Leaky Fishboxes. Grrrr!

Matt and Mike, I think the plug in mine is metal. And the bracket on my '06 isn't "Armstrong", at least it doesn't have the name on the side as others seem to have. Looks the same though.

Charlie
 
After three years of putting up with rain filled fishboxs and the mold and mildew that accumulates, I followed the example of Seven Please and added drains to the trough under the deck lid. After using a mirror to determine that there was nothing in the way, I cut an 8 in hole in the aft end of the fishbox. The box is cored with balsa and insulated with about 3 in of foam. I sealed the raw balsa with polyester and installed deck plates. A 3/8 IPT threaded 1/2 in hose nipple was installed in the trough in a hole that was tapped with 3/8 IPT threads in the 1/2 in fiberglass. I did not use the 90 degree fitting used by Seven Please because the nylon fitting binds up in the hole and I was concerned that it would be turned the wrong way. Some nylon screening provides debris protection on the hole
I had hoped to use the cockpit drain thru-hull, but there was no way to drill and tap the fitting in place and removing the fitting proved very difficult after an hour of effort. Therefore a 1/2 in marelon thru-hull was installed above the waterline where it could be easily reached from the after deck hatches. It is too high to be reached from the fishbox access hole. 1/2 in braided plastic hose connected the fittings. A heat gun was required to get the hose over the nipples. Hose clamps were used to provide belt and suspenders protection.
So far the installation is working as desired as the heavy rainfall fill the trough and then drains out the cockpit scuppers. The trough drains also make an attempt to drain the trough, but are overwhelmed by really hard Florida rain. As soon as the rain lets up the trough is drained in less than a minute.
Pictures of the installation are in my album.
 
Summer rains have finally come to SW Florida and this is a report to the fishbox gutter drainage modification.

It works. Last week we had 6 inches of rain in less than 3 hours followed by another 4 inches over the next two days. The fishboxes stayed completely dry, even dusty. Our TomCat lives on a lift when not being used and has a Bimini over the cockpit. The high winds accompanying the rains caused me to take down the Bimini during the worst of the storms, such that the cockpit deck was flooded with water.

I did not originate the drainage idea but copied it from our fellow C-Brats.

Pictures of the modifications are in my album.
 
Tom, do the 2 photos of the Marelon through-hulls have anything to do with the fishbox mods? If not, what are you directing our attention to in those 2 photos?

Thanks,
Warren
 
The marelon thruhulls are the drainage exits for the hoses leading from the drain holes in the fishbox lid gutter. Others have drilled and tapped the existing bronze thruhull for the macerator pump, but I could not drill them without removing them from the boat and it was easier to put in new thruhulls. While the new thruhulls are lower than the gutter, they are at the waterline. Has not been a problem with backflow even with our cruising heavy load.
 
Tom Little":1t2modjx said:
The marelon thruhulls are the drainage exits for the hoses leading from the drain holes in the fishbox lid gutter. Others have drilled and tapped the existing bronze thruhull for the macerator pump, but I could not drill them without removing them from the boat and it was easier to put in new thruhulls. While the new thruhulls are lower than the gutter, they are at the waterline. Has not been a problem with backflow even with our cruising heavy load.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Tom -- but why not just let the fishboxes drain into the sponsons and then pump out with the bilge pumps?

Warren
 
Warren,

That's what has been working fine for us for about 5 years now. I fear that all the filters and small tubing will soon fill up with the inevitable gunk that collects in those gutters.

I try the KISS approach first.
 
Allowing water to leak into the fishbox and then into the hull would mean a damp fishbox. I was seeking a dry fishbox. Dry means no mildew or mold.

I am a nut about a dry hull bilge also. My hulls contain some engine electronics , batteries, switches, and several electric pumps. All these items last longer with less trouble if kept as dry as possible.

Lastly, after nearly 38 years of offshore sailing, I am always mindful of any opening in the deck which would allow entry of water into the hull. We do not expect to pooped in our TomCat, but it is possible to have several inches of water in the cockpit and I do not want it in the hulls.
 
Hmmm. Tom, I think your goals are admirable. I would love to get to that point, too. I drilled holes in the lip of the fishboxes and drained them into the bilges but it did not help much, if at all.

Wondering if hatches similar to the Bowmar you installed for the rear compartment would also work for the fishboxes? The replacement hatches for the 22 lazarettes are quite watertight and if I can live with the non-flush deck, that might be an acceptable solution.

Warren
 
Warren, I would think if you drill a hole in the lip, much as the picture shows, if it's dry with an overboard, the boxes should be dry if it goes into the bilge. I think I'm going to try it on my TC. Raising the overboards on my bilge pumps and macerator pumps has helped immensely. They were all down at the waterline and the check valves always leaked a little.

I was in the Navy for 32 years and all of our ships had "wet" bilges. Very messy but necessary! Just dump some Simple Green or other cleaner in there once in awhile, put in some water, find some rough water and pump it out! No Oil over the side of course... :wink:

Charlie
 
Warren, I would think if you drill a hole in the lip, much as the picture shows, if it's dry with an overboard, the boxes should be dry if it goes into the bilge. I think I'm going to try it on my TC. Raising the overboards on my bilge pumps and macerator pumps has helped immensely. They were all down at the waterline and the check valves always leaked a little.

I was in the Navy for 32 years and all of our ships had "wet" bilges. Very messy but necessary! Just dump some Simple Green or other cleaner in there once in awhile, put in some water, find some rough water and pump it out! No Oil over the side of course... :wink:

Charlie
 
Charlie,

Do you mean you removed the factory through-hulls for the bilge & macerator pumps, etc. glassed them over, and put them in again at a location higher up from the waterline? (I am assuming that what you are calling overboards I am calling through-hulls.)

I tried the trick of drilling holes in the lip of the fishboxes and it did not make much difference for me.

Warren
 
Warren, that's exactly what I had done. Didn't do it myself, had a lot of other work done at the time and he did a great job. "Lewisetta Marina". The old thru hull locations were very problematic.

For some reason, the hole in the lip with the overboard seemed to work for Tom Little.

Charlie
 
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