motorwell drain X-boat

[ALX357]

2000
I cannot find the exact words to search the previous thread where this was discussed, I think, so here goes (again ?)

My X motorwell drain is stopped up with leaf and pine needle debris : it is in the water at a dock. I tried a bilge hand-pump, running pieces of hose, stiff rope, and electric wire into the drain from both the transom and from the motorwell, but either way it hits the obstruction and stops. The blockage is nearer the well drain, about a two feet up inside the transom hole.

Question is ... are there any elbow fittings in there, or is it just a single length of tubing between the thru-hull and the drain ? Is it excessively long ? or does it need to be so ?

[Chip Hindes]

I have had serious clogs in mine, pone needles are the worst, but I have never had one bad enough I couldn't blast it out with a garden hose & nozzle in the "wrong" direction.

The hose is not that long, as I recall maybe 10-14". There are no elbows but the barb fitting at each end tends to trap the debris. I haven't been back there for a year or so, but I believe you can easily access both ends after removing the carpet covered panel at the aft end of the cockpit berth. Pull one hose clamp at each end and you should be able to pull it out completely for cleaning or replacement if necessary.

Of course you'll want to pump the well out with a hand bilge pump or siphon before pulling the hose; otherwise the water will end up in the bilge.

[Night Sailor]

I was just there looking at mine yesterday while installing new mods and additional foam floatation. Early '98 X. Two 90 degree plastic elbows, one on either end. A real pain when acorns from my trees get in there. So far, every time in the last ten years, I've put the garden hose with jet stream nozzle setting in the transom hole and everything has blown back out with household water pressure.

[ALX357]

The garden hose has always worked for me too, when at home on the trailer. The dock where I am now has no bibb nearby to hose up to, so I was looking at other ways. Might have to do the removal method, but maybe I can tie up at the fuel dock and use a water connect there.

[Gazmn]

I went to Home Depot's plumbing dept and got 2 things. A snake - which didn't work but I needed it for the house anyway. And a toilet plunger - with a twist. It Has a pump which can be used to draw or pump air into the "toilet" or piping; And 2 seperate bottom fittings that are nested in their packaging. ~ 10 bucks

I put the smaller one on. And worked it from both sides of the transom. It ended up first drawing water into it's tube and then I "plunged" it through the piping. I ended up blowing out a 6 inch piece of rope and some sort of water critter... Shtuff

It worked best from the bottom hole blowing up. It came out like it was spouting from a whale - and smelled like it to


Anyway, since your boat is in the water and your transom hole may be below the waterline. Make sure you have an appropriate sized dowel to plug the hole in case of a catastrophic failure of the hose in question

This way, if all else fails you can climb into the back of the aft berth. Remove the rear facing blue cover, and disconnect the hose and clean it that way

Good Luck

[mike uk]

Just an ordinary sink plunger (rubber cone shape) works every time for me - just a gentle plunge or two and the vacuum shifts anything in there.

Mike

[Catigale]

You can also put a stopper in it when the boat isnt is use, and then clean the debris out of it before you let the water run down the drain.

[ALX357]

Eureka, I hadn't thought of the simple toilet plunger .... will have to look for that feature-plus version ....
Also the plug is a good idea, that amount of water makes no difference whether or not it is stoppered up, until it is drained after cleaning the debris out the well. Thanx ....

Ps, the motorwell drain thru-hull is most certainly not underwater, even with me sitting in the transom around the motor. Not even with the ballast in, much less out. None of the thru-hulls are below the true waterline, ever, with the boat at rest, fortunately. I would not be very comfortable with that situation if they were.

[Craig LaForce]

Some people have said they run a length of line through the hose in a big loop and tie it to itself. Then when it clogs, they just work the line a bit to clear it again.

My method was the purchase of a 99 cent plastic drain cleaner that looks like an 18 inch long plastic garbage bag tie with the zig zag like edges. Just push it into the hole and when pulled out, the jagged edges pulls any debris out.

[ALX357]

I likes that even better, the barbed snakey thing, as the plunger has .... well, if I am seen walking along the docks toward my boat with one of those,
... what would they think ?
And, not a really appropriate thing for the SaniPotty. Gad whatta mess thaddud be.

[ALX357]

Nothing worked ... 'had to take off the hose ... replaced the lateral hose and two elbows ....
'Was a really serious leaf and pine needle mulch impaction, with a small adjuster sized sainless steel pin core.

The Mac elbows were the worst kind .... short smooth legs and with wide flat edges, not much hose overlap and a flat ring ledge for stuff to catch on.

I replaced them with elbows that have longer barbed legs, and tapered edges, so they start into the hose easier, and leave a minimal inside edge that fairs into the hose, for an overall smoother passage for debris, with a wider barbed connection for the hose to grab onto and be hose-clamped.

Pix shows the crummy original and one leg of the replacement I used -
( from Lowe's Depot ). On this item, what with maybe 4 of them altogether on each boat, surely it was not a conscious cheap-out on Roger's part, just a thoughtless procurement of cheap relatively insignificant hose elbows, no big deal. Until they cause problems.



After this pound of cure, I tried the ounce of protection idea provided by Craig, running a stiff thin line thru the hose and tied the two ends together. If it gets impacted again, I'll just work the line back and forth, and worst case, untie the ends, put a small knot in one, and pull it all the way thru.