Rain gutters for cockpit hardtop canopy?

[Moderator]

Now that Rainshadow is in the tropics (Hawaii currently, but hopes to head to South Pacific), warm weather and occasional heavy rains are the norm. The zipped down cockpit canvas that kept us dry and warm in the cold Pacific Northwest is no longer so welcome.

We would like to come up with a way to direct rainwater running off the hardtop canopy away from the cockpit rather than into it. This is especially important when underway with the mainsail dumping it’s water catchment onto the hardtop, and thence into the cockpit on the downhill side of the heeled boat.

Has anyone come up with a way to redirect rainwater away from the cockpit without the use of the cockpit canvas enclosure? Perhaps with the bonus of being able to collect the rainwater?

Marilyn, moderator

 

[Rhapsode]

We made up a canvas rain catcher which is attached to the inside of the hardtop just outside the rail for the cockpit canopy for the full length of the hardtop and leads down to the guard wires. Upturned sides, some loops and ties and a hose complete the set up. When not sailing the starboard one feeds directly into the water tank filler pipe. We never have both catchers up simultaneously so that we can hop out of the cockpit easily when necessary.

We haven’t worked out how to do something similar alongside the aft edge of the hardtop.

[Author]

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