Cockpit drainhole plugs?

[hinmo]

Yet to launch, but I figure with my 250# girth, I'm going to take in water thru the scuppers.
Does anyone plug there drainholes, and with what? (yes, I know that could be dangerous)

cork, rubber stoppers from Home Depot?

[deisher6]

Hey Hinmo:
I have a similar displacement: I installed new flappers (made sure that the tubes that run from the cockpit to the transom were not leaking to the interior) then most importantly put a 3/4 in deck.  With the deck we didn't notice the water in the cockpit, and sealing up the scuppers stopped the water from getting inside.
regards charlie
former 16'er

[dontpanic]

Hi: I did the belt and suspenders thing.  I bought 1 1/4 inch drain plugs for the cockpit from Outdoor World.  I got the cockpit plugs in case there is too much weight in the cockpit.

I also bought 1" drain plugs for the transom drain.  I think these are the most important since if the piping between the cockpit and the transom is damaged in some way, the boat could easily sink.

The drain plugs I bought have a brass lever that allows to plug to be adjusted to fit and seals when the lever is moved.

I imagine that appropriate sized rubber plugs would likely work fairly well too.

Don't Panic

[NateD]

I don't have a picture, but I used rubber stoppers that had an eye bolt through them (I can't remember if I bought them like that, or had to add the bolt). I then tied a short piece of line between the two stoppers. My thinking was, if we ever got a bunch of water in the cockpit, I could easily reach down and jerk the line, which would pull both the plugs.

[hinmo]

Diesher - 3/4 inch deck? I don't understand that at all. (I have flappers on the transom already).

[nies]

After years of corks,stoppers,bath tub rubber stopers and drain plugs decided to cut PVC drain pipe and insert PVC shut off in line from hardware store............works great,just have to be careful when installing to measurer very carefully because you will need a PVC sleeve to put it back together as you are in the middle of the line , be sure to dry fit as you very little time with the glue( two seconds and a twist),the sleeves have a center ridge that has to be ground out because it has to slide past to fit in the line then FAST glued when pulled back to cover joint ...........nies

[deisher6]

Hey hinmo:
I had flappers too, they were just old.  The pipes between the  cockpit and the transom were also leaking in our old boat (actually on our C27 also) and needed re sealing.  The deck I made out of some teak.  I think that you can buy them from Hutchins, but home made is much less expensive.  It covers the cockpit floor.  Occasionally water would come in through the scuppers but it was not noticeable as it never rose above the deck. I think it really improves the appearance of the boat and keeps the cockpit looking cleaner.
regards charlie

[nies]

In Aug 2009 Steve Ullrich provided me with the plans for a cockpit grate he had made and posted pitures of ,  in the topic re- dim. cockpit grate he provided the actual plans and can be found on this site...............I made one and it turned great and a lot cheaper than the one I had purchased from Hutchins which had become hard to maintain over the years, if you want a winter project this is ideal.....nies

[capt_nemo]

Another option are various types of stoppers designed for use in kayaks, especially ocean kayaks and others with holes to the water.

Got tired of a little water coming up into the cockpit from the centerboard line pipe and made a cockpit grate for my Sun Cat. Works like a charm and am no longer bothered by a little water on the cockpit sole.

A few thoughts to share.

THE COCKPIT GRATE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE MADE OF TEAK. (Made mine out of good marine ply left over from building a small sailboat.)

THE COCKPIT GRATE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE MADE OF INTERLOCKING STRIPS TO BE EFFECTIVE. (Mine was made of 3 1/2" boards fore and aft 1/4" space between, raised and supported with cross members underneath. Two outside long board edges shaped to fit cockpit.)

USE A GOOD QUALITY POLYURETHANE PAINT TO SEAL UP WHATEVER WOOD IS USED.

ELEVATE THE GRATE OFF THE COCKPIT SOLE TO ALLOW FOR DRAINAGE.

DO NOT ALLOW THE PAINTED WOOD TO REMAIN IN CONTACT WITH WATER. (I used rubber door stoppers under the supporting cross members - underside still looks great after several years.)

capt_nemo

[Cevin c Taylor]

I made some plugs out of corks.  I can't remember the size of the holes, but the cork fit into it and it was hard to get out, so I got two SS fender washers, drilled a hole through the cork, and then used a SS bolt and the washers to compress the cork a bit and make it bulge in the center so it jammed in the hole, but not too far.  I put some polypropylene straps in a loop on the heads of the bolt to make it easy to pull the plugs out.  They work great.

[dontpanic]

Not to be repetitive, but I suggest you have drain plugs for the transom drains as well as the cockpit drains.  If the piping between the cockpit drains and the transom drains is damaged
(due to shifting of items stored in the lazarette or similar) water will enter the hull regardless of any plugs in the cockpit drains.  As far as I know the boat could sink under such a condition.

At least on my boat the transom drains are a different size than the cockpit drains.  I think they are 1" and ready made expandable plugs are available at any marine supply, even Wal-Mart.

[hinmo]

I presume, the boat is designed for the stock scuppers to be above the water line when on the mooring and no-one aboard. I would just plug it when I loaded my girth, passenger(s) and cooler.

I really dont think I have the ambition to build a raised cockpit.

Hope this new (to me) boat isn't saturated...can the the concrete keel get soggy? PO sold it kinda cheap, I have some doubts

[MKBLK]

hinmo - As can be found in the "log of Pegasus", I found the scupper plugs indispensable. I "cleverly"   used the scupper pipes to support a panel containing a bilge pump, battery cutoff switch, trolling motor receptacle and voltmeter. I didn't factor in the rough ride this area gets when the boat is being towed. Wound up having one of the scupper tubes breaking loose from the cockpit floor. Not a good thing to happen! The water then enters the cabin via the broken scupper.   A Compac's cabin full of water doesn't float very well! Fortunately, the pump did its job and inserting the scupper plug (2 bucks) keeps the water where it belongs... outside!   I've since modified the panel by putting legs on it so it no longer rests on the scupper tubes.

Marty K.

P.S. I made a grate for my cockpit floor in my wife's living room (ssshh). Used some recycled 1x3's and lots of urethane. Came out real nice. Feels good under foot and don't even notice any water that may enter the cockpit. An additional benefit was the ability to raise the grate to the seating level and have a smooth deck to support an air mattress.

[MHardy]

NIES,

Can you please provide the URL for the website that has the plans for the grate? I would love to build one for my 16.

[nies]

hit Search...........type in  re:dim.cockpit grate..................Steve Ullrich post will give you a drawing.............nies