water pooling in mast bucket

I have read on some previous threads (and it certainly makes sense intuitively) that rainwater coming down the mast should drain to the bilge. On inspection the other day in our just-purchased 382, the bucket was filled with nice fresh water (and a fair amount of slimy gunk at the bottom).

Anyone had a similar problem and can share strategies for cleaning it out? I can't see or feel where the drain hole(s) in the bucket should be, or where the water should be flowing into the bilge. If anyone has or could draw a diagram of how/where the water should flow, it would be greatly illuminating!

Drain O there is a small tube between the mast and the bilge i used hot water and draino you could use a coat hanger wire !

Keefer

At the aft end of the "bucket", just in line with the center of the mast, there is a weep hole that drains the bucket to the bilge. Yours is probably gunked up. Feel around there with a stiff wire to find it. At the bottom of the back of the mast there is a slot in the mast step that allows any water inside the mast to drain into the bucket and then to the bilge. Both the weep hole and the slot are within a inch or so of each other. This of course depends on if no one has made changes to the original.
Congratulations on the boat. Bonnie and I hope to see you and your family as you cruise up our way.

Jim

Thanks Lee and Jim, very helpful, will probably try a combo of wire and draino

Keefer, unless modified, the anchor locker drains under the v-berth and water tank and into the mast bucket. When I bought the boat in October of 2012, the mast bucket was filled with dirt. I suspect it was dirt from the anchor chain being thrown in the locker unwashed with mud on it and that eventually worked it's way down to the mast and then settled in around the tabernacle and ultimately causes a clog in the weep seem that leads aft to the actual bilge under the galley and salon floor aft of the fuel tank. I took a garden hose and inserted it in the PVC drain tube that is glassed in and drains into the aft bilge and pushed the clog debris back into the mast bucket where I tried to dig it all out with paper towels and putty knife. I recently closed off the anchor locker from being able to drain back there and instead have a drain hole out the starboard side of the bow with a small cowl fitting. I've sailed with it, and have had no problems. Lee is the one that showed me how to do it and it works.

I might add that it's not as simple as drilling a hole... the process was as follows:
1. measure how high you want the drain hole in the anchor locker and cut a 'false floor' panel of poly board or marine plywood
2. prepare the surface of where the tabbing for the false floor will be attached
3. epoxy in the poly board or plywood and let cure
4. use putty or cut strips of wood to create a fillet to smooth the joint angles
5. cut and glass in the fiberglass roving/matt to create a permanent false floor
6. now you can drill your hole (i drilled mine at an approx. 45 degree angle downward to the outside
7. i drilled the hole large enough to then epoxy a PEX plastic tube in the hole (there is coring in the hull above water line)
8. then drilled inside the PEX to make hole larger but still with a plastic tube
9. mounted external chrome cowl fitting with three screws and used butyl tape to bed it.

I have pictures of all of this... the initial effort was to deal with rotted floor of upper locker and some partial rot of the v-berth/anchor locker v-berth... now that is all fixed.... let me know if you want pics and I'll post them up!

Hi John, I would love to see the pics!

Tim, it's not quite as full bore and professionally done as yours looks, but here is what I was able to do thanks to you and Lee Nicholas inspiration!

http://www.morgan38.org/morgan38/index.php?media/albums/anchor-locker.63/

Keefer
At the boat today I photoed the drain holes in the mast bucket. Three shots from different distances to give you perspective. and a shot of the bent wire I keep in the bucket to keep the slot under the mast from getting clogged. Let me know if this helps.

Jim

schlepper said:

Tim, it's not quite as full bore and professionally done as yours looks, but here is what I was able to do thanks to you and Lee Nicholas inspiration!

http://www.morgan38.org/morgan38/index.php?media/albums/anchor-locker.63/

Click to expand...

Nice work! Looks great! I like how you separated the locker.

Thanks all, happy to report that a bit of wire similar to Jim's picture above in combination with some soapy water solved the problem nicely!

John, our anchor locker is a "Season 2 (or maybe 3)" project, so when I get there it will be great to have these photos (and Jim's as well) as a reference. The floor of our upper chain locker is still in decent shape, so may end up leaving that intact for rope backup and building out the lower locker for the primary chain rode. In any case it will be great to get the drain overboard rather than into the bilge.