Scupper upgrade on the 25's (self bailing)

S

South of Heaven

New member
Guys, what's the consensus of the 25 owners on the factory self bailing scuppers? Are they adequate and perform well? Or should I consider upgrading them to a different type/design?

From what I've researched and heard, they seem to work well under normal load conditions but then if you add an extra person or two in the cockpit you'll get a bit of water coming back in.

Is the extra water more of a nuisance? Or could it be a safety issue? Lol

Is using a simple bung or a plug a good idea? Or does that just mask the problem and the scupper should really be upgraded if you're gonna have 3 or 4 people in the cockpit on a regular basis?

I think no matter what I'll carry some bungs onboard for all my hull fittings.....
 
People with 25's should be taken more seriously than me, but just as a note, there is only so much "upgrading" you can do if the cockpit sole is not X distance above the waterline. My guess is that it isn't, and so the issues stem from the cockpit sole being very close to the level of the waterline.

With bigger/higher boats, it's easier to get the cockpit further above the waterline; but if you did the with the 25, the cockpit sole would just be too high as compared to the gunwales. That's probably why those handy looking stainless rails go around the after corners of the cockpit coaming already.
 
We have a 25 with twin Honda 90s and the scupper bottoms are at water line when the boat is carrying a half a tank of fuel and normally is not an issue but when you put four people in the cockpit it can be interesting. My solution was to go to an auto supply and purchase rubber soft plus for a car engine and install these when guests are expected, not very nautical but it works for me.

Marc
 
I second using simple plugs and leaving the rest of the drains as is. They are more for draining washdown water than for evacuating a swamped cockpit. It was never a problem after we got a set of simple plugs for the inside opening.

Greg
 
I commonly beach my boat on a tidal sandbar. When the tide goes out, the angle of the boat puts the scuppers underwater. My fix was those scuppers with the ball float valve in them.

I've read that if you are considering buying a boat with those scuppers, you should run away, but for my reasoning they work pretty well.
 
The scupper drains ion a C-Dory 25 are so limited by the amount of head available that they are indeed useless. They should be plugged unless you are washing out the cockpit, though the water will drain/leak through the cockpit floor hatches into the bilges. You can then pump it out by hand.

Minnow, those ball valves can only be used in pre-2005 25's. In 2005, the cockpit was redesigned and the aft section was closed off and vertical hatches put in. Dora Jean put in those valves, but I was hosed when I tried to. Great idea though.

Boris
 
The original "cruiseship" 25 in the 1995 to 1998 era had the cockpit like the post 2005 boats. (Area under the splash well closed off--and open to the bilge.). The the 2002 thru 2004 had the scuppers all of the way aft, with a 'step down in the cockpit floor about 10" in front of the transom. With our 2003 boat we rarely had water back thru the scuppers, even when heavily loaded. The boats with the water tank aft will probably have the most problems with the scuppers.

It is not a safety issue. (unless as Boris suggests that there is massive leaking in the cockpit hatches, where the bilge is flooded.) I have always wanted self bailing cockpits in my sailboats. With the C Dorys, the lack of self bailing (22's) has not really been an issue, except when he boat is left in the water.

My advice is to be sure that all hatches in the cockpit floor are as leak proof as possible--have some stoppers which will fit in the scuppers and use them if necessary when a crowd is in the cockpit. Ball vales don't work all that well, especially in the side scuppers as in our boat.
 
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