Self-bailing cockpit

[hsi88]

I have a Mac 222. The cockpit and cabin sole fill with rain water. Now I have mold everywhere. What do people normally do about the water, besides pumping it out and putting a tarp over the boat ?

[Tomfoolery]

There's no scupper or drain in the cockpit sole? I've never seen a boat with a closed transom that didn't have some sort of drain, however inadequate it may be.

The cabin would only fill from rain leaks, and the only reliable way to fix that is to fix the leaks. Every deck penetration is a possible source of rain water, as well as the companionway hatch boards if they're not made right.

Oh, and any below-the-water-line thru-hull fittings, too.

[seahouse]

Not familiar with your exact boat/ trailer, but if its on the trailer then tilt the bow as high as possible to keep the cockpit puddle small or non-existent. If possible some (smaller) boats can be tipped until the trailer at the transom contacts the ground. Further tilting will take some of the weight off the wheels for longer-term storage. In the past I have made triangles from wood 2X4's to support the tongue (they can wedge in underneath tightly if they are made of custom length) for this purpose.
- B.

[hsi88]

There are two drains into the cabin from just below seat level in the cockpit. No other drains for the cockpit. I have two scuppers on both my Catalina 27 and 30. But I guess MacGregor expected people to bail if water got in the cockpit like you would a day small open day sailor. Not a boat you want to sit outside for any length of time. I have a tarp over the whole boat at the moment. But the damage has been done. Boat will be a pain to cleanup. Will probably sell it.

[LoHo]

My 222 has a drain in the forward floor of the cockpit flowing out through a hull fitting.

[Tomfoolery]

I've only found a couple of pictures online of the 2-22 cockpit, and can't see a drain in either. Though one has leaves and debris at the forward end, so maybe that one has a drain there.

It's not a big deal to add a drain yourself. Use good quality hose to a thu-hull, with two clamps at each end (SOP for hoses). Avoid the thin, cheap corrugated stuff (but you probably know all this, since you've had keel boats).

I almost had my Aquarius on the bottom when the super thin, cheap cockpit drain hose split and I didn't know it. The thru-hull was just above the water line at rest, and another half inch of sinking would have put it into the water, and it's all down hill from there.

[LoHo]

Also, have a wooden plug that fits the thru-hull tied to the fitting, in the unlikely event that a break occurs when you are in a position to deal with it.