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Scupper Drainage System

Forest

New Member
I recently purchased a 1978 Morgan 382. Cockpit scuppers and lower deck scuppers all drain to a pipe just above the water line that runs horizontally from port to starboard with through holes on both sides. It is hard piped in PVC, about 2 1/2 in diameter, which concerns me. Just above this larger horizontal pipe are other pipes (about 1 1/4 in) which tee into the pipe where scupper drains are also feeding.


This upper piping is fed from the bilge, separately from the shower drain, and also from the refrigerator hand pump.


All of these systems seem out of date and prone to failure as there is a lot of PVC (hard pipe). Do you have any suggestions?
 
Hello Forest and welcome aboard!
Those horizontal pipes are affectionately nicknamed "Torpedo Tubes" on this forum, and if you search for that term on the forum you'll find lots of advice/ideas. As with other things in life, most people that post are having problems, but we (and many others, I think), haven't had any problems with our Torpedo Tubes. It actually seems like a good design to ensure flow out either side when the boat is heeling/leaning. Some people have had minor leaks at the hull that were easy to fix with epoxy, etc.

Cheers,
-Mark
 
Here is the problem with the PVC. Epoxy and polyester resin will not stick to it. Morgan put lots of mud of some sort around the pipes, but mine began to leak where the mud touched the tube. I dealt with the problem by very carefully cleaning out around the pipe on the outside of the hull and then pushing as much 5200 as I could into the little crack between the glass and the PVC and then putting a bead of 5200 around the outside lip of the pipe. After 12,000 miles, it is holding, but I still don't like it.

The best fix would be to remove the PVC pipe, at least that part that goes thru the hull, and replace it with a fiberglass tube glassed to the inside and outside of the hull. I would not worry about the PVC inside the boat. It is subject to no serious stress. I would just join the new fiberglass tube to the PVC pipe containing the various water entrances with a piece of rubber pipe. But all the work has to be done by someone lying on his or her side in the aft locker and I fear removing the Morgan mud might be very hard. It is surely bonded to the glass on the inside of the hull, even though it cannot be well bonded to the PVC.

I actually have a rubber pipe, or hose, in the center if my torpedo tube already. (Be careful, the steering cables run right over that rubber pipe (3" hose) and can, if not properly placed, rub on the rubber and even knock off the hose clamps--right, it happened to me.

Anyway, I have not yet pursued this fix because the torpedo tube no longer leaks after the 5200 treatment, altho I know I will have to monitor and occasionally repair the fix. I am about to spend more dollars than the damn boat is worth having her painted. Now is the time to fix the tubes if I intend to do it. I haven't decided what I will do.
 
I just noticed some water leaking in at the torpedo tube, through the "mud" Terry mentioned. Guessing I will try his 5200 approach and hope that works. Not relishing the idea of trying to pull things apart on the inside and reseal.
 
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