J-Craft Drainage

[Frar]

Just bought out first RIB, J-Craft 6.8.

Wondering if anyone else has one or can advise on the drainage anyway.

Basically, the bow locker (under the deck) had quite a bit of water. Bung is out and bulge pump is running dry.

Looks like there is a drain in the bottom of the locker (useful given the anchor lives in there) but blocked. Any ideas on clearing it? Don't want to go poking wires in holes! Plunger didn't shift it.

Bailed it out and more water is coming in from the bulkhead under the console. Looks like there's another drain in the bulkhead but has a cap on it. There's a small hole above it where water is flowing in. Where is that coming from and is the drain a drain?

Water all fresh and no fuel in it.

Sorry for lots of questions on 1st post!

[Tim M]

Very few J-Craft were ever built so you might struggle to find a fellow owner. The chap who built them (Jamie something if I recall) used to be based at a small workshop near Chichester. Someone might be able to point you in the right direction so you can ask the man that built it.

A lot of boats have under deck lockers including anchor lockers that drain back into the bilge. Sometimes they drain via a drain pipe all the way back to the bilge well. Depends on model/manufacturer. I'd poke a wire coat hanger down there and see if you can unblock it; it won't do any harm. More often than not bits of crud get stuck in drain holes but don't totally block the hole, which might be why your plunger didn't work. Either way its likely to be a very simple issue with a blockage.