Crossing cockpit drain hoses

[Bill Jarrell]

Finally got up enough nerve to replace my gate valves. While I was shopping the guy that was helping me recommended to cross my hoses to the seacock, i.e. left cockpit drain to right seacock. He said that it would help to keep any water from entering the cockpit when the boat was heeling. On the surface it sounds like a good idea............what does this agust body think?

Thanks.....Bill



billjarr@mint.net

[Brian]

If you are heeled to port, and the port drain is hosed to the starboard side, and you get water in the cockpit, won't the water have to travel uphill? Assuming that you are heeled too much to amke the starboard drain effective, and also heeled enough so that the port drain connected to the starboard thru hull is higher than the level of water in the cockpit.

[Mark Yashinsky]

Believe the idea is, when helled, the low scupper would go to the thruhull that is above the waterline and the higher scupper would go straight down to the thru lower thruhull. Would prevent water from backing up, one thruhull is above water (lower scupper) and the other thruhull, under water, the water would have to back up a long distance to come into the cockpit. Theory. What angle do you have to heael to get the thruhull out of the water??? Use a straight edge and figure the angle connecting a thruhull to the opposite thruhull. Exceeding this angle, would allow water to enter the cockpit, so at this point, the thruhull has to be above the waterline. Is it??? Also at htis point, water will NOT drain from the cockpit (uphill). What if you get pooped??? Relate these angles to the angle you hell when sail. Does it fix your problem??? Depends on the boat you have.

[john]

Finally got up enough nerve to replace my gate valves. While I was shopping the guy that was helping me recommended to cross my hoses to the seacock, i.e. left cockpit drain to right seacock. He said that it would help to keep any water from entering the cockpit when the boat was heeling. On the surface it sounds like a good idea............what does this agust body think?

Thanks.....Bill

It works. If for some reason you did get "pooped"-unlikely but if you did I would assume you would be running w/ the waves in which case the water would drain quite nicely as you roll through 15-20 degrees. As far as water coming in the cockpit while you are heeled the water will either drain 1: when the boat rounds up(decreasing heel) as it gets over powered.

2. When you change tacks.

More importantly while you entertain during cocktail hour everyone's feet will be dry.



john@yahoo.com

[Larry DeMers]

Seems the answer to your question is related to the boat you sail, your normal crew/gear weight, and what kind of sailing you do. That is too many variables for a simple answer in most cases, but my own opinion is no..you do not want to do this.
Seems to me that the greatest danger that you face from water boarding the boat is when sailing; either downwind or on the wind. The crossed drain hoses will not effect a following sea from draining as long as your drain hose is not horizontal to the horizon. But when on the wind, the water then would have no place to go at all (assuming a few inches of water in the cockpit), until you get off your heel so that the scuppers can work. That seems unsafe to me. What do you do in a T.Storm? Cry Uncle? heh..nope, you plow on, trying to reach a safe harbor or marina. With the crossed drain hoses, I can see a case where the cockpit could be half full of water and the drains would not be handling a drop. So what..you are going to round up and let them drain? Nah, I doubt it. In T.Storms, the wind and rain/hail/frogs etc. seem to raise the noise level and the tension levels a bit, making for faster decisions and cascading problems sometimes. You don't want that cockpit not draining -by design!

Now what are you trying to cure? Water coming aboard thru the scuppers. This happens when? Well, I imagine when the cockpit is overloaded or the stern squats under a lot of power..right? This seems to tell you the solution right there. Don't overload the cockpit..space people out on the rail while sailing, or your boat will be struggling anyway..and this remedy will cure the wet cockpit problem too.

Now if all you do is trailer sail or stay put in the marina vs. coastal cruising or blue water cruising, then you have a better case for crossing the cockpit drain hoses, but it's still a poor idea. It just won't be apparent in your use of the boat.

Cheers!

Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30

Finally got up enough nerve to replace my gate valves. While I was shopping the guy that was helping me recommended to cross my hoses to the seacock, i.e. left cockpit drain to right seacock. He said that it would help to keep any water from entering the cockpit when the boat was heeling. On the surface it sounds like a good idea............what does this agust body think?

Thanks.....Bill

demers@sgi.com

[Allen Evans]

Bill,
You don't mention which boat you have and whether you've actually had problems with the water backing up in the cockpit drains. If you haven't, then don't mess with it. We've had our CD 36 with the sidedecks awash and no water has come into the cockpit through the drains. Furthermore, the path across in the engine room runs into interferences with the back of the engine, transmission, and exhaust system.
- Allen

Finally got up enough nerve to replace my gate valves. While I was shopping the guy that was helping me recommended to cross my hoses to the seacock, i.e. left cockpit drain to right seacock. He said that it would help to keep any water from entering the cockpit when the boat was heeling. On the surface it sounds like a good idea............what does this agust body think?

Thanks.....Bill

adevans@att.net

[john]

Bill,
You don't mention which boat you have and whether you've actually had problems with the water backing up in the cockpit drains. If you haven't, then don't mess with it. We've had our CD 36 with the sidedecks awash and no water has come into the cockpit through the drains. Furthermore, the path across in the engine room runs into interferences with the back of the engine, transmission, and exhaust system.
- Allen

Crossing hoses is only being suggested/recommend for CD25 or smaller. There shouldn't be a need on a larger boat. And I wouldn't do it on any boat w/ an inboard(read CD25D)for the reason you mention above.

