JEM Watercraft

There are no holes in the cockpit for preventing the sea water/rain from getting stuck. How can i solve the issue?
Is it possible to arrange a sort of "double layer" on the cockpit (over the water line) with some holes that can help draining the water?
Can i use instead of the 9mm plywood the 10mm one? (In Italy we have 10mm or 8mm plywood).

Best regards.

Hi Rapala 59,

Welcome aboard mate.

For what my opinion is worth, 10mm ply would be fine

Going a little thicker is generally ok.

Morten will, of course, have the final say.

The design of the cockpit is done with the bottom being used as sole in the cockpit. This is done to keep the boat as simple as possible. There can be said both for and against this solution but if you use that you will have to bale the cockpit manually.

Installing a sole in the cockpit above the waterline will give you the possibility to make drain holes. Another possibility is to make a pumping well where you can install a manual or automatic pump. Either of the solutions will work fine, only thing to have in mind is that if you use drain holes the sole has to be above the waterline no matter how much you load the boat.

I have checked the calculations and you will have to use 10 mm plywood, 8 mm will not be enough for this design.

Will installing a sole have a dramatic effect on the crafts stability?

No not really, this boat has plenty of stability for such small vertical change in the centre of gravity. If you raised the sole to deck level and placed a lot of people there it would be a problem, but raising the sole 300 mm [12"] above the bottom will mean no harm to the stability.