Wet cockpit when raining

[j43ds]

Hi,
New owner of 43DS (2001). Super happy about the boat, using it as live-onboard in Oslo. Wonder if anyone has issue with water coming down from the hatch (front of the sprayhood) and seeping into the companionway (not entering the galley, but just creating a small river down the cockpit entrance to the companionway/door). Just makes shoes and everything here wet, so trying to find a solution to dry up the cockpit-tent area. 

[Charlie-Bravo]

The Garage, in which the companion way horizontal board slides is designed to drain, but not into the boat of course. Once the drain path gets clogged with dirt the water still seeks escape, and eventually overflows, in your case down into the companion way.

I haven’t studied your model, but there is often a panel on deck which can be unscrewed , lifted, and the source of your river just might appear.

Sure a DS owner has found this before and will pop along for you soon.

CB

[zaphod]

The same thing happens on our 39i when there is heavy rain, even though we have a dodger and a full enclosure. I don't think there is anything wrong, it is just the design of the hatch. Water that gets into that area is channeled down either side of the hatch rather than getting into the boat. We don't find it a huge problem because we don't live aboard full time, although sometimes I get we socks if I go up into the cockpit for something while it is raining, so I have waterproof sole slippers I wear.

One simple solution you could consider is putting down some interlocking deck grid in the affected area so that the water runs underneath the grid and you still have a dry surface.

Esatto 6 Pack Interlocking Shelf Mats 12″, Black – for Spills, Clean Bars, Stain Protection, and an Anti-Slip Surface a.co/d/dkbHgj3

[rxc]

There are two channels on the sides of the main hatch cover that lead towards the front of the boat. You can use a water hose from the aft side of the hatch cover to try to blow any debris that is clogging them out the front of the hatch cover. When you do this, be prepared for quite a bit of debris (leaves, etc) to come out. Then use the hose to blow the debris across the boat under the hatch cover at the front. I once had my boat on the hard in an inland storage facility, and these channels clogged up. It was 9 years ago, and I think I am still getting stuff coming out of them.

There is one other option, which requires removing the headliner inside the boat to open up the hatch cover. This one is not for the faint of heart. My wife won't let me do it....

Sorry about that. I originally read that you were getting water into the boat. This drainage path aft into the cockpit, is normal, and as designed. Even with a full enclosure, we have water on the entrance, draining from the hatch.

[andreshs1]

Hi there

I have the same issue on mine, and as RXC said, it might be by design, but still super annoying 

cheers

[rxc]

One last thought. It may be that the water drains in the aft direction, instead of out of the fwd drains because of the trim of the boat. My boat is definitely trimmed down at the stern, because I have an arch with a dinghy hanging off of it, and all sorts of other suff like a windmill and solar panels. Not to mention the genset in the liferaft locker. Maybe if you look at your trim and try to re-stow stuff to lift the stern to be more level, the water might move fwd. I don't have any suggestions in this regard, other than those of my wife - "We need to get rid of all the stuff on board!"