New Cockpit Scuppers

[gregcrawford]

Since I check the forum daily, and not much is happening lately, I thought I would throw something out there.
My old cockpit scupper screens were brittle plastic, and broken in several places. Now I know I sound like a broken record, but I love to use HDPE to make all kinds of things on the boat. After about four years now on the oldest parts, no UV degradation has been noted.
I took a piece of 1" thick HDPE material, originally a toilet partition panel, and bandsawed a rough circle. After turning on the lathe and milling three slots, two new screens were produced in about 20 minutes each. You can see below how they turned out. These were sort of slapdash machined, although they are within a few thousands of an inch of the original where they pushed into the fiberglass. Please excuse the nasty appearance of Blues Image. I spent her weekend time repacking and replacing a couple of trailer wheel bearings. Next item is cleaning, then off to the launch ramp.
I know several people have commented on the free flooding lazarette and mentioned blocking off the outside ports. I didn't like the flooding on my boat either when I first put her in the water, but as someone else on the forum aptly pointed out, this is critical to vent heavier than air gasoline fumes out of the boat, plus making a quickly draining path for water that may enter the boat when you round up in 25 MPH winds. Not that I've ever done that...dang, that was a lot of water!


The hole you see next to the screen was where a motor control cable used to be.

[astrorad]

My scupper screens were on the outer transom bottom holes. Is that where they are supposed to be?

[Reality]

my question is "what are they for?" I think "looks". Mine are on the outside so it looks like they are to keep something from entering the boat. My power boat scuppers have a flap to prevent water from entering which makes sense.

[Matt & Star]

The poor Mustang has been reduced to a dusty table!
Good Lord!!

[gregcrawford]

As far as what they are for, they do two things. First of all, they trim out the huge holes in the lazarette for draining any cockpit water. Secondly, they screen out items which you may have rolling about but don't want to go into the deep.

My boat also had trim rings on the exterior, which I replaced with powerboat exhaust type flappers made out of HDPE and roofing rubber. The original rings didn't have any screening; just a circular rim made out of now-brittle plastic. I think a previous owner may have installed them.

I kept imagining the several snakes which swim by swimming up into one of the openings since they were right at the water line. But, after someone pointed out the need to vent the gasoline fumes overboard, I trimmed the rubber back quite a bit.

The Mustang is on jack stands in the shop. A nagging 2000 RPM vibration in the 289 was finally fixed when we replaced the flexplate last week. We hope to have it back on the road within a week or two. It'll get washed and waxed as soon as it comes out of the shop!

[Reality]

related question: my C22 has an opening to allow the outboard fuel line to pass through to the area under the starboard seat. Gas tanks sits in a plastic tub under this seat opening. I don't like this arrangement as gas fumes can be inside the boat. The battery is in the compartment designed for the fuel tank. Thinking of changing this so gas tank is in the compartment designed for it with the scuppers coming out. If I do this where/how is best way to run fuel lines and electric line to alternator? Could I run these through the scupper?

[gregcrawford]

Yes, I would most definitely move the fuel tank and the battery. I have two 3 gallon plastic tanks in the lazarette.

My battery is under the forward dinette seat. It used to be under the cockpit, but I moved it forward to distribute the weight better. It works well there in its own battery box. I installed a plywood shelf there so it would set level.


You can see in the photo below Blues Image has a powerboat-type cable bellows mounted on the transom. The fuel line comes out of the lazarette, goes into the port side cockpit seat and exits the bellows. The power cables from the battery hit a home made junction block in the same area and exit the bellows, connecting to the Honda 9.9. The fitting next to the bellows is the bilge pump outlet.

This photo was taken at the Oriental Marina in Oriental, NC. " A Quaint Little Drinking Town With A Sailing Problem", as some of the locals say.

[Reality]

thanks for that photo. I have a "bellows" like that on the other side. Think I'll move the batter forward also. Very nice "doors" to cabin. If you get time please share some pictures of the doors.

[gregcrawford]

The previous owner, Jeff ----- from Ohio, did a great job building these doors. They were originally mahogany and ash. Unfortunately, last year the ash developed extensive wood rot, so I rebuilt the doors using new mahogany. The triangular panels are still the original.

Jeff rabbetted out the inside of the doors to receive the tinted plexiglas panels, and he also fabricated screen panels that can be easily swapped with the plexiglas.


The later picture was taken the other evening as the sun went down, so it's a little dark. That is the current appearance with a bracket for the chart plotter and the VHF speaker installed on the left side.

The doors are SO much easier to get in and out of than the hatch boards. The doors are also on two part hinges, so they are easy to remove. The triangular sections are attached to the aluminum hatch board channels with stainless hex head screws on the inside.

Again, bragging on the properties of the HDPE, that is what the grab rail/hatch handle in the picture is made of.

[astrorad]

Good info Greg and nice looking boat too.