Proper Drain Plug Techniques...

A

AK Angler

New member
A friend and I were discussing my fuel tank situation when a question about the drain plug (in the transom... not the fuel tank) came up. I don't think I've ever heard any opinions about it so I thought I'd ask here.

:?: How is the drain plug supposed to be inserted?
  • *From the outside,
    *From the inside,
    *Or, it doesn't matter, as long as you put it in... :mrgreen:
I ask because, with my tank configuration the way it is/was, I gave up on putting the plug in on the inside and started putting it in from the outside. Does it matter? :|
 
Rod, the one thing I would be concerned about is if the plug started to leak and needed to be tightened it would be a lot harder to do from the outside.
 
There's no way you can pull the plug out accidently or have it leak if it's properly seated. In fact, it fits so well that sometimes it takes a fair bit of wrestling with it to get it out to drain the boat when it on the trailer. Putting it in down between the tanks and behind the bilge pump (and 2nd battery in my case) is a job for a two foot 5 inch contortionist of which I am not!

If you like putting the plug in on the inside, perhaps you'd like to put an inspection port in the wall behind the porti-poti and storing a neatly folded 57 piece wardrobe through the 4 inch opening!

I like complicated and challenging projects, and come up with my share of Rube Goldberg designs and Wylie Coyote schemes, but the inside plug insertion seems unnecessarily difficult from the get-go. My $.02 for free and just for fun! Joe.
 
I have always inserted the bilge plug from the outside....

Come to think of it, Naknek is the only boat I've owned (other than a skiff) where putting the bilge plug in from the Inside was even an option. In most others (including our current B/W Montauk) you can't even reach the bilge hole from the inside. With that in mind, doing it from the outside is clearly "ok."

As for leaking - true, if the plug is put in from the outside it would be impossible to adjust it. Then again, I'm not sure I'd want to mess around with the plug from the Inside either while the boat is in the water!

I think an important item is to make sure the bilge plug is clean and the drain hole is clean so the plug can "seat" properly. If the plug or drain hole has become fouled with oil, dirt, fish slime, or whatever, the plug could slide out more easily. I've never known that to happen, but it seems logical.

Last, but not least, make sure the plug fits the drain hole. With the handle-type plug, adjust the nut on the end so the plug fits properly when the handle is cammed into position. I prefer the simple type that twists into position - easier to feel the tension you've created.

Casey
C-Dory Naknek
 
I always install the plug from the outside and put the cam handle in the up position. I also have a spare plug in the cabin to replace the old one as needed or emergencies.
 
Most of my other trailerables were I/O type and installing from the inside wasn't an option. After an unfortunate "incident" with a cam expansion type plug and some floating trash (long wet EXPENSIVE story) I've always thrown cam lever plugs away and replaced them with the screw expansion type. First thing I noticed about the C-22 is that it was possible to insert the plug from the inside.

I'll probably keep my factory furnished cam plug somewhere handy near the stern just in case I get a major senior moment while launching, but otherwise the hole will get plugged doggy style. :moon
 
Inside, with a spare under the helm foot rest. Also agree on the screw vs. lever type - Bass Pro sells a nice stainless one cheap.

Why inside? Some people misplace things - when you remove it from the inside, you just drop it next to the bilge pump, and you know where it is when you go to put it back in. And if that happens to be after the boat's already in the water, well...it's nice to be able to come up with it quickly.

So I've heard. No personal experience in this area. Really. :shock:
 
I use the stainless steel T-handle type and I install them on the outside. I've used both the tee and the lever type and the tee style seems to seal better. I've never had a problem using the tee type but always carry 2 extra plugs in the motor well just in case. If you're on the water for long periods of time, you can always double plug it (inside and outside) for a little peace of mind.
 
Very good question. I should have had enough courage to ask the question two years ago. I've spent plenty of time thinking about this one (particularily when trying to go to sleep on the boat) and agree with Jon's approach.

T-handle plug tightly inserted from the outside and stored when not in use, in the motor well along with a spare. I also keep a spare stored inside, next to the bilge pump just in case. I don't care for the lever action plug due to my tendency to over tighten which results in bending the cam portion of the lever. I used to insert plug from the inside thinking that a visual check on occasion would be nice but then it dawned on me that several hundred gallons of water in the cockpit would be a sufficient indicator to put life vest on.
 
I've always put mine on the inside, there is not much pressure trying to force it out when there is only a foot of water above it (8.34 X 1 x .052=.43 psi). I realize that would still be a lot of water coming in if the plug slipped out of the hole, but reasonable care should eliminate that possibility.

I mainly like to have on the inside so I can drain water from the cockpit when I am up on step (someone else at the helm of course), as the bilge pump is the one the factory installed, the digital switcher or whatever that only works if totally submerged. I use another pump, small, to pump water into the boat when I need to remove fish slime or some other stuff. Put some water in a bucket or the lazarette, then wash away as we cruise along.
 
I used to insert plug on outside until one debris-filled day on the Potomac I noticed a whole lot of water under my feet. Plug probably got twisted and caught on stick and popped out. Was glad to have spare. Now I put it in from the inside and still keep a spare on board.
 
wilbe asea":1w32q9k3 said:
I mainly like to have on the inside so I can drain water from the cockpit when I am up on step (someone else at the helm of course)
Click to expand...

I'm with you "wilbe asea".....for the same reason I'm all for "innie" instead of "outie".
 
I'm an insider too. My trick since getting old and forgetful is to hang my handle type plug from a snap ring which I leave clipped on the tightening portion of my stern strap.

When I launch the boat and take off the strap I see and install the transom plug when I loosen the strap. The reverse is true for pulling the boat. When I put the strap on and get ready to tighten it down I see the empty snap which reminds me to remove the plug so the boat doesn't fill with rain, etc.

The simple reminders have always worked and I always know where to find the plug, it's right place for the place the boats in.

Tim
 
Inside for me.
I have a tendency to fill the boat with fish blood and slime. Pulling the plug when on step allows me to wash out the deck in a timely fashion, especially when crabbing in the spring when all of the crab smolt are present. I keep a spare handy and always (usually) stick my finger in the drain hole to check that it is in place before launching.
Tuna_blood_2.sized.jpg
 
best drain plug out story... I once had a 12 ft boat with a 25hp motor that the son and i would use to fish all the lakes in the sierras. one day when james was about 6 or so we launched at sly park lake in pollock pines. james liked to be the big man and hold the bow rope for me while i backed the boat in and floated it off the trailer and then parked the truck. well one day as i am walking back to the ramp with arms full of gear to put in the boat i notice the old ramp fishing crew snickering and giggling and avoiding looking at me. it was then that i noticed my son trying to play with ducks on one side of the dock as my water logged 12 fter settled to the bottom of the ramp on the other side of the same dock. when i asked james were my boat was you could not hear his gasp of surprise over the laughter of the old guys as the fell out of their fishing chairs.
 
I agree with Fishtales Roger. Insert from the outside, with the cam handle in the up position.

While at rest, the greater water pressure is from the outside in, hence the natural tendency for the water to hold the plug in place. While moving, the up position of the cam handle prevents the slip stream from loosening the plug.

I always run my finger around the drain hole to be sure it is free of grit, and when I buy new plugs, I seal them with silicone sealer (the center screw & nut), since I have found a couple of them that have leaked at the cam screw.

An outfit called Lovett Pumps used to make a gizmo called a Lovett Bailer, which was a brass fixture that fit through the hull to the bottom, and would set up a venturi at speed to drain the cockpit. It had an anti-fill ball valve, which didn't work real well, but the thing sure was effective in draining the cockpit while under way. Just a simple "open" or "close" petcock. I'd love to put one in the aft bilge drain recession, but have not been able to find one for years. If anybody knows of anything similar, please advise.

Ken
 
Self bailers are very common small sailboat parts. Not sure about the exact model you saw before. Just a simple self sealing drain plug will get rid of cockpit water on plane. One was listed as original equipment for my boat, but I've never seen it.

For lots of water small racing sailboats use transom flaps held shut by shock cord tied to a cleat. After dumping the boat -- if you don't capsize a few times a season you're not sailing fast enough -- get her moving and just flip the cord off the cleat and the water comes out very fast. These are rarely completely watertight at anchor, but sailboat transoms are out of the water at anchor due to their hull shapes.

-- Chuck
 
I have the plug installed from the inside and can still get to it easily. A few months ago I really needed to do a thorough cleaning of the cockpit so while I was in the water next to the buoy I tie up to I took out the mats and sloshed them in the water to clean them and threw everything into the dingy. Then with the only thing left in the cockpit being a brush and bucket I went out into the channel and (no traffic was in the area) I put the boat up onto a plane at about 12MPH and in a constant turn. Took out the plug and took the brush and multiple buckets of water to the cockpit. Everything gets sucked out the drain hole. Put back the plug and all is clean again. Of course there probably were some people on shore that were wondering what the heck I was doing. But it works great. A lot more fun than jacking up the trailer tongue in the driveway to get the stern down to drain. Any excuse to get the boat out on the water. Hey honey got to go out and clean the boat out.
 
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