Cockpit Drainage

[crazycarl]

After a rain or washing there is always water on the cockpit seats against the companionway bulkhead. This has me thinking about how she is sitting in the water. Examining the boat, the cockpit lockers are empty. The 3 gallon fuel tank is in the "lazarrete" and full. The 5hp 25" shaft outboard is on the transom. There is a permanently mounted 10 gallon water tank under the cockpit sole just aft of the bilge with 5 gallons of water in it. There are 2-200ah lithium batteries and a charge controller under the v-birth just forward of the compression post. The locker fore of that is empty. The bow is carrying a 11lb anchor with 20' of chain and 150' of 3/8" rode in the locker. I need to experiment to see how much weight I need in the cockpit lockers to make the water drain off the seats.

I guess I should ask, does anyone else's 19 hold water on the seats?

[slode]

I would assume it's the batteries.  The single battery in my Eclipse sits in the port cockpit locker.  With maybe 40-50lbs of gear in the v-birth storage she sits about as perfectly flat on her waterline as possible and the cockpit drains out the open transom.  I've been on a couple 19's and they seem to have about the same layout and weight distribution so I would expect the hundred+ pounds of batteries that far forward is the culprit.  And you're probably fine with lithium charging inside the cabin, but I still prefer to keep batteries that are charging away from where I'm sleeping.

[crazycarl]

The batteries are lithium and only weigh 44lbs total. The water drains from the cockpit sole, but sits on the seats on either side of the companionway.

Yesterday when coming in from kayaking I noticed the bottom paint at the stern was about 2" higher than the bow. I had it fully loaded for the 2 week sail in the north channel when I marked it. About time I change it. Don't think I'll be taking any long trips again.