Questions about Deck Drains

[Ekea]

i plan to replace my deck drain hoses this off season. while doing the job, i want to remove the deck drain fittings (plastic) and replace them with the updated stainless fittings.

im wondering how hard it is to remove the plastic fittings. id hate to break them off and not be able to get the flange part off the deck.

im also wondering how hard it is to remove the through-hull fittings (brass) without messing up the fiberglass. id like to re-bed them

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

Are they already brittle/damaged by sunlight?
I was thinking about the same but thought that painting them with the correct paint for plastic may protect them longer from the UV rays.
Chris

 

[igblack87]

I asked the same question to my marina. My deck drains are the old circa 2006 plastic pieces with the bar that runs across (all of the plastic bars are broken). The deck drain hoses are fine - not splintering or dry rotted BUT my twin 5 year old's love shoving sh*t down them.

Long story short...the marina advised its roughly a half day+ of work for them to replace the 4 drains @ $215 per hour labor + materials...

In my mind, i'd spend that labor rate on different projects and monitor the drains/hoses.

 

[Ekea]

Are they already brittle/damaged by sunlight?
I was thinking about the same but thought that painting them with the correct paint for plastic may protect them longer from the UV rays.
Chris

im assuming yes. the boat was in florida before i bought it and most of the boat is pretty beat up by the sun

 

[Ekea]

I asked the same question to my marina. My deck drains are the old circa 2006 plastic pieces with the bar that runs across (all of the plastic bars are broken). The deck drain hoses are fine - not splintering or dry rotted BUT my twin 5 year old's love shoving sh*t down them.

Long story short...the marina advised its roughly a half day+ of work for them to replace the 4 drains @ $215 per hour labor + materials...

In my mind, i'd spend that labor rate on different projects and monitor the drains/hoses.

im going to do the job my self

 

[glacierbaze]

Plastic deck drains you can monitor, plastic through hulls need to be replaced. The old ones often break off in your hands when you try to replace them.

 

[Ekea]

Plastic deck drains you can monitor, plastic through hulls need to be replaced. The old ones often break off in your hands when you try to replace them.

through hulls arent plastic.

im only crawling under the deck one time to do the job. every plastic part will be replaced and brass will be re-bedded

 

[DennisG01]

Plastic deck drains you can monitor, plastic through hulls need to be replaced. The old ones often break off in your hands when you try to replace them.

With one caveat... if the barb of the deck drain breaks and completely falls off, it's possible to allow the entire ocean into the boat

 

[DennisG01]

Other than the access to replace the thru-hulls, etc... which of course is MORE than half the battle...

-- Some heat can help soften old caulk
-- Sometimes you can get fishing line between the thru-hull head and boat to help break the caulk free
-- A sawzall makes short work of the old hose
-- Heat can help soften the old hose to pull it off the barb
-- A friend to help hold one side. TIP: The friend holds the nut on the inside while you are on the outside
-- Grab the friend with the skinny, extra long arms
-- Don't be afraid to cut an access hole - it's WELL worth the $20 for an access plate. Bigger the better (within reason, of course)

 

[SkunkBoat]

99% chance you will never get the bronze thru hull out without destroying it. 100% you will destroy the old hose.
Very good chance(depending on boat model) you need to cut something to access the thru hull end of hoses

If you are going to do it, plan on a "project".

see https://www.greatgrady.com/threads/deck-drain-scupper-surprise.28979/

 

[Ekea]

99% chance you will never get the bronze thru hull out without destroying it.

so, there is no way to re-bed it?i guess i could get the nut off the inside and try to run a bead right where the fitting foes through the glass, then put the nut on, but id obviously rather get it between the flange and outside of the hull.

 

[Ekea]

-- Grab the friend with the skinny, extra long arms

at 6' and 160 lbs, im that friend, haha

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

so, there is no way to re-bed it?i guess i could get the nut off the inside and try to run a bead right where the fitting foes through the glass, then put the nut on, but id obviously rather get it between the flange and outside of the hull.

Difficult to do and with a unknown result, removing and throughly cleaning the thru hull is mandatory for a well done work
It depends on how much sealant GW used and how much oozed inside and glued the nut to the thruhull.
If you are luck you can do it rather "easy", if you are unlucky then it become a total PITA.
Better than mono fishing line is braided fishing line, particular the 4 carrier as it's rougher than a 8 carrier braid and has better saw action.
As already mentioned by others, stubborn sealant can be softened with heat, enough to make it soft but obviously not too much to damage the fiberglass and gelcoat. Use a heat gun with variable heat and blow force and use it at low settings and if inside hose is off then make a funnel so that hot air flows only inside the thru hull and not on the fiberglass.

