Good morning. I purchased a 1982 OUTRAGE 25 CUDDY. Re the drains and bilge: there appears to be four through-hull fittings in the 1982 OUTRAGE 25 CUDDY. One in the [forward cuddy cabin] which drains the compartment in the floor of the cuddy. Also in there is a bilge pump which doesn't work. There are three more through-hulls in the stern (one port, one starboard, one center) that I assume drain the bilge. I assume there is no bilge pump back there because the boat is designed to have some water in the bilge while sitting still but because of the buoyancy will only take on a small amount of water which will drain when underway.
Am I correct in this assessment?
The deck appears to drain into two or three compartments in the rear, which I assume also drain into the bilge and then out the through-hull fittings. These compartments each have a hole which can be plugged from inside the boat.
Does that all sound correct?
Why would I ever want or ever need to plug the three compartments in the back?
If three guys stood in the back while drifting or anchored, maybe those plugs are needed so boat doesn't take on too much water from bilge overflow?
I tried a search but couldn't find anything to address this particular question, although I'm sure it's probably here somewhere.
1982 Outrage 25 Cuddy Hull Drains
Re: 1982 Outrage 25 Cuddy Hull Drains
Classic Boston Whaler boat hulls like a OUTRAGE 25 CUDDY do not have any bilge space in the hulls. The boats are made with double bottom hulls, and all interior space between the hulls is sealed and filled with foam. There is no bilge space.
The OWNER'S MANUAL gives advice on how to handle the several drains. I have reproduced the owner's manual as an HTML document. If you do not have a printed copy, you can read the owner's manual in the REFERENCE section. Start at:
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/manual18-25/
The owner's manual discusses drains at
SELF BAILING AND DRAIN TUBES
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/manual18-25/operations.html#selfBailing
Read the section under the heading for your particular hull size.
As you will find, you have only discovered about half of the drains in the 25-foot hull. There are eight drains in total.
In the forward cuddy cabin the deck has a small sump area which will collect any water. Generally no water will collect here unless water splashes into the cabin or there is a leak in the superstructure and rain water drips in. There is a drain to the sea. This drain is normally always plugged. When the boat is on plane, you can open the drain; water will drain to the sea from the sump area.
The cockpit will drain into the two cockpit sump areas, port and starboard. If the drains in these sumps are closed to the sea, you must install a pump to lift water out of the sump and pump it overboard. If the drains are left open, the sump will fill with seawater. Depending on the trim on the boat, the seawater can rise enough to overflow the sump and run into the rigging tunnels. It is very typical that the drains are kept closed and a pump is used.
The cockpit will also drain into the aft center livewell. The drain in the livewell can be left closed, but water will not drain from this sump via the drain to the sea. the drain is below the boat waterline. Water will drain from the aft center livewell drain when the boat is underway at some speed; the venturi effect will tend to pull water out of the well. It can take several minutes for water to drain in this manner. In my boat I have installed a small pump in the aft center livewell to lift water out and overboard. I keep the drain closed. I used the livewell for wet storage.
It is possible if the aft cockpit port and starboard sumps fill with water and the boat trim becomes down-by-the-bow for the water in the aft sumps to flow toward the bow via the rigging tunnels and to spill into the cuddy cabin area. This pathway can account for the otherwise mysterious appearance of water in the cabin sump.
As you surmised, this topic has been discussed before. This link leads to some threads in the archives. However, I don't think you will find anything particularly different than what has already been presented in this thread.
The OWNER'S MANUAL gives advice on how to handle the several drains. I have reproduced the owner's manual as an HTML document. If you do not have a printed copy, you can read the owner's manual in the REFERENCE section. Start at:
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/manual18-25/
The owner's manual discusses drains at
SELF BAILING AND DRAIN TUBES
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/manual18-25/operations.html#selfBailing
Read the section under the heading for your particular hull size.
As you will find, you have only discovered about half of the drains in the 25-foot hull. There are eight drains in total.
In the forward cuddy cabin the deck has a small sump area which will collect any water. Generally no water will collect here unless water splashes into the cabin or there is a leak in the superstructure and rain water drips in. There is a drain to the sea. This drain is normally always plugged. When the boat is on plane, you can open the drain; water will drain to the sea from the sump area.
The cockpit will drain into the two cockpit sump areas, port and starboard. If the drains in these sumps are closed to the sea, you must install a pump to lift water out of the sump and pump it overboard. If the drains are left open, the sump will fill with seawater. Depending on the trim on the boat, the seawater can rise enough to overflow the sump and run into the rigging tunnels. It is very typical that the drains are kept closed and a pump is used.
The cockpit will also drain into the aft center livewell. The drain in the livewell can be left closed, but water will not drain from this sump via the drain to the sea. the drain is below the boat waterline. Water will drain from the aft center livewell drain when the boat is underway at some speed; the venturi effect will tend to pull water out of the well. It can take several minutes for water to drain in this manner. In my boat I have installed a small pump in the aft center livewell to lift water out and overboard. I keep the drain closed. I used the livewell for wet storage.
It is possible if the aft cockpit port and starboard sumps fill with water and the boat trim becomes down-by-the-bow for the water in the aft sumps to flow toward the bow via the rigging tunnels and to spill into the cuddy cabin area. This pathway can account for the otherwise mysterious appearance of water in the cabin sump.
As you surmised, this topic has been discussed before. This link leads to some threads in the archives. However, I don't think you will find anything particularly different than what has already been presented in this thread.