Finally got up enough nerve to replace my gate valves. While I was shopping the guy that was helping me recommended to cross my hoses to the seacock, i.e. left cockpit drain to right seacock. He said that it would help to keep any water from entering the cockpit when the boat was heeling. On the surface it sounds like a good idea............what does this agust body think?

Thanks.....Bill

john@yahoo.com

[Ken Coit]

All the discussion so far sounds like reasons to have an alternative means to drain the cockpit, crossed hoses or not. If they are not crossed, you get your feet wet. If the seacocks are closed, your feet are dry until it rains or you get pooped. If there is an alternative drain out the transom and above the waterline from the same scuppers, then the cockpit can drain with the seacocks closed, the water coming in when heeled with the seacocks open will drain out the transom before reaching the cockpit, and you can close those seacocks when the boat is at rest, eliminating two opportunities for sinking while you are not on board.

This all depends on the boat of course, so take careful measurements if you pursue this tack.

Ken
S/V Parfait
Raleigh, NC

Finally got up enough nerve to replace my gate valves. While I was shopping the guy that was helping me recommended to cross my hoses to the seacock, i.e. left cockpit drain to right seacock. He said that it would help to keep any water from entering the cockpit when the boat was heeling. On the surface it sounds like a good idea............what does this agust body think?

Thanks.....Bill

parfait@nc.rr.com

[Bill Jarrell]

Gosh.....what good input. To clarify, I have a '76 CD25, with a 2 cycle 8hp Mariner outboard (8 or maybe 8-1/2) which is pretty heavy. Although I really haven't had any trouble with water entering the cockpit while sailing, even while heeled, the idea is intriguing since I have to replace the hoses anyway. Thanks for all your input. What a great site.

Bill

Bill,
You don't mention which boat you have and whether you've actually had problems with the water backing up in the cockpit drains. If you haven't, then don't mess with it. We've had our CD 36 with the sidedecks awash and no water has come into the cockpit through the drains. Furthermore, the path across in the engine room runs into interferences with the back of the engine, transmission, and exhaust system.
- Allen

Crossing hoses is only being suggested/recommend for CD25 or smaller. There shouldn't be a need on a larger boat. And I wouldn't do it on any boat w/ an inboard(read CD25D)for the reason you mention above.

Finally got up enough nerve to replace my gate valves. While I was shopping the guy that was helping me recommended to cross my hoses to the seacock, i.e. left cockpit drain to right seacock. He said that it would help to keep any water from entering the cockpit when the boat was heeling. On the surface it sounds like a good idea............what does this agust body think?

Thanks.....Bill

billjarr@mint.net

[Catherine Monaghan]

Bill,

If your boat's anything like mine, the hoses for the cockpit drains travel through the stern locker. On Realization they are at either side of the locker. If I were to cross the hoses, I'd lose valuable storage space in there. Also, the cockpit drains on our CD32 are well above the waterline. There's never any water in them except when it rains. I think it depends on which model boat you have and the position of the thru-hulls and hoses.

catherine_monaghan@merck.com
CD32 <a href="http://www.hometown.aol.com/bcomet/real ... ization</a>, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

Finally got up enough nerve to replace my gate valves. While I was shopping the guy that was helping me recommended to cross my hoses to the seacock, i.e. left cockpit drain to right seacock. He said that it would help to keep any water from entering the cockpit when the boat was heeling. On the surface it sounds like a good idea............what does this agust body think?

Thanks.....Bill

catherine_monaghan@merck.com

[Don Sargeant]

Bill,
I was surprised, when I got my 25D, that the hoses were NOT crossed. My feet were always wet in my folkboat, when heeled, even with floorboards. I crossed the hoses and the problem went away. If the geometry is right -read lowdown drainage - the lower scupper will still drain when heeled.

Don Sargeant
~~COQUINA~~

Finally got up enough nerve to replace my gate valves. While I was shopping the guy that was helping me recommended to cross my hoses to the seacock, i.e. left cockpit drain to right seacock. He said that it would help to keep any water from entering the cockpit when the boat was heeling. On the surface it sounds like a good idea............what does this agust body think?

Thanks.....Bill

[billjarrell]

Finally got up enough nerve to replace my gate valves. While I was shopping the guy that was helping me recommended to cross my hoses to the seacock, i.e. left cockpit drain to right seacock. He said that it would help to keep any water from entering the cockpit when the boat was heeling. On the surface it sounds like a good idea............what does this agust body think?

Thanks.....Bill

I posted this in the wrong spot........Maybe you didn't see it,
thanks for all your help.

"Gosh.....what good input. To clarify, I have a '76 CD25, with a 2 cycle 8hp Mariner outboard (8 or maybe 8-1/2) which is pretty heavy. Although I really haven't had any trouble with water entering the cockpit while sailing, even while heeled, the idea is intriguing since I have to replace the hoses anyway. Thanks for all your input. What a great site."



billjarr@mint.net