Flybridge Drain Locations- early 53MY/58YF?

[ThirdHatt]

We just got Sweet Melissa home from the yard and after washing the boat, I noticed water gathering at the flybridge helm area. It is as if she is bow heavy and water is not draining aft behind the benches, but she is quite level right now with full fuel and water. I wonder if the yard unknowingly caulked that area too much? I know there are drains on the outside of the bridge both port and stbd forward, but how would water get in there? Should the flybridge helm area be draining through there? Should there be drains at the fwd edge of the bench bases to allow water to flow?

I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions from other early (narrow flybridge) 53MY/58YF owners.

 

[MarioG]

I have the exact same problem. Currently I just sweep it off with a broom. I think I may pre-drill a hole on the inside of the bridge in the location of the water. cut length wise a piece of pvc pipe and epoxy one half inside the fly bridge in the location where the exterior drain is and the new drilled hole is . repeat for the other side. I just have to convince myself to drill holes in a new paint job!

 

[Pascal]

my early 53 (1970) doesn't have the original flybridge with narrow central pod and the side benches. it has the old fashion windshield but the full width helm forward.

i have a 1" hole in each forward corner of the flybridge. water goes in there and drains out thru holes on the outter flybridge skin, more or less above the PH doors. there are alum strips, glued with sealant to prevent the water from going forward under the helm...

i never have water standing on the flybridge.

a cleaner way would be to take a piece of 2" PVC, split it lengthwise and glue them between both holes so that water doens't get under the FB at all

 

[ThirdHatt]

Mario, sounds like we need to find a solution before water finds it's way into the salon! I've been thinking the same way as you, with the same reservations of damaging fresh paint.

Pascal, our helms sound identical with the full width helm, not the pod. Your suggestion sounds great to me! I believe Hatt may have intended a small opening on deck level where the benches overlap the helm but I can't tell because mine is all painted and caulked. I think I may carefully cut a drain hole and do the PVC tube with sealant as you suggested. I just wonder where Hatt expected the water to come from to have a need for the exterior flybridge drains.

THANKS!

 

[SereneWarrior]

My 1970 53MY has the old style flybridge w/pod. It has holes drilled in the forward corners and copper tubing plumbed thru the flybridge to its outboard sides. There are also holes drilled (and plumbed with copper tubing) in the forward corners of the bench seats. The copper tubing joins in a T-junction under the flybridge before draining outboard. Looks pretty simple and I thought it was original, but who knows??? The tubes were plugged solid when I bought the boat and it took awhile for me to even notice them. Five minutes of work with a straightened coat hangar and a quick flush with a fresh water hose and they were cleared. No problems ever since then and no water accumulated on the flybridge deck. Jeff

 

[Nonchalant1]

My 1978 53MY has seep holes drilled at the deck level in the corners of the flybridge superstructure. There is no copper tubing so water just runs along the deck inside the cabinets to the outside seeps. A PO put little caulking dams along the deck in the cabinets to keep any water just between the inside and outside seeps. It works fine, but various wires run through that area and continually get wet. Sometimes the seeps get plugged up and water puddles on the deck there until I clean out the seeps. No problem with water in the rest of the forward cabinet floor, even though we have been in rough waves with spray going all the way up to the bridge. I like the copper tubing idea. I may add that to mine.

Doug Shuman