Plugged Scuppers

[Dave and Kathy]

Grayce Avery, our CD28, had very sluggish cockpit scuppers toward the end of summer. It was easy to get 1 - 2” of standing water in the cockpit after a washdown. I tried a flush on each scupper with the hose, but this seemed to pack it in worse. Certainly it did not help. The bend in the hose, first outboard and then downward, prevented the use of a tool to break things up. After a few failed attempts, I found this at our local Home Depot. It’s called a “Johnny Jolter” and made for plugged toilets.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/EgCA5FBaWkQXM5gb6


What’s nice is that the ‘business end’ is a close match to the scupper fitting.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2osxwrVmgpp116tc6

I took a suction stroke first, with sea cock closed, and emptied it into a bucket. Then I opened the seacock and took a suction stroke followed by an exhaust (down) stroke. Problem solved! Tool now has a permanent home onboard.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Dave:

I have used a metal clothes hangar with success. You want to bend the "business end" of the hangar back on itself and wrap with a little tape to prevent the "up and down" action on the hangar from poking hole(s) in the rubber scupper drain hoses.

A few "up and down" strokes with the hangar, a good flush with the hose, a few more "up and down" strokes, etc. and the hoses should be unclogged. The standard metal hangar is flexible enough to work through bends in the hose.

Admittedly, my area may have less leaves, etc. than your sailing area but it should still work.

[Nebe]

Use a plunger !

[Dave and Kathy]

Plunger did not work because the scupper is so close in the corner that you can't get a seal - tried that.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Metal clothes hangar

[Nebe]

Plunger did not work because the scupper is so close in the corner that you can't get a seal - tried that.

ok. how about a shop vac on blow...

[John Stone]

Was talking to a fellow sailor this afternoon who had a similar problem. He cleared it with a power washer inserted down the scupper. Interesting technique.

[Jim Davis]

I have found the easiest way to clear scuppers with the boat in the water is with a hand bilge pump and suck the stuff out rather than compacting it as coat hangers and plungers can do.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002IV8PSS/re ... 83676&sr=1

[csam57]

Probably the safest approach would be to blow pressurized water or air up through the thru-hull rather than down through the scupper. Not so easily done if the boat is in the water, of course.

[Dick Kobayashi]

I have found that the coat hanger routine is not that productive but along the same line a piece of electricians fish tape is perfect. It is stiff enough and bendy enough to do the job on land or sea. A short piece will do.

[jen1722terry]

We use one of the plastic drain cleaners on the boat and in both our homes. The look like a long, narrow sawfish
bill with little plastic barbs on it. Cost a few dollars at the home centers in. We even taped two together to clear the head sink drain and the fluid drain from our composting head.

Cheers!

Jenn and Terry

[Sea Hunt Video]

Metal clothes hangar As I said in a prior post just make sure you bend the "business end" of the hangar back on itself in sort of a circle and wrap with a little tape to prevent the "up and down" action on the hangar from poking hole(s) in the rubber scupper drain hoses.

It works very much like Dick K.'s electrician's fish tape but does not cost any money, assuming you have extra clothes hangars hanging around the house and the "business end" bent back on itself in a sort of circle acts as a small "pusher" to push the leaves, etc. out of the scupper hoses.