Drain Lines from Cupholders to Rear Cleanout Tray on 2017 AR190

[2kwik4u]

I've been fighting water in the rear storage compartments on my 2017 AR190 for the last 2.5 seasons. I've sealed, and resealed, and plugged all the things. The cleanout tray has been thoroughly gone over with silicone. I've capped all my cupholders, and FINALLY I think I have the ability to keep the majority of the water on the OUTSIDE of the boat. This past weekend was a big test for us, as I've sealed and drained as many things as I can think of, and we were actually able to be on the water for a few hours without having the bilge run. This is no small feat, as our 1yr old likes to sit on the upper platform and dump 2gal buckets of water on himself in rapid succession. Previous to these mods it would be a "one bucket in, one bucket out" routine with the bilge cycling almost as often as he was dumping water on himself.

We had a problem though. The cupholders would quickly fill with water, and then that water would travel home with us. Often making the 50mi trip from the ramp to the house, and then requiring the shop vac, chamois, or dog to remove the water (the dog apparantly got thirsty one day and found the cupholder water to be quite pleasant). I have also had the problem since plugging of spilling my frosty adult beverage in there, and having no way to really rinse it out. SO....proper drains were in order. BUT, I just spent all this time and effort to plug the things and keep the water on the OUTSIDE of the boat, what to do?!!!?!?!?!?

I added drain lines between the cupholder and the cleanout tray. The cleanout tray has a drain overboard anyway, so the water should run from the cupholder, to the tray, then overboard. Since I've sealed the dammit out of the tray at this point, it should still keep the water on the OUTSIDE of the boat, despite the torturous path it might take. Once installed, we tested this weekend, and the results are amazing. Our cupholders are empty, our storage areas are dry after a day on the water, and the majority of the water stayed where it should.........you guess it OUTSIDE the boat.

So here's what it looks like:


Here's a video of it working:

I bought these supplies from McMaster:


The red tubing is WAY WAY overkill, but it was about the least expensive I could find in the correct ID. The wall thickness is seriously absurd. Nobody can see it, so I'm not terribly worried, but be aware it looks ridiculous as you're putting it together. The fittings are a "bulkhead Style" and are about the right thickness of "shank" to go through the cleanout tray. I sealed the crap out of both the cupholder-to-platform interface, as well as the back side of the fittings. I also smeared some silicone around the inside of the fitting for extra security against leaks. So far it's working pretty good as best I can tell.

Here's the cupholder removed:


Here's the cupholder lined up to see if it will create a "low spot" in the line......I sorta does and doesn't drain 100% properly because of that, but it's minor, and the cupholder was empty when we got home, so I assume it's not an issue. I'll report back if it is.


Here's the fitting. Takes a 1/2in hole in the fiberglass, and accepts the tubing. I put a zip-tie around it as extra insurance, however I had to cut this test piece off with a knife to get it apart.



Here's a picture of a cross section of the tubing and the fitting. This tubing is seriously like 1000% overkill for this application......again, it was cheap though.


This is the "installed" setup before silicone/permanent mounting. I left just enough hose to reach the cupholder when out, and put another zip-tie around the base of it for security. There is no barb on the bottom of the cupholder, so I thought I would add something there to help it hold. I suspect a dab of silicone might help also, but had concerns of accidentally plugging the new line during installation.




Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. Seems to work well, and does what you would expect. I'm most happy that my rear underseat storage areas are dry again. Just a drain/cap wasn't enough to keep the water out of those areas. The silicone sealing to the platform was the key I think. The drains are just a nice touch for this area that gets a lot of water over it from 2 young boys.

Let me know if there are any questions.

 

[Dixie Highway]

Love it! I found out that my bow cup holders drain to nothing as well, so I’ll be running some tubing from them probably down to the bilge, since there’s nothing else up there to drain them to. That tubing is pretty thick walled, but on the plus side your cup holders will now hold 100 psi!!!

 

[2kwik4u]

Love it! I found out that my bow cup holders drain to nothing as well, so I’ll be running some tubing from them probably down to the bilge, since there’s nothing else up there to drain them to. That tubing is pretty thick walled, but on the plus side your cup holders will now hold 100 psi!!!

Yea, that tube wall is so grossly overkill I almost didn't use it. When I chose it, I wanted a specific ID, then chose based on material, then price. I think some cheap aquarium air line would have worked just as well.

Still have to finish the Starboard side this week, since I did the Port side as a test to see how it worked before committing to the second hole on the other side. Took maybe 30 min to do, taking my time and drinking a frosty barley pop along the way.

 

[drewkaree]

What about putting an elbow in your line to avoid any kinking and you might be able to avoid the low spot? I know it's another fitting, but I don't think you'll have any problems with it, given that you said you had to cut the test piece off.

 

[2kwik4u]

What about putting an elbow in your line to avoid any kinking and you might be able to avoid the low spot? I know it's another fitting, but I don't think you'll have any problems with it, given that you said you had to cut the test piece off.

I thought about putting an elbow in there. It certainly wouldn't hurt anything at this point.

Was on the water for a few hours on Saturday. By the time we got home, the cupholder with the drain was completely empty, and the plugged one was about 1/2 full still. This is after a 75min tow home from the ramp. I went to "blow out" the drain with the air compressor and even with low pressure only got a few drops out. I think the jostling on the tow home emptied it the remainder of the way.

Best thing......Port Rear compartment was COMPLETELY dry. Didn't have to open it up and put a fan on it for a day to get it back to dry.