DaleH
FOUNDER of Classic Parker Forum
My boat is 21-years old this year … time to replace those old ‘press in’ brass drain scupper tubes. The brass gets weak over time and they start to leak water into the core of the boat and boats made (like mine) over 20-years ago, marine plywood is the core and you do NOT want to get that core wet!
I decided to go BIGGER in diameter, from one single 1” brass tube per side to one 2” (ID) PVC tube per side. I drilled for the new holes out by putting a ¼” drill bit right above the existing scupper tube (I cut the rim off the old tube first), lying the bit right on top of the tube at 12 o’clock to use it as a guide. Then I cut through with a new 2-1/2” hole saw.
One tip for those new to hole saw use, you need to pull the bit from hole quite often and clear the chips from the teeth, as you are drilling a ‘blind’ hole and there is no where for the chips to go. I wear a thick leather glove and just swipe the teeth off. Clearing the teeth often allows you to drill the hole faster and makes the tool last significantly longer. When done, I also press the teeth into a piece of scrap ethafoam to keep it sharp and not get dulled when tossed with other tools into my tool box or ‘boat bucket’.
I had to chip out the pieces bit by bit (no access from inside the boat to fit the cordless drill) and the transom was almost 3” thick! And the transom core was dry on both sides of the boat. But when I took possession (when she was only 8-years old) I put a bead of 2-part marine waterproof epoxy around the belled-edges of the brass drain tubes. I strongly advise that you do the same. As you can see below, the brass tube was integral (at least until I beat it up and literally punched it out of the hull, from the outside to the inside), but it was only a matter of ‘time’ for it to start leaking.
Look at the layup for the transom. In total cross-section it is 2-3/4” thick! I know of no other boat in this size range with as thick a transom! I am curious about what appears to be a ‘putty’ layer lying against the transom core frp layup. My ‘best guess’ is that this thickens the hull layup from the outside so that any peripheral penetrations (small screws to mount clamshells, rigging tube collars, etc.) don’t penetrate fully to the core. What say you?
One photo shows the core being wetted out with thin penetrating epoxy, multiple coats, until the core wouldn’t absorb any more. My plan is to epoxy in place 2” ID PVC tubes ala what Bobby (Warthog) did on his 2530 refurb.
Look at the performance increase! Two 2” ID drain tubes give a 400% increase in drainage over 1" holes! For scupper covers, I’m going with the largest ball scuppers made (RaBud Marine), which will keep the cockpit deck dry. More picture later for the new tubes installation …
I decided to go BIGGER in diameter, from one single 1” brass tube per side to one 2” (ID) PVC tube per side. I drilled for the new holes out by putting a ¼” drill bit right above the existing scupper tube (I cut the rim off the old tube first), lying the bit right on top of the tube at 12 o’clock to use it as a guide. Then I cut through with a new 2-1/2” hole saw.
One tip for those new to hole saw use, you need to pull the bit from hole quite often and clear the chips from the teeth, as you are drilling a ‘blind’ hole and there is no where for the chips to go. I wear a thick leather glove and just swipe the teeth off. Clearing the teeth often allows you to drill the hole faster and makes the tool last significantly longer. When done, I also press the teeth into a piece of scrap ethafoam to keep it sharp and not get dulled when tossed with other tools into my tool box or ‘boat bucket’.
I had to chip out the pieces bit by bit (no access from inside the boat to fit the cordless drill) and the transom was almost 3” thick! And the transom core was dry on both sides of the boat. But when I took possession (when she was only 8-years old) I put a bead of 2-part marine waterproof epoxy around the belled-edges of the brass drain tubes. I strongly advise that you do the same. As you can see below, the brass tube was integral (at least until I beat it up and literally punched it out of the hull, from the outside to the inside), but it was only a matter of ‘time’ for it to start leaking.
Look at the layup for the transom. In total cross-section it is 2-3/4” thick! I know of no other boat in this size range with as thick a transom! I am curious about what appears to be a ‘putty’ layer lying against the transom core frp layup. My ‘best guess’ is that this thickens the hull layup from the outside so that any peripheral penetrations (small screws to mount clamshells, rigging tube collars, etc.) don’t penetrate fully to the core. What say you?
One photo shows the core being wetted out with thin penetrating epoxy, multiple coats, until the core wouldn’t absorb any more. My plan is to epoxy in place 2” ID PVC tubes ala what Bobby (Warthog) did on his 2530 refurb.
Look at the performance increase! Two 2” ID drain tubes give a 400% increase in drainage over 1" holes! For scupper covers, I’m going with the largest ball scuppers made (RaBud Marine), which will keep the cockpit deck dry. More picture later for the new tubes installation …
?), then put a big dollop into each hole, stuck the insert into it, and then put them into the hole. While curing you need to do a check once in a while to ensure the inserts stayed straight or square to your holes.