Chris

 

[SkunkBoat]

Good luck getting a thru hull nut off of a 2000 boat

 

[Ekea]

so, should i just leave it alone? just do the hose and deck fitting? (and hose obviously)

 

[SkunkBoat]

I don’t know what kind of access you have on your model of boat. On mine, I am 6 feet tall and I could barely reach the nuts with a wrench hanging upside down through the hole for the batteries I had to cut the battery shelf out of the way. it was extremely difficult just to tighten the brand new nuts on the brand new SS thru hulls As you can see in my post, my bronze through holes needed to be replaced. If yours look good and you don’t see any signs of leakage on the inside then I would just try to replace the hose and the deck drains. The thru hulls had been sealed very well with what looked like 5200. They are held in place with the adhesive sealant. I would say the nut is really just to hold it in place while that cures . the inside fiberglass of the transom is not smooth. If you crank really hard down on the nut, it actually tilts the fitting. Putting the new hose on my thru hulls was painful.
I think if you have those old hoses with the wire running through them, you should change them. They are ticking time bomb. I think once you do the hoses you’re never gonna wanna have to mess with that again so you need to be really sure you don’t wanna replace those thru hulls now

 

[Fishtales]

The plastic drains on the floor of the cockpit are two piece. You'll likely need backside access; usually there through a deck hatch but may need to remove to gain the access. A pair of channel locks under the deck and find a way to hold the topside piece in place. They screw apart. The drains are the least of the problem as some have noted. The primary concern is the hoses. They breakdown over the years and can literally crumble in your hands when very old. Look at the scuppers and you'll see there are inches or less of distance between the thru hulls (plastic on early boats, most now are chrome over bronze) and the waterline. The next concern is access. To get to the thru hole side on some boat models is impossible. Some may have access to one set others both. Do a thorough inspection and see what you are up against.

Ideally, you'll want new two piece chrome top, plastic/phenolic body bottoms, 2 of the best hoses you can find (GW uses marine grade with wire inside the rubber to hold the shape), and (4) SS marine clamps to hold them in place.

I've got all the parts less the hoses ready to go, but access on the Marlin is very difficult at best. Maybe I can get to them if I cut a 8" minimum hole in the sides of the euro transom and am able to reach them. Then I'd used an 8" Beckson screw plate (which I have as well). I was thinking of installing an insert in the removed end from the thru hull and pull a new hose through. Don't know if this is possible or not. I talked to my dealer and they said they let a glass guy do it. They actually cut a hole in the hull and do it from the outside of the boat... You'd think this would have been better thought out in design. I believe the hoses are installed and the thru hull side is clamped prior to the hull and liner being joined, then they do the ones in the cockpit. or do it while lowering them together. Unforutnately this isn't an option for us!

So, I've got the parts but have not worked up the nads to do it yet. Something will have to give as the hoses are not going to last forever.

 

[Fishtales]

If you do it, please document well and share here!

 

[Mindskew]

i plan to replace my deck drain hoses this off season. while doing the job, i want to remove the deck drain fittings (plastic) and replace them with the updated stainless fittings.

im wondering how hard it is to remove the plastic fittings. id hate to break them off and not be able to get the flange part off the deck.

im also wondering how hard it is to remove the through-hull fittings (brass) without messing up the fiberglass. id like to re-bed them

I just did mine in my 282 sailfish. Getting the plastic deck drain out was simple. I used a round dremel saw which is a 1/2 “ diameter and cut through the wall of the drain just below the lip of the drain from the top. Once the lip is separated from the elbow below, easy to get both out. The most time I spent was removing the old caulk from the deck so it would give a clean seal for the new drain. On the sailfish, I did cut an access hole on the swim platform to gain access to the drains on that side. The whole job was about the 4 hours as quoted.

 

[Ekea]

thanks guys for the tips. i think i should have good access to the port side as i have the "pull out bin" on that side. for the starboard, i plan to remove the batteries, go down on the port side, crawl across where the batteries were and hopefully get the access i need.

i will definitely report back and let everyone know how many 4 letter words it took. it will probably be a january or february project