DSII Self Bailer Removal and Replacement

[Gzachmann]

The self bailer on my new to me DSII is obviously damaged. All that is there now is a black circular object fitted into a rubber gasket. What ever was there broke off some time ago.
Also, i have searched the forum and apparently there is an aluminum tube that in some way drains the water from the selfbailer. Does this tube connect to the drain plug for the inner hull on the bottom rear of the stern? If not where does the water from the self bailer drain out?. i have also read someplace that the self bailer is not very effective. If that is the case should i leave it alone or replace it with a simple drain plug?
The picture of a replacement drain plug on DS Marine (http://www.drmarine.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DS81) does not help me understand how it works.
thanks for any advise.

[ChrisB]

In its orginal configuration, the bailer was a through hull device with a bulb shaped housing on the underside of the hull. connected via a tube to the cockpit. With forward momentum, the bulb created "suction" which drained the water from the boat. Inside the "bulb" was a small plastic ball which plugged the tube to prevent backflow when the boat was not moving. On the top side of the tube (inside the cockpit) was a cover that could be closed to provide a secondary closure further preventing backflow. Over time, both the covers and the balls get lost plus the seal between the "bulb" and the hull fails. From your description, it sounds like you no longer have the "bulb" under the hull. If this is the case, you can either replace the bailer with a new one or you can remove what is left of the bailer assembly and fiberglass over the hole and use a sponge, small scoop, or bilge pump to remove any water that accumulates in the well of the cockpit. I still have the "bulb" connected to the tube on my boat. The bulb to hull seal leaks, but since I dry store my boat my simple solution has been to plug the tube from the top with a cork. I still get water in the bilge but not in significan amounts on an afternoon sail.

[talbot]

There is a cylinder that connects the inner and outer hull, such that even if the entire bailer is removed (as when, for instance, the skipper does not listen to his wife, misses the end of the dock, crashes into the breakwater, and shears off the whole damn thing on the rocks) -- the bilge does not flood, and the top of the cylinder is still above waterline. I think you might be able to use a simpler drain plug, but I'll just talk about the standard bailer.

The bailer assembly (original or replacement) fits into this cylinder. It has an upper part with a lid in the cockpit and a lower bulb with a ball float that extends below the boat. The two parts screw together and seal with an O-ring, but, as I said, the assembly does not really have to be water tight. In fact, I think most of us leave the lid open all the time so that the boat won't fill up with rainwater at the dock. Water sloshes in and out of the well below the transom, but it drains out as fast as it comes in.

The original metal DePersia bailer is easy to replace, although the new plastic ones are expensive (~$50). Just chisel away any caulk and unscrew (or break) the old DePersia, then screw in the new one. The bulb won't exactly conform to the hull curve, but you can fill the space with silicone. (Don't use the polyurethane often recommended for permanent through-hull fittings. It's not needed for waterproofness and it will make it difficult to replace the bailer again if you miss the dock, hit the breakwater, etc. etc.

[TIM WEBB]

Exactly what my '79 DS2 has: just a "sort-of-corroded" thru hull tube left over from whatever kind of self-bailer used to live there ...

I just use an inexpensive rubber stopper plug from Lowes to plug it. If water gets into the cockpit while sailing, I just stop, heave to, and pump it out w/ the portable 12V bilge pump. I trailer-sail, so the plug comes out of the hole as soon as I pull 'er outta the water.

One time, just for kicks, I pulled the stopper out of the hole in the middle of the lake just to see how much water would come in. It POURED in like a geyser for about 2 seconds, maybe up to the raised part of the cockpit sole, then stopped. I guess that's the water line! I simply put the stopper back in, pumped the H2O out, and went on my merry way ... ;-P

[talbot]

If your merry way is fast enough, the heave-to and bail-out is probably redundant. When you pull the plug, the Venturi effect sucks the water out of the hole. Only when you stop does the well flood. Something to remember if you take a wave over the side, spill your beer, etc. Just keep the boat moving and the cockpit should clear itself.

[TIM WEBB]

It'll do that even with no bulb underneath?

I'll have to give it a try sometime!

[talbot]

It did after my infamous collision with the breakwater. It didn't actually suck the well dry, but the water stayed at a constant level.

It was a stormy day, with rain and spray, so it did not surprise me that there was water in the boat. After the collision, we managed to get the boat to a nearby resort dock, and tried to wait out the storm in their dining room. When we eventually decided to sail back, the amount of water in the boat seemed appropriate to the weather.

I knew there was something amiss (the top of the bailer lifting out in my hand tipped me off), but I did not know the lower half had been completely sheared away until we trailered the boat a couple of hours later.

[TIM WEBB]

Oh, OK, that's what I was wondering: whether you had to be actually moving in order for the water to stay at a constant level. Sounds like it will whether you're moving or hove-to ...

[GreenLake]

The DS is like an inner tube with all its flotation chambers. In the center of an inner tube is a big hole, and the water level there is constant. Likewise, a DS should float at some constant level, even with a hole in it.

With the boat moving (at a clip), there should be some suction, so the water level should be lower than when it's not (or drifting). How much lower would depend on the speed and the geometry (location and configuration) of the opening.

That's what I imagine. I've not seen that in action (nor ever had enough water in the boat where that mattered).

[TIM WEBB]

Yeah, I think it would drain sufficiently, but only with the boat flat, as in running. That's why port and starboard scuppers work so much better. I had those on my Larsen scow, and there was hardly ever any water in the cockpit. Sure coulda used something like that yesterday at the Trans-Monroe! Had to pull out the bilge pump several times ... ;-P

[Fryfyterx]

Now I realize why my bailer allows so much water into the cockpit. I am missing the ball. Any Ideas on a replacement?

[ChrisB]

I never could find a replacement ball so I gave up. I get little, if any, water in the cockpit so I just use a cork in the top end of the bailer tube. If there's water back there and the boat is moving, I pull the cork out until all the water is gone and then replace the cork. It's worked fine for 18 years.

[Fryfyterx]

Thanks Chris, I have quite a few Borboun corks kicking around, will try to find one that matches

[Gzachmann]

I purchased a new self bailer from DR Marine and installed it this week.

In order to get the o-ring to seal well at the apex of the dead rise angle at the bailer hole needs to be filed flat. I tried installing the self bailer without doing that and it was impossible to properly chalk the space on both sides between the hull and the bailer's o-ring. I was able get a good flat surface using a flat file.
The original bailer may have been shaped to match the dead rise angle but the new ones are not.
Thanks to all of you that offered advise.

[gmichaela]

Thanks for all the info.

I'm contemplating removing the old self-bailer, and fiberglassing over it -- it appears I have a leak around the self-bailer area into my hull.. since my boat is partially under water everytime I sail her, above the waterline gets fouled.

Alternatively, I try to replace the self-bailer with DRs kit... has anyone replaced the through hull tube as well? (unless the kit is the through hull tube)