one season, and the only thing that was less effective was the time that I forgot to put anything on the prop.

Perhaps the super-expensive, extremely slippery product called Prop Shield would work. At more than $60 for a 6-oz. container, it better.

At least the manufacturer would feel like he'd won the lottery.

--Joe

[Jim Buck]

Ron,

Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) are a freshwater problem. Not sure what the salinity of your water is but the lethal salt concentration for mussels is 10 to 15 parts per thousand (ppt). Above 10 ppt should kill Zebra mussels. The average ocean salinity is 35 ppt. Hope this helps.

Jim

[Steve Laume]

I have been using Desitin on my prop for a few years.

It always worked well on my kids bums when they were little an I was changing diapers. Using it on the prop was something that my surveyor recommended. There is lots of zinc in the stuff and it sticks pretty well. My boat had been in the water since July a year ago. I did scrub the prop off once this summer but it wasn't horribly bad at that time. When I hauled the other day it looked better than most.

I doubt any of the original Desitin was left at this point but for those that haul every year it seems to be as good as most things you can smear on your prop.

I have never tried it on seacocks but I might smear them up for next season. I always try to get in the water a few times a year to scrub the bottom near the waterline and at do the entire hull at least once.

O.J. if the Morey's is working pretty well you might want to try Desitin on one of your other seacocks.

It brings back fond memories while you are smearing the stuff on and is actually a bit more pleasent to put on the prop than my former use, Steve.

[ronkberg]

Folks, looks like I have started an interesting thread. To add more reading, I googled "barnacles" and read through a few interesting articles.

Here is one that interested me as it also concluded that the barnacle glue is curiously similar to blood clotting chemistry. And the scientific community knew that they could help us boaters once they fully understood the chemical process.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_ne ... 309466.stm

Yikes, my little Typhoon could become part of a petri dish experiment! If it gets slippery enough, it may solve Neil Gordon's challenge ref locking or unlocking his prop for better sailing efficiency.

If they solve my problem, I will relate the tale to the CDSOA.

Ron

PS, I leave my outboard prop unlocked when I tip it up such that it minimizes the wind drag..........tee hee!

[Mike Payne]

Ron,

I'm down on the Texas Gulf Coast, where we are just starting to experience the Zebra Mussel Invasion. In fact, it was finding the little guys during a haul-out of my boat in 2007 that has eventually led to the creation of my company that specializes in ridding marine systems of scale, rust, mineral deposits and calcium based problems like zebra mussels.

It is difficult to get any growth on the outside of the boat without a haul-out, but I have had good success with eliminating colonies inside drain lines, engine/component intake lines, etc., with the vessel afloat. I close the seacock, remove the uppermost end of the affected hose, drain out the remaining water as best I can, and fill the hose with Rydlyme Marine. Rydlyme Marine is a fully biodegradable descaling agent that dissolves crud and marine growth like zebra mussels while you watch. I let it cook for half an hour or so, maybe adding a little more Rydlyme Marine when the fizzing subsides. Once the second fizzing stops, I just open the seacock (re-connecting the hose first if applicable) and flush with fresh water. Works great.

If you are interested, I have a link on the 'about...' page of my website that will direct you to some good zebra mussel info published by Rydlyme.

Best of luck with the little buggers... Hope this helps.

Regards,

Mike

http://www.marine-descaling.com/APPLICATIONS.html

[Oswego John]

Mike,

That's great news. I just googled Rydlyme.

Good bye Morey's Red.

O J

[Jim Davis]

I use a plumbers brush to clean the inside. I've got a collection of 1/2, 3/4 and 1 inch. For 1 1/2 I use the 1 inch and work it around to get the entire surface.
Example http://www.hardwareandtools.com/invt/6845853

For hoses a mild muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid) bought at ACE Hardware. For stubborn critters I've used it straight from the jug. Close the seacock, drain the water and fill the hose. Rinse after the bubbling stops.

[Dick Villamil]

I have used a fresh coat of VC17 bottom paint - it seems that it not only has a high copper content but has a teflon base that prevents adhesion. It must be fresh - before launching swab inside the cockpit drains as well as any other hard surface when doing the bottom.

[M. R. Bober]

...
PS, I leave my outboard prop unlocked when I tip it up such that it minimizes the wind drag..........tee hee!

Ron,
I think you should consider locking that lock.
Mitchell Bober
Sunny Lancaster (where we may not lock our houses, but we always lock our props--unless we are John Vigor,) VA

[mgphl52]

...
PS, I leave my outboard prop unlocked when I tip it up such that it minimizes the wind drag..........tee hee!

Ron,
I think you should consider locking that lock.
Mitchell Bober
Sunny Lancaster (where we may not lock our houses, but we always lock our props--unless we are John Vigor,) VA

But... do have your foot loose too???

[GLutzow]

Try mixing several LARGE bottles of Hot Sauce in with the bottom paint. I find this, believe it or not, to be effective.