Looking for help with Typhoon

[oyster22]

All,

Starboard drain on my Typhoon is partially blocked. I don't know for how long it has had this problem. I tried forcing water down it w/ spray hose but this approach didn't unblock drain. I try probing upwards from drain opening on hull but this step didn't increase flow either. Any suggestions? I hesitate to remove hosing beneath deck since I imageine it's probably difficult to fit back on. It could be valve. Valves on both deck drains are stuck open. I've never had occasion to close them. W-2 doesn't do it.

Could anyone confirm there are no drains for bilge (i.e., the space below the lower deck but above the keel). (The boat acquired a slight amount recently from a rain-storm). I think the only way to remove water from there is with a hand-held pump.

Last, does anyone have advice on trailering a Typhoon? Is it ok to keep in on a dirt driveway which has a slight (say 8 degree angle)? Should I put plywood underneath?

Many thanks for any help with these questions.

[Oswego John]

Hi Oyster,

All,

Starboard drain on my Typhoon is partially blocked. I don't know for how long it has had this problem. I tried forcing water down it w/ spray hose but this approach didn't unblock drain. I try probing upwards from drain opening on hull but this step didn't increase flow either. Any suggestions?

[Ans:] Here are a few of my thoughts on your post. They are in no particular order or sequence.

Sounds to me that the cockpit drain has been slowly clogging up. If you didn't have any luck flushing it out from above, it might have the negative effect of packing the crud even tighter.. I did note that you did try to probe from below without any luck.

By the time you start out dragging sections of garden house from the house out to the boat, starting with 40 or 50 pounds of water pressure, you might be flushing with half that pressure due to hose friction.

You might have better results by blowing 75 to 100 pounds of compressed air through the drain from the bottom.

I hesitate to remove hosing beneath deck since I imageine it's probably difficult to fit back on. It could be valve. Valves on both deck drains are stuck open. I've never had occasion to close them. W-2 doesn't do it.

[Ans:]

Check out the drain hoses for any soft spots which may produce interior wall disintegration. Look for any kinks in the hoses. If there is the slightest doubt in your mind that the hoses are defective, put new house in ASAP. With those seacocks frozen open, any break in the hose could sink your boat.

Yes, it could be your valve(s) are partly open or partly clogged. You should be able to close those valves down.

I'm not a big fan of WD 40 for freeing up frozen metal. I've had better results using a penetrating oil like Liquid Wrench or PB Blaster.

Could anyone confirm there are no drains for bilge (i.e., the space below the lower deck but above the keel). (The boat acquired a slight amount recently from a rain-storm). I think the only way to remove water from there is with a hand-held pump.

[Ans:]
No one can confirm that there are no drains in your bilge but yourself. I personally feel that there shouldn't be a through hull fitting to drain your bilge. I think that most boatowners use a pump, whether manual or electric, to remove large volumes of bilge water. A hand-held pump will remove rainwater very well.

[Mike Wainfeld]

If the drains are not clogged too badly a toilet bowl plunger will work. Use a hand pump to pump out the bilge, and sop up the last bit with a sponge or towel.
Mike

[Paul D.]

Oyster,

I agree with the previous posts and definately recommend not draining the bilge with though hulls. A simple hand pump with a hose to the cockpit will drain it nicely. If you wish to get fancy or if you deal with a lot of rain water in the bilge frequently you could rig an electric bilge pump to a through hull under the transom but above the waterline. But I wouldn't. The Ty is a beautifully simple boat.

I had the same issue with my Typhoon with the clogged cockpit drains when my boat had a slip next to a tree at the marina I worked at. I ended up blasting it from below with a powerwasher and that did the trick. I also had used a coathanger to get in there but not too aggressively.

I loved my Typhoon and could only sell her to a good friend. Enjoy yours with the advice and caring from everyone on this board. When you sail a Typhoon, everyone watches you, whether they admit it or not. There is something about her lines. So think of yourself as sort of a public servant, or a Royal, with obligations to people with a fine eye to keep your Typhoon in good shape!

All the best,
Paul
CD33 Femme du Nord
Formerly of the Typhoon HORNET now Ami

[Dick Villamil]

I too had plugged cockpit drains when I bought Victoria. When on the hard I tried all processes to free the plugs from the drains but to no avail. There is a tight bend that the drain makes between the cockpit and hull and the leaves etc had been in that fitting for many years before I bought the Ty. I eventually removed hte through hulls and replaced the hose and valves. Just make sure that the drains run free every spring and fall. The plug was organic debris that eventually corroded the valves and rendered them inoperable. The leak that gets water into the bilge is probably coming from around the rudder post. Thoroughly caulk the wooden fitting to prevent water from going from the cockpt to the bilge. Pump out with a hand pump into a bucket.

[oyster22]

It's extremely nice of all of you to offer the thoughtful and helpful suggestions you have. After reading each of the posting I think at a minimum I will rent a power washer from Home Depot and try forcing water upwards from the drain opening on the hull; however, Dick Villamil's comments about eventually replacing the hoses and valves seem eerily prophetic and I may eventually find myself going down this avenue as well. I wil double-check the existing hoses for signs of weakness and try attacking the valves with Liquid Wrench or the Blaster. Also very much appreciate the thoughts on keeping the boat on a trailer over the winter....oyster22

[wingreen]

I have an electric bilge pump, but it still leaves a few inches of water in the bilge. So, I put a garden hose in the bilge, turn it on until it stops blowing bubbles through the line, turn it off, and then disconnect it from the spigot. At that point, as long as the end of the hose is at a lower level than the water in the bilge, the water in the hose will reverse its course and siphon the rest out.

I need to get a backup hand pump, but I also like siphoning out all the bilge out of the bilge from time to time.