I am a brand new Rhodes owner. The boat has been in the water for one
week. So far I love it. I do have a question:
The center cockpit drain is attached to a rubber tube that runs
through the lazarette to a similar hole in the hull. Is anyone
concerned about the security of this should the hose break or become
disconnected?
Steven Brill
I don't believe you have to worry about the cockpit drain too much.
As well as anything else it merits inspection periodically.
Ralph
The lazarette hose is fine by me. Like any other thru-hull, treat it
nice and it will treat you nice.
I have a story you might be interested in. A thru-hull breaks loose
causing a major leak. The hull floods, but the foam floatation keeps
the boat from sinking. You make it back to the boat ramp and try to
get the boat on the trailer. But nothing works, what’s wrong??
You will have a lot of water in the hull and you’ve added a few tons
to the boat’s weight. As soon as the boat is tilted up, the water
will rush to the stern. If you don’t get the water out, the trailer
will be history and you will be unable to winch it up. What to do?
CUT THE HOSE.
The water will now drain, wait and slowly inch the boat out of the
water. Replace the hose when you get home.
MJM
I've noticed that when we have the boat loaded down with gear, crew
(3 adults and 2 teenagers) and provisions etc. she takes on a lot of
water into the cockpit thru the cockpit sole drain, but, only when
motoring. When we stop motoring/start sailing she drains just fine!
Shook me a bit the first time it happened. I'm considering trying to
install some sort of removable check valve for these (rare)
occasions. Has anyone else experienced this and what was your
solution?
Ralph Bibbus
s/v Milagro
26 Apr 1998
So far we've only had three adults on board and haven't seen anything
like that. I will keep an eye out for it and let you know.
I think some sort of valve would be an excellent idea. Or, how about
some sort of temporary pipe to raise the height on the drain when you
are carrying a heavy load?
Steve Brill
I am using a 9.9 hp Mercury 2-stroke that probably weighs at least
75#, plus lots of stuff in the lazarette, plus the gas tank aft under
the port seat, plus me aft at 270# w/no problems (the boat that is--
I desperately need to lose my spare tire(s)). The OB is offset on
the port side using a hydraulic lift instead of the GB factory unit.
Read your owner’s manual about the best angle. Mine was all ready
set up when I bought the boat used. I would say that my engine is
nearly vertical when operating at 3-6 knots.
Larry
Same here; no problems with five on board. The angle of attack of
your outboard may be pushing the stern down enough to allow water to
back up into the cockpit. Self-draining openings work both ways, as
far as I know.
Larry Sparks
S/V Sailsman's Bounty
Great thought on the angle of attack. Didn't even give that a
thought. Duh! I've setup the OB to hang at a slight angle (5
degrees?) aft to the transom as possible. At what angle do you have
yours set and is there a GB recommendation as far as you know?
Thanks.
Ralph Bibbus
S/V Milagro
Tell your friends out there that there is a cockpit plug available
from General Boats for $10 (includes shipping and handling) that
solves the reverse self-drain cockpit floor problem when too many
are in cockpit.
ss/gbi
29 Apr 1998
I cannot express how much I hate the idea of a value/plug in the
self-drain.
The Rhodes22 has a large cockpit. If you get pooped by a large wave
and the cockpit is unable to drain (IMHO) you will be in trouble.
Even a check value might fail or restrict the flow; no good (IMHO).
If anything, I want to add more self-drains to my boat.
Fix the problem. Get the weight out of the lazarette, move the fuel
tank, remember that 9.9 four-stroke at 110+ pounds; or check the
setup on the motor.
MJM
I broke off the plastic inside stem on one of my
transom thru-hulls that drains the seat drain.
(1975) Too much junk in the Lazaret.
Any recommendations on replacements?
How thick is the transom?
Thanks
Bob
Knot Necessary
20 Jan 2003
I replaced both transom thru-the-hull drains as well
as the seat drains because they were brittle. One had
already cracked and filled the lazaret with rainwater
twice. I chose to go 1/8" oversize with 1 and 1/8
drains but the original size would be fine.
Try and cut as much sealant away from both sides as possible
with a razor. You may get lucky and find the sealant
isn't holding much anyway. Remove the nut from the
backside of the drain (inside the lazaret). I gave it
some gentle persuation with a hammer from inside the
lazaret but if you do it the way a professional would
you should use a bolt and gently apply pressure from
outside against blocks placed against the transom.
Frankly the hammer works quite well. I don't know the
exact thickness but its thick, you won't damage the
boat. The hole should be smooth.
If it isn't you need to make a repair or go oversize. Replace with a good
polyurethane caulk. Make sure you get a good bead
around both sides and squeeze out the excess, then
wipe away.
The port drain (if your boat is like mine)
will have to be trimmed to fit next to the motor
mount. A grinder, file, or good knife with some
patience will do the trick. Now is a good time to
replace the drain hose as well. They get brittle as
well and build up resistance internally as well as
kink if the bend radius is too great. Home Depot or
Lowes both have hose if your marine supply doesn't.
Hope that helps.
Brad Haslett
20 Jan 2003
You may not have removable through-hulls. My 1986 has nipples fiberglassed
to the transom. Unfortunately, they are tapered and the hose / clamps come
off easily. I'm thinking about drilling out the glassed in pieces and
installing through-hulls.
Joe
s/v Whisper
20 Jan 2003
The clamps are fine, just be sure to install them so
the tightning screw is easily accessable (meaning you
can use a short handled screwdriver at home to get the
best leverage but the one and only screwdriver on the
boat won't work when you try and make a repair at the
lake). I suggest you use clear hose so you can see
any obstructions (leaves and such) and can watch the
water flow freely.
Brad
20 Jan 2003
My boat is an 82' model. I don't know if the plastic
thru-the-hull fittings were from GBI or a addition. I
hate to give advice on something I haven't seen, BUT,
it should be a simple matter of using a wood bit that
is the same size as the thru-the-hull hole you have
and drilling inward from outside the transom. If you
can't cut the nipple off inside the lazaret and polish
or sand the inside of the transom smooth (for a tight
seal of the thru-the-hull fitting retainer nut) you
may have to drill with a slightly oversize bit and go
with the next larger fitting. If you goon something up
you can always go oversize by 1/8". There is a limit
to how many times you can go oversize though, just
look at Hunters and Catalinas, they have a huge hole
in the transom you can walk through! The key to
drilling anything is to go slow, don't generate too
much heat, and by all means keep the drill bit aligned
with the hole. Good luck.
Brad
20 Jan 2003
