To me, if you have the companionway closed up and take a huge wave over the stern or get knocked down, a self righting boat with a bridge deck and self draining cockpit is quite nice to have.
Self bailing in small boats is great for lazy people who neglect their boats. They also need really good knees and don't mind sitting on seats with an 8 or 9 inch height. I have always had boats with nice deep cockpits with good seat heights. very comfy and low seating makes for a nice sail. think of the Herreshoff 12, a Rozinante, the original Soling, or any working boat from one hundred years ago had high cockpit soles? nope. I partitioned off the cockpit area from the forward part of the boat, stuffed floatation under the floor boards, built watertight seats and installed a small pump for rain water and occasional spray. I also installed a large 3700 gph pump with a 1-1/2" discharge as a backup for the big wave that hasn't happened yet. With a Solar panel and a group 27 deep cycle. I feel pretty safe and comfortable at the same time. Deep cockpit is why I have a Corinthian instead of a Typhoon
Great article, thanks for the time spent on it. My 1985 DS 2 has a drain port in the transom about 4” above the waterline. I always assumed that I should pull that plug if leaving her on a mooring. Because of all the built in flotation rainwater would drain out before the port got below the outside water level. I didn’t give any thought to the 30 lb outboard or my own weight when stepping aboard.
She also has a ball check Depersia drain in an inboard well at the transom. That works well if you’re sailing along but fails if the ball is cocked by debris and you are stopped
In my only near swamping I bailed with a 5 gal bucket and finished with a hand pump. That stuff never fails.
I’ll be doing some testing soon on the points your article brought up.
My Helsen 22 had a self draining cockpit that worked very well as long as you kept the channels and drain pipe clean. My Sunbird 16 had a self draining cockpit in which you openned the drain while underway and theoretically hydraulics would pull the water out of the cockpit into the lake or ocean or whatever. Truthfully, I never felt comfortable opening a hole in the hull of my boat for any reason so I can't vouch for it working or not working! My Lugar Leeward 16 had a quart bucket and a large sponge which worked quite well in ridding excess water from the boat.
If you have a cockpit sole that is not much above the waterline, but has a well aft with a dinghy baler that can be opened and closed, it will drain on a mooring. Underway, the baler will suck out most water coming on board on a wet ride.
My cockpit actually drains forward into the centerboard trunk. Counterintuitive but it works.
To me, if you have the companionway closed up and take a huge wave over the stern or get knocked down, a self righting boat with a bridge deck and self draining cockpit is quite nice to have.
Self bailing in small boats is great for lazy people who neglect their boats. They also need really good knees and don't mind sitting on seats with an 8 or 9 inch height. I have always had boats with nice deep cockpits with good seat heights. very comfy and low seating makes for a nice sail. think of the Herreshoff 12, a Rozinante, the original Soling, or any working boat from one hundred years ago had high cockpit soles? nope. I partitioned off the cockpit area from the forward part of the boat, stuffed floatation under the floor boards, built watertight seats and installed a small pump for rain water and occasional spray. I also installed a large 3700 gph pump with a 1-1/2" discharge as a backup for the big wave that hasn't happened yet. With a Solar panel and a group 27 deep cycle. I feel pretty safe and comfortable at the same time. Deep cockpit is why I have a Corinthian instead of a Typhoon
Great article, thanks for the time spent on it. My 1985 DS 2 has a drain port in the transom about 4” above the waterline. I always assumed that I should pull that plug if leaving her on a mooring. Because of all the built in flotation rainwater would drain out before the port got below the outside water level. I didn’t give any thought to the 30 lb outboard or my own weight when stepping aboard.
She also has a ball check Depersia drain in an inboard well at the transom. That works well if you’re sailing along but fails if the ball is cocked by debris and you are stopped
In my only near swamping I bailed with a 5 gal bucket and finished with a hand pump. That stuff never fails.
I’ll be doing some testing soon on the points your article brought up.
Jim W
My Helsen 22 had a self draining cockpit that worked very well as long as you kept the channels and drain pipe clean. My Sunbird 16 had a self draining cockpit in which you openned the drain while underway and theoretically hydraulics would pull the water out of the cockpit into the lake or ocean or whatever. Truthfully, I never felt comfortable opening a hole in the hull of my boat for any reason so I can't vouch for it working or not working! My Lugar Leeward 16 had a quart bucket and a large sponge which worked quite well in ridding excess water from the boat.
Well written and a good reminder that we must understand the limits of our boat at all levels.
If you have a cockpit sole that is not much above the waterline, but has a well aft with a dinghy baler that can be opened and closed, it will drain on a mooring. Underway, the baler will suck out most water coming on board on a wet ride.