Reminder to clean scuppers before season gets well underway

[glider4]

My tri-annual do it, whether it needs it or not, cleaning of the scuppers before we launch next weekend. Even though we have a 3/4 Bimini enclosure we still get a lot of leafs and debris in the cockpit. Over the winter these leafs crumble and end up in the scupper drain. Today there was a golf ball sized wad of leaf muck behind each scupper flap. Lifted the flap up with a flat screwdriver and removed the “golf ball” muck from each side. Flushed from above and repeated the removal.
We start the season with clean scuppers! Much easier to do it on the trailer! I’ll do this again if I see the scuppers draining slowly or mid-season regardless. Then once again at the end of the season. Always amazed how much crud ends up against that scupper flap!
What’s behind your scupper flap?

 

[Hamster]

Good reminder. I actually removed my scuppers because the clogs wasn’t an tri-annual thing but a regular thing. When water backs up, it overflows to the side lazarette where all your electronics are located.

The second drains to clear are the drains from the side lazarette to the center lazarette. I found out the hard way when my scuppers clogged, then it flowed into the side with no outlet because they were also clogged. On my boat, the drains are inconveniently located under the batteries so I use a stiff cable to clear them.

If you have leaves, pull crab or shrimp pots, have a dog, or fish, you’re likely going to experience clogged drains.

 

[KKRCRACE]

I have found that after a year or so the original scuppers on my C24 had actually gotten hard and would no longer flap and release debris. I found some on Amazon that were thinner and flimsy and seem to work great even after a few years. The scuppers need to be pliable to work. Just my opinion.
KKRCRACE