Starr Refit Blog #2 – Deck Drains

Some Information Regarding Deck Drains on Starr. or

“HOW TO SAVE YOUR BOAT FROM SINKING!!!”

October 8, 2013

I’m fed up with our inadequate deck drains on Starr, and have decided that now that we are doing other glass work, such as lowering the back deck rail and extending the top deck overhang, this is a good time to fix or modify the drains. I have read many blog entries about how other boaters are frustrated with their deck drains; so I would like to share with you what I’ve discovered on Starr.

I started out by tracing all of the deck drains which were hidden from view, buried behind cabinets and bulkheads. This required completely removing a cabinet, cutting the top out another, and cutting open a bulkhead as well.

We removed a cabinet in the lower guest stateroom

And in the lower guest bunkroom

A drain buried in wall of lower guest stateroom

We had to cut out the top one of the master stateroom bookshelves

Master stateroom bookshelf 

We had to cut an access hole in the top

This is what the drain looked like

What I found was very scary! There were no shut-off valves on ANY of the through-hull fittings which exited the hull at the boot stripe on the waterline.

A through-hull fitting at the waterline

AND, The drain leaders were made up of 1-inch rubber hose that was severely deteriorated in some places. Some of the hose clamps crimping the hose to the thru hull fittings were rusted to the point that they fell off. 

Through-hull fitting with rotten hose and rusted hose clamp

Scarey

Very Scarey

So, What is the Fix? 

I plan to upsize the through-hull fittings from the current 1-in. to 1 -1/2-in., or maybe 2-in., with a shut off valve, and all through- hull fittings will have access hatches. The rubber hoses will be replaced with fiberglass or Mepla leaders, and the small 3-in. top deck drain gratings will be upsized to 12-in. grilled-slot drain scuppers.

Now that I’m into this project I will continue to post on Starr’s blog: www.starr.talkspotblogs.com. I’m including some photos of the current deck drains.

Deck Drain on Upper Deck will be replaced with 12 inch slot drain

Deck Drain on Port side of Main Deck

Deck Drain on Starbord side of the Main Deck

I will continue to report on what I find and what fixes I think should be implemented; however I would appreciate any and all suggestions on what I’m doing. Please send any comments and suggestions to my personal email address. I will continue to ask questions, and hope that some of you “boat guys” (and perhaps some “boat ladies”) will have good ideas I can use.

Thanks,

Don Stabbert

don@sbmc.com