Scupper Drain for Commander 120

[clwpaddler]

Has anyone ever looked at mounting a Sunfish sailboat scupper in the stern of a Commander 120. It is a captive ball style but would think it would work for getting water out after a wake or wave comes over the bow. Any thoughts on this idea?

Woody

[Rik]

I think you're asking for more trouble then it would be worth. Since the bulk of those devices hang below the boat, I'd worry about dragging it off on a beach. Plus, you're going to have to put a pretty big hole in the bottom of your boat.

Hand pumps aren't that expensive.

I use a large peanut butter jar. I tied a line to the top and then to a thwart on my Native. Unscrew the jar and you have a bailer in hand. Screw the jar back on to the lid for storage. It never leaves the boat.

Along these lines, has anyone filled a Commander to the brim yet? I know a Native is unbailable if fully filled as the gunnels at midship are below the water level. Only the bow and stern are out of the water. If you're in deep water and fully engulf the kayak, you have to swim it to the shallows.

[clwpaddler]

Thanks Rik, that was my thoughts but sometimes there is someone out there who does it first and I would rather learn from them than as you say put a big hole in the bottom first. As to your other question, I'm not sure that you could fill it to the brim unless you had a huge wave break over it. I have tried to sink my canoes with just enough floatation in them to keep the boat afloat and I could always flip the boat over which when it rights its self has sloshed enough water out and gives me enough freeboard to bail from. I would think the floatation in the ends if like the commander would do the same. Just my .02 worth.

Woody

[krash]

I've seen and experienced many different scupper inverse blocking type devices used on boats, and never seen one that works well.. Most work well if you are moving forward, but bouncing up and down with little forward motion they always leak.
The best I can remember seeing work was way back someone made a rubber device that fit into the standard drain plug for boats, the round brass fitting with expandable plug not the newer screw in types.. it looked sort of like a duck call, open and round inside the boat, extened out an inch or so past the transom and was flattened.. water could escape outwards as you moved forward, but any reverse flow motion squeezed the flat tips closed.. worked great until a stick or something got stuck and prevented the reverse flow form closing it down.

[Rik]

The Native also has flotation in the ends.....

Would like to see someone try it with a Commander though I suspect we'll have to wait a few months for the water to warm up. There was a guy in Texas who purposely flipped and filled a Native, can't remember if it was 12 or 14.5, to see if he could right and bail the kayak. He couldn't. Couldn't even come close with a bucket or a hand pump. He tried all of the tried and true methods used on canoes also.

I'm not knocking the Native too much over this. I own and paddle one. It's one of those things you just have to keep in mind. I have, though, given some thought to bow and stern float bags or additional float blocks for tarpon fishing. It would be a bitch to fill up while a quarter mile off the beach.

[Todd]

The commander has flotation in the bow and midship but no way would I fill it with water. It won't sink but you aren't getting very far.

[Rik]

The commander has flotation in the bow and midship but no way would I fill it with water. It won't sink but you aren't getting very far.

You'll give us a full, real-world report soon, right?