E35-2 draining cockpit in winter

[steven]

Wintering in the water this year.
I close the scuppers and fill pipes with anti-freeze so as not to worry about frozen pipe splitting.

There are two separated by a thwart on the E35-2 - and with the drains close they both fill with water.

In days past, I tarped the whole cockpit area but it is a pain to do this and actually doesn't work that well.
Current approach is to put auto (float switch activated) bilge pumps in the cockpits.

However, this requires 1 for each cockpit.
Would rather only use a single pump.
I have though about drilling limbar holes though the bottom of the thwart to connect the cockpits, so that one drains to the other.

Anybody try this or have any thoughts ?

thanks

--Steve

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Wintering in the water this year.
I close the scuppers and fill pipes with anti-freeze so as not to worry about frozen pipe splitting.

There are two separated by a thwart on the E35-2 - and with the drains close they both fill with water.

In days past, I tarped the whole cockpit area but it is a pain to do this and actually doesn't work that well.
Current approach is to put auto (float switch activated) bilge pumps in the cockpits.

However, this requires 1 for each cockpit.
Would rather only use a single pump.
I have though about drilling limbar holes though the bottom of the thwart to connect the cockpits, so that one drains to the other.

Anybody try this or have any thoughts ?

thanks

--Steve

Hi Steve,
I had to look up images of the 35-2 to see what you were describing. Our mk III cockpit is all one cavity. Unless the thwart is solid, it looks like you'd need to glue a tube inside to join the two holes. What you're describing should work if there's nothing in the way. Personally, I'd use two pumps to avoid that project.

Jeff

 

[Christian Williams]

I can say what not to do. In Annapolis, on my 25-footer, i closed the cockpit drains. It rained, The cockpit filled to the bridge deck and then froze solid. The next rains, because the cockpit was a block of ice, overflowed into the cabin, such that the entire bilge became frozen solid.

I decided to chip all that out with an ice pick. In an hour I had enough ice for the cocktail shaker.

It was spring before the bilge thawed out. So, don't do it my way,

 

[bsangs]

Wintering in the water this year.
I close the scuppers and fill pipes with anti-freeze so as not to worry about frozen pipe splitting.

There are two separated by a thwart on the E35-2 - and with the drains close they both fill with water.

In days past, I tarped the whole cockpit area but it is a pain to do this and actually doesn't work that well.
Current approach is to put auto (float switch activated) bilge pumps in the cockpits.

However, this requires 1 for each cockpit.
Would rather only use a single pump.
I have though about drilling limbar holes though the bottom of the thwart to connect the cockpits, so that one drains to the other.

Anybody try this or have any thoughts ?

thanks

--Steve

Steve, being unfamiliar with the 35-2, do all the cockpit scuppers drain below the waterline? On the 35-3, two drain below the waterline and two drain above. I close the below waterline seacock and fill those hoses with non-toxic antifreeze. The two above waterline scuppers also get some antifreeze added for any water that settles into them, but they are left to run free during the winter.

 

[gareth harris]

I have though about drilling limbar holes though the bottom of the thwart to connect the cockpits, so that one drains to the other.



--Steve

Jeff is correct in his speculation that you would have to glass a tube across the section of deck under the traveller track in order to drain one cockpit section into the other. I cannot see that being worthwhile.

Both drains go to through-hulls below the waterline so the water within them always has some salt content. The light frosts that happen in Pensacola were never severe enough to cause me a problem, but I cannot advise you on what to do in a properly cold climate.

Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972

 

[steven]

there really does not seem to be a good solution - other than tenting the cockpit (which I have tried - works sort of) or put float switched pumps in the cockpits (my current approach).

I keep an electric heater running a the dock in the winter, which keeps the cabin above freezing in most of the weather around here (Annapolis).
But can't rely on that because a if there is a power loss it would happen at the worst possible time (Murphy's Law).

I've looked at re-plumbing the thru hulls out the back, or under the overhang above the water line. Measurements look like there is just barely enough fall to gravity drain (if ridged pipe is used so no sag; also would probably put in a seacock and maybe a checkvalve to be careful).

--Steve

 

[gareth harris]

I've looked at re-plumbing the thru hulls out the back, or under the overhang above the water line. Measurements look like there is just barely enough fall to gravity drain (if ridged pipe is used so no sag; also would probably put in a seacock and maybe a checkvalve to be careful).

--Steve

I had to start a rebuild of Freyja after Hurricane Ivan, in which I planned to drill new holes through the hull under the aft cockpit and have tubes installed for drains directly downwards. The original set up, with the long hoses to the through-hulls that drain the main cockpit well, was not designed to handle being swamped by a wave. As I recall from my measurements, the tubes would empty just about at the water line so there would not be much standing in them, but would be sufficiently submerged when heeled to suck out any water. When my rebuild gets going again I intend to continue with that plan.

Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972