Jack,


The problem I have seen is the scuppers get clogged with leaves or
trash and
the water then floods into the engine compartment or bilge.


****

Precisely.

My boat may yet be sunk by a maple tree, 30 feet from the water.
There's a big maple tree
near my slip. In autumn, the leaves blow in behind the bulwarks and
tend to collect atop the scuppers. I check the boat every couple of
days when I'm not actively using it, and I have arrived to find a *lot*
of water accumulated on deck after one of the fall monsoons moves
through.