[Public-List] Cockpit drain fittings--bigger could be better

[Glenn Brooks via Public-List]

Randy, first, there is very little chance you are going to get pooped.   the design has proven itself to be much more than an inland waters racer/weekender. True, one could rebuild the deck and eliminate the cockpit etc. however, the four Alberg  singlehanders who have circumnavigated haven't reported any difficulty clearing water from the cockpit, including two boats that were rolled- with the existing 1" drains.  If you look at other ocean voyaging boats of this class,  the usual drain fittings are only either 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" inches. So you would only gain max 30% more flow rate if you replaced the existing drains. Above that you would have to go to 2" drains- which is what my 63' ketch had. 

I didn't follow your initial post very clearly, but seem to remember something about  deck drains feeding down to a Wye?  Dolce only had this arrangement only for the cockpit lid drains - which I ripped out and glassed closed when the rubber tubing eventually rotted away.  The actual floor drains lead separately to individual thru hulls - one port, one starboard of the engine.

As a side note, I've had thee very experienced, senior, marine surveyors here in the PNW look specifically at the drains and cockpit/lazarettes over the years, and all three have said the existing drains are adequate for offshore work.  What people don't realize is that if you get pooped,  the water gets sloshed out over the sides on the next wave, not drained out the bottom.  The only comment two of the surveyors made was that the cockpit lids were inadequate. Skinny little sheet of plywood covered with teak strips is marginal.  I eventually replaced the lids with solid teak hatchs, reinforced with cross bars of teak on the bottom, and secured with two latches each hatch. The third, most recent surveyor thought that was overkill, but liked the setup.

Cheers,
Glenn

Sent from my iPad

> On Sep 13, 2015, at 9:24 AM, Randy Katz via Public-List <public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi, Michael,
> 
> Thanks for your note. Agreed--the A-30 design is a great one for us and our
> typical uses on inland or perhaps occasionally to more adventurous
> destinations. There are a couple of books about preparing one's boat for
> ocean sailing that are fun to read--very interesting, really--but the A-30
> is rock solid for all the uses we've made of it over the last dozen years
> or so.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Randy
> Simple Gifts #249
> Bellingham/Seattle
> 
> 
> 
> On Sun, Sep 13, 2015 at 6:23 AM, Michael Connolly <crufone at comcast.net>
> wrote:
> 
>> Randy,
>> Consider the design parameters for our boat. A racer/cruiser for the Great
>> Lakes Region. Yes several A-30's have circumnavigated, but not without some
>> major modifications.
>> A boat designed for strictly Blue Water voyages would have a modest
>> cockpit, (no need to entertain six friends in the cockpit while doing an
>> ocean crossing) a much higher bridge deck and a superior means of shedding
>> white water.
>> Carl designed a wonderful boat for us, but the scuppers and cockpit drains
>> are for rain water or an occasional water over the coaming episode.
>> Others have also pointed out that the lazarette hatch and cockpit locker
>> arrangements would never be on a Blue water boat.  If one is considering
>> going sailing where you would anticipate getting pooped on more than just
>> occasionally then some major design changes are in order.
>> My two cents,
>> Michael #133
>> 
>> ------------------------------
>> *From: *"Randy Katz via Public-List" <public-list at lists.alberg30.org>
>> *To: *"A-30 List" <public-list at lists.alberg30.org>,
>> public-list-request at lists.alberg30.org
>> *Sent: *Friday, September 11, 2015 6:36:05 PM
>> *Subject: *Re: [Public-List] Cockpit drain fittings--bigger could be
>> better
>> 
>> 
>> A thought--
>> 
>> The illustrations show pretty small Perko drain fittings. If one's
>> seriously concerned about having the cockpit flooded (by a big wave, say,
>> if you sail in such conditions), a much larger drain diameter, hose, and
>> thru hull would make the most sense.
>> 
>> The small size drains that most of us have (like what came with my boat)
>> are OK for draining rainwater, but if a large volume came in they'd take a
>> long, long time to shed the water. For ocean cruising, that could be
>> seriously problematic.
>> 
>> If you anticipate sailing in conditions where large amounts of water enter
>> the cockpit, you'd definitely want to have much bigger (therefore faster)
>> drains.
>> 
>> 
>> Regards,
>> 
>> Randy Katz
>> Simple Gifts #249
>> Bellingham/Seattle, WA
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