This boat was lift kept its entire life in north Florida. After 22 years this is what the scupper hoses looked like. They are dripping at the low point. New hoses and scuppers are in process.
1999 islander scupper hoses.
- Thread starter efx
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I'm sure it is possible that the manufacturer of the hose had a bad run, but beyond this I can't comprehend how in the world GW allowed a material like this to be used on their boats. The fact that many boats beyond 99 have had this issue leads me to think GW had some low standards when it came to hoses. Thankfully our 99 isn't showing deterioration like this, but it is a garaged boat. Hopefully ours won't suffer the same fait and GW has higher standards now.
In all of my mid to late 90’s gradys, the hoses either get sticky, brittle or swell crack at the reinforcement wire. The failure always occur at bends. I look at hoses that other manufacturers use, like contender, yellowfin, invincible and intrepid and find a much less failure rate. I use hoses that these manufacturers currently use. I really like hoses that can be removed and cleaned easily, then put back in service.
I have a 98 islander and dont remember the hoses looking that bad. It will be on my list to double check them in the spring. Im intrested if any other islander owners had this issue.
I flitted one side with Lawrence 1.5” hose and the other side with shields 148. I had to cut an 8” access hatch on the starboard side, swim platform and it was brutal getting the hoses in. I’m glad its done. Total of 8 hours. Hammers, sawzalls, chisels, 5200 and and lot of cuts, and fiberglass shards. All new deck drains from TH marine. 
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Fishtales
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I call the use of a hose a design application issue. No way that should that have been selected by the designer/manufacturer given that it breaks down over time and can potentially contribute to a leak. At a minimum it should be hard plumbed to a the highest point above the waterline possible, then maybe a hose from that point to deck drains. I've seen some installs where the hole was cut on the side wall aft of the swim ladder. When I do it, I'll see if that area works on my boat. I'd like a vertical versus horizontal (in floor) inspection port if possible.
I agree with the hard plumb and hose combo and also the vertical wall inspection port. I almost hard plumbed but just not enough room for the alignments and joints, especially on the starboard side.. For the access port, I couldn’t get at it without an 8” port. I’ve had these access point on the transom / swim platform before and it works well with a high quality deck plate, very well sealed all around. Resin on any exposed wood and the rest with sealant and O rings replaced annually. I use the flush screw on type from TH marine. Good non slip and flush.
I had a '99 Islander and with twin 150s the scuppers sat at the water line versus being clearly above it. I had to replace them for the same kind of wear after about 14 or 15 seasons, and they probably should have been replaced sooner.
If you look at the photos you can see the old hoses were wet when the boat is in the water at rest. The rust stains follow the hose bends. The hoses are wet since the scuppers are under water and then the hose steel reinforcement rusts, expands and then drips. I have twin F150’s at 487 lbs each now. The old hoses were 200 2 strokes that were about the same weight with the oil tanks weight. I also removed the aft fuel tank to lighten up the stern. My goal is to get the scuppers right above the water line by removing aft weight and pushing static weight forward.
Bird Blaster
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Curious - what percentage of models have scuppers at or below the waterline?
This never made sense to me.
This never made sense to me.
Fishtales
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When the boats were designed, the scuppers were above the waterline. Most of the issues are older boats that are repowed with heavier four strokes (pre 2002 boats originally designed for lighter two strokes) or excessive weight aft in the boat (usually owner added batteries or something else).
I agree with fish tales regarding the addition of four strokes being the primary cause. I am very close to getting my scuppers above the waterline completely when the boat is at rest and lightly loaded. I have tested it fully loaded and there is no water coming up the drains so I am happy about that. There is a good 4-5 inches of elevation difference between the drain and scuppers so that is a big help. I do have two bilge pumps, a water alarm and carry lots of wax in case something goes wrong, which can happen on any boat.
I didn't have 4 strokes and they sat at the water line from the factory. On this particular boat, it has a stepped transom, so the hull doesn't run all the way back to where the engines are mounted. With nothing displacing the water at the transom, I think that's the primary cause when it's outfitted with twin engines versus one.