226/228 owners - do you pull the plug?

[luckydude]

Always pull the plug and leave it out if your boat is being stored outdoors. My parents incurred over $4,000 in damage to their Pursuit when it filled with rainwater over the course of a year on the trailer with the plug in.

Right now she is outside, but she is getting a shed with a concrete slab, walls to the ground all the way around, wide enough that I can wash her inside. As soon as the wife approves

 

[luckydude]

two things.

I always pull the plug and over the winter I will pop the hatches to let the boat breathe .

my 08 is dry as well. She has been in Lake Fontana for a month and I am pulling her out next week. it's a covered slip and the bilge will likely be dry.

pull your plug and always have a spare on the boat and one in the tow vehicle. otherwise you will be that guy at the ramp . lol

Never thought of spares. Is that plug any standard size/thread? Would 1/2" PVC plugs work in a pinch?

 

[leeccoll]

Lucky, Yes It's 1/2". I only use brass to match the garboard drain on my 228.

Like Smoky I always have 2 extra on board.

Helped out a few boaters that needed them as well.

 

[luckydude]

Lucky, Yes It's 1/2". I only use brass to match the garboard drain on my 228.

Like Smoky I always have 2 extra on board.

Helped out a few boaters that needed them as well.

So maybe I make my plug a backup, get a couple of these:

Amazon.com : SEAWORTHY INNOVATIONS Boat Garboard Drain Plug - 1/2" NPT Thread - C954 Bronze : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : SEAWORTHY INNOVATIONS Boat Garboard Drain Plug - 1/2" NPT Thread - C954 Bronze : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

and throw some of these in the truck and the boat:

Amazon.com: Mudder 12 Pieces 1/2 Inch 11630 91857 Water Heater Drain Plug White Plastic Drain Plug Compatible with RV Camper and Atwood Water Heaters: Automotive

Buy Mudder 12 Pieces 1/2 Inch 11630 91857 Water Heater Drain Plug White Plastic Drain Plug Compatible with RV Camper and Atwood Water Heaters: Water Heater Thermostats, Elements & Parts - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Personally, I will bet long odds the pvc ones work just fine but I like the brass ones that you can tighten by hand. You guys think that hand tight is tight enough?

 

[DennisG01]

No, bilge pumps will never get all of the water out. Too many variables to say how much will be left in... size of bilge, shape of bilge, placement of pump, type of pump/float, check valve or not... you get the idea. But a few gallons, give or take, is probably about right for the amount left in.

Hand tight... I wouldn't do it on a regular basis, but even with a "regular" bronze plug, putting it in by hand will only allow a very small amount to seep in. Nothing to worry about if you're just out for the day.

 

[leeccoll]

Speaking for myself here, I wrap some yellow pipe tape over the threads, then hand tighten and another 1/8th turn with a wrench I keep in my truck with extra tape (it needs replacing every now and then) and plug. Put the wrench back in the car.

I never get more that a few drips to a few tablespoons that way when I take the plug back out.

 

[Blaugrana]

Never thought of spares. Is that plug any standard size/thread? Would 1/2" PVC plugs work in a pinch?

Previous owner of my boat had a spare inside the float on both his key chains. Always heard this rattle inside and eventually popped it off to find another plug.

 

[wrxhoon]

So maybe I make my plug a backup, get a couple of these:

Amazon.com : SEAWORTHY INNOVATIONS Boat Garboard Drain Plug - 1/2" NPT Thread - C954 Bronze : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : SEAWORTHY INNOVATIONS Boat Garboard Drain Plug - 1/2" NPT Thread - C954 Bronze : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

and throw some of these in the truck and the boat:

Amazon.com: Mudder 12 Pieces 1/2 Inch 11630 91857 Water Heater Drain Plug White Plastic Drain Plug Compatible with RV Camper and Atwood Water Heaters: Automotive

Buy Mudder 12 Pieces 1/2 Inch 11630 91857 Water Heater Drain Plug White Plastic Drain Plug Compatible with RV Camper and Atwood Water Heaters: Water Heater Thermostats, Elements & Parts - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Personally, I will bet long odds the pvc ones work just fine but I like the brass ones that you can tighten by hand. You guys think that hand tight is tight enough?

The brass one is the correct NPT thread , I don't know what type of thread the PVC ones are.
I always have 2 on my boat and I also have several rubber plugs same as the ones in the fish tanks. I plug the sing inside the cabin and the floor outlets on the floor near the seats so I don't get water come up when fishing.
I do the plug by hand but I may have a bit more leverage that the one Amazon sells. I can do it tight enough so no water comes in from there, sometimes I find it difficult to undo it without a wrench, depending on the temperature on the day.
If you buy one from Amazon try do it up by hand and then try with a wrench to see how much more she will turn. Keep in mind NPT thread is slightly tapered. If i had my boat in the water permanently or say for a season like a lot of you guys do I would also use some plumbers tape and do it up with a wrench.
NPT = National Pipe Tapered thread.

 

[nuclear]

My boat is on a mooring so the plug only comes out in the fall, but then I leave it out until the next spring. In that time though, it's always dry as a bone.

 

[luckydude]

The brass one is the correct NPT thread , I don't know what type of thread the PVC ones are.
I always have 2 on my boat and I also have several rubber plugs same as the ones in the fish tanks. I plug the sing inside the cabin and the floor outlets on the floor near the seats so I don't get water come up when fishing.
I do the plug by hand but I may have a bit more leverage that the one Amazon sells. I can do it tight enough so no water comes in from there, sometimes I find it difficult to undo it without a wrench, depending on the temperature on the day.
If you buy one from Amazon try do it up by hand and then try with a wrench to see how much more she will turn. Keep in mind NPT thread is slightly tapered. If i had my boat in the water permanently or say for a season like a lot of you guys do I would also use some plumbers tape and do it up with a wrench.
NPT = National Pipe Tapered thread.

PVC is NPT. I think it would work just fine as a backup.

Do you get water coming in the drains from waves? I haven't seen that in my boat, I have seen a tiny amount in the rear drains when we are fishing back there, just drifting.

 

[Pighunter]

PVC is NPT. I think it would work just fine as a backup.

Do you get water coming in the drains from waves? I haven't seen that in my boat, I have seen a tiny amount in the rear drains when we are fishing back there, just drifting.

Yep I noticed the water coming in from those drains last week.

 

[luckydude]

Yep I noticed the water coming in from those drains last week.

I think I saw somewhere on here where GW had moved some of the drain holes up. I wonder if mine are higher than yours. Mine also have little rubber flaps in them that are a very weak sort of check valve. You might see if yours are missing.

 

[Pighunter]

I think I saw somewhere on here where GW had moved some of the drain holes up. I wonder if mine are higher than yours. Mine also have little rubber flaps in them that are a very weak sort of check valve. You might see if yours are missing.

Nope flappers are not missing. From what I read this normal I only noticed it if someone was standing in the corner the water drains right back out when you move.

 

[mr_mbuna]

West Marine sells the brass drain plugs, $14.50 for a two-pack. I got a pair the last time I was in the store. I keep one in the boat, one on the boat in a storage drawer, and one in my boat tool bag (which lives in my SUV).

 

[wrxhoon]

PVC is NPT. I think it would work just fine as a backup.

Do you get water coming in the drains from waves? I haven't seen that in my boat, I have seen a tiny amount in the rear drains when we are fishing back there, just drifting.

Do you mean the scupper drains? Sometimes if I have 3 in one corner yes but as soon as you move the water goes over . I use the raw water a lot to constantly clean fresh blood , she drains out . The drains under the helm and the passengers side I plug so nothing comes up same with the bowl in the cabin. If i didn't plug them some water will come up on rough seas.