Scuppers Below the Waterline and No Water in Bilge

[Mankin123]

Hi All,

Looking for some thoughts. I have a 99 Grady-White Tournament 192. The scuppers are now below the waterline. I check the bilge frequently and there is minimal to no water in the bilge. I do not have an excessive amount of gear in the boat. The boat has been in a slip for three years. Could there be water elsewhere in the boat? Any thoughts on how to fix this is much appreciated.

I plugged the scupper holes.

Thanks,

 

[DennisG01]

First, I would unplug those scuppers immediately - especially since it's in a slip. Where will rain go?

Get two or three people to stand on/at the transom and observe for the bilge for a minute - does water start to show up? Have you done any mods like adding an engine bracket?

How does the transom cap look? Have you checked the transom for moisture/water logged?

 

[Halfhitch]

When you wrote "The scuppers are now below waterline" , does that mean that earlier in your ownership they were not underwater, or have you just bought the boat and find that that is the way it rests? Of course when the boat was originally rigged with an approved engine the scuppers would not have been submerged but a repower can sure change that. A short boat reacts very noticeably to added weight on the transom. Beyond that weight can accumulate as stringers and transom become waterlogged due to any number of points of water ingress.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Hi All,

. The boat has been in a slip for three years.

Do you mean continuously in the water for 3 years?

Can you elaborate on the details? How long you have had it? When did you notice the problem?
Bottom paint waterline...underwater evenly...at stern..at bow?
Water comes into boat?
Floating dock? Strong current?

 

[VeroWing]

Water can collect in other areas other than the stern bilge area. Pop up some of your inspection caps and look down in fuel tank compartment as well as any other areas you can check below decks. Most Gradys, although I'm not certain about your model, have drain tubes from forward bilge area & tank compartment leading to stern bilge area. Make sure those tubes are clear. Also, forward storage compartment lockers sometimes have drain tubes with lines off to sides that can leak water down below. Check those out as well.

 

[Fishtales]

i'd be afraid of a drain hose break. if that happens you get water in the bilge. your probably ok now because the deck is higher than the water.
those hoses have been known to rot and then leak. I suggest you inspect. you could have scuppers with balls installed (basically a check valve - water goes one way only)

 

[Capt Bill]

What Fishtales said is right on the money. My previous Grady was a 1993 Sailfish 282, which I sold in 2005, if I remember correctly. Some years before I sold her, I was doing my annual inspection, and reached down through the narrow space there was to access those scupper hoses.
When I squeezed the scupper hose on the stbd side, literally crushed to pieces in my hand. That was all I needed to know.
I ordered all new, correctly sized and type hoses, and replaced scuppers, fuel lines, fuel fill hoses and vent hoses. I also replaced the scupper thru-hulls, as the original ones were a plastic material that looked brittle.

Do yourself a favor and replace those drain hoses. BTW, it doesn't matter that the scupper is under water. As long as the cockpit drain height always stays above water, no water can come up in the cockpit.

 

[Sdfish]

Capt Bill - great reminder! I have been checking mine and man..... I'm not sure how I would ever get to them to change the out, it will take patience and some time to get those replaced!

 

[Fishtales]

yea, some of the starboard ones are impossible. you have to cut the floor and put a hatch in.

 

[Capt Bill]

Before you do any cutting, I would call GW customer service, and ask about access to replace hoses and thru-hulls. I may be wrong, but I *think* that if you are of thin build, and somewhat of a mechanical contortionist, the job can be done without cutting fiberglass.
My '93 Sailfish was really tight, and I scraped up my arms pretty good while they were in that space. So that was the only "cutting" I did on that job.

 

[Fishtales]

Bill is correct for one side - usually port as there is access for the batteries. I know on the walk models starboard is the problem.