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Hi
I am the owner of Ayla an 38 ft Ketch. Currently laying Samos Greece.
I have sometimes problems of water entering the cockpit. I am not sure but I believe all C&N 38 Ketche have a non self bailing cockpit. If I am not correct let me know.
In order to get the water out in such a case ( rain , waves etc. ) the lids of my cockpit floor have holes which have tubes connected which vent water into the engine bilge and from there it runs into the bilge, where I have 2 bilge pumps whith a switch which should turn on the bilge pumps and drain the water to the sea.
I am thinking about an modification so the Bilge pumps ( which are hard to get to ) doesn’t have to be used. But instead the cockpit should be self bailing.
Has anyone a solution to my problem.
please post.
Many thanks
GerhardThe Nic 38 has issues with its cockpit drains – there are other discussions here and here.
Your ketch should have two thruhulls with seacocks in the engine room – one port, one stbd. The cockpit & lazerette drain holes were originally plumbed to drain through those – but other owners report check valves are required to stop water surging back up the lines into the cockpit.
The PO of our boat plumbed the cockpit drain holes to the bilge, just like your setup. With our good cockpit canvas and hardtop, we have almost no water get in during coastal cruising so rate of pumpout has never been an issue. Not too happy about taking her offshore without improvement, so likely will replumb to thruhulls/seacocks and add check valves.
Note that since the drain thruhull/seacocks are very low on the hull, both will always be below the waterline – so I don’t understand what help it will do to cross the lines through the engine room. If the windward side would be above the waterline, then I understand – but I cannot see how the windward thruhull/seacock will be above the waterline unless she’s broached.
Marilyn
Dear Marilyn
thanks for the prompt reply. It seems that your boat / hull has the same layout of drains from the cockpit like AYLA.
Ayla does not have drains to the outside and in fact I believe the holes have been laminated close since I have never seen any. The seawater / cockpit water goes into the sump underneath the engine and from there drains into the bilge Ayla has two electic bilgepumps and one manual one.However these are hard to get to pumps ( hardly to reach especially the float switch.
I believe I will mount a self sucking pump into the compartment which is below the step to the aft cabin and run a hose to the lowest point into the bilge. This should be much better to maintain.
Reason for this is that one of my bilge pumps always fails. ( nearly every year after berthing it is locked, sitting there dry).
I will post pictures having done this
Thanks for now
GerhardGarhard – we installed a maintenance bilge pump several years ago, and wrote a blog posting about it on our personal blog. You might want to read it to learn about the mistakes we made before we ended up with a setup we like. You can read that posting here.
Marilyn
Dear Mayrilyn
thanks for the link and the detailed description you have made there.
Seems like I am not the only one noticing about the Nic39 weakness.
I am on my way to Samos to see how Ayla is doing and will be posting a few pictures of the setup Ayla is am having. But in general my investigations lead in the same direction as your solution. Remark: I spoke to a specialized pump company here and they have told me it would be advisable to have a check valve on the end of intake of the pump. They state that this will keep water in the hose of the pump so the pump will not be sucking air at the start. If this is a good advise I dont know ( doesnt sound good to me always to have dirty salt/oil water in the intake hose)
Please respond your comment
Kind regards
Gerhard
